The online landscape is full of terrible personal finance advice: teenagers announcing daily trading strategies, “influencers” whipping up questionable investment schemes, and people with dubious credentials promoting investments.
Outrageous statements and flashy graphics grab attention, but there’s also a lot of solid, factually correct money content, and some of it is even entertaining.
So if you want to learn more about managing your finances, while having at least a little fun, here are a few ways to do it.
Audio worth listening to
With podcasts, you have a plethora of options. One to try is stack benjamins. Former financial advisor Joe Saul-Sehy and certified financial planner Josh Bannerman mix news, jokes and education with the help of regular contributors Paula Pant and Len Penzo, plus a wide variety of guests.
Also, check out two public radio podcasts: planet moneythat explains how the economy works, and this is uncomfortablewhich describes itself as a podcast about life and how money interferes with it.
Public radio isn’t known for being a laugh a minute, but the high production values and good storytelling will keep you interested.
If you like to learn by listening, it may also be worth exploring the Clubhouse social media app. This voice-only app lets you listen to and often participate in live conversations on a seemingly endless number of topics.
Consider starting with the Personal Finance Club. (Clubhouse started out as invitation-only, but is now open to everyone.)
Of course, as with all social networks, proceed with caution. Having a large following does not mean someone is credible, honest, or knowledgeable. Many people pose as experts without the credentials or experience to be one.
No one is required to disclose conflicts of interest and your default assumption should be that what you are hearing or seeing may not be in your best interest.
Information or advice shared on social media isn’t tailored to your unique circumstances, says Brooklyn, New York-based financial planner Lazetta Braxton.
Research the ideas to make sure they make sense for your situation, and consider consulting an appropriate expert, such as a tax professional, financial planner or attorney, says Ms. Braxton.
what to see
Suppose you are more of a visual learner. In that case, you’ll find plenty of reputable experts to follow on Instagram, including certified financial planner Brittney Castro and financial education instructor Bola Sokunbiof. smart finance girl.
But for sheer fun, it’s hard to beat Berna Anat aka hello bernea financial educator whose stated goal is to make “financial education more fun, more accessible…for young people around the world.”
Ms. Anat and several other Instagram worthy creators like financial diet Y His money and hers they’re also on YouTube, along with a host of finance and investment channels airing sketchy advice (often interrupted by even sketchier commercials).
Beware of creators who pretend that making large sums of money is easy or who promote risky strategies such as options trading or lending money to buy volatile assets like cryptocurrencies, especially if you are new to investing.
Also, be skeptical of creators who aren’t transparent about their financial situations or strategies, says Nashville-based financial planner Jeff Rose, a blogger at good financial pennieswho hosts the Wealth Hacker channel on YouTube since 2011.
Many people claim to be spectacularly financially successful, but in reality they are trying to lure you into buying courses or other products that make money for them and are not in your best interest.
That’s especially true on TikTok, where videos are often only a few seconds long and bold claims about instant wealth seem to be the norm.
Even here, however, some people are creating substantial and entertaining money content. Two to watch include Humphrey Yang (@humphreytalks) and Delyanne Barros (@delyannethemoneycoach).
go old school
If books are your bag, you won’t need caffeine to get to work with the following personal finance tomes that combine your education with plenty of humor:
- Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management for stack benjamins host Saul-Sehy and co-author Emily Guy Birken.
- Bad With Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your Financial Shit in Orderby comedian Gaby Dunn.
- Any of these three books by Erin Lowry, broke millennial, Broke Millennial takes on the investment Y Broke millennial talk money.
One last recommendation: The richest man in Babylon by George S. Clason. This lean book of parables isn’t funny, but it’s entertaining, easy to read, and amazingly relevant nearly 100 years after it was first published.
The ways we learn about money can change dramatically, but a lot of the best personal finance advice doesn’t.
Updated: March 02, 2022, 4:00 am
