With stock market volatility dominating Main Street news headlines since early 2020, interest in investing has seen a dramatic increase. According to Bloomberg News, downloads of investment apps rose by 20% in 2021 from the year prior while actual time spent on these apps jumped by 90%. Most Millennials and Gen Z-ers are using social media sources for information about investing rather than relying on more traditional sources of investing information such as brokerage or investment advisory firms, or regulatory agencies.
Influencers have taken notice, and social media has become more saturated with financial content than ever before, leading to the rise of the financial influencer, or “finfluencer.” Viral videos claiming that an investment opportunity will “go to the moon this year!” have proliferated, as have social media postings promoting easy plans for paying off your house, car, or student loan debt using language such as “Five easy tricks to financial freedom.”
This investor advisory explains what financial influencers are, how they are compensated, what you should keep in mind when you are exposed to financial influencers’ content, red flags to watch out for, and resources available to you.
View the full investor advisory here.