When your investment plan starts with “I saw this on TikTok…”
Let’s start with this uncomfortable truth: Everyone is giving financial advice these days, especially the people who should not.
And young people are listening. Because the voices are loud. The content is slick. The confidence? Blinding.
But behind the bravado and buzzwords is a dangerous cocktail of half-truths, shortcuts that’s setting a generation up for failure. Or worse, false hope.
The rise of financial fast food.
On TikTok, a 22-year-old with a ring light and a “passive income” sweatshirt is telling you to invest in crypto mining, drop shipping or flipping distressed real estate in markets they have never visited.
On Instagram, someone’s sharing screenshots of their trading account (real or not, who knows) and promising you will double your money in 30 days.
Everyone’s shouting. Few are qualified. Even fewer are honest. It’s financial fast food, quick, addictive and not at all nutritious. And like fast food, it leaves you full of regret and wondering where your money went.
Where are the grown-ups?
I sit down with my kids, nieces and nephews every two weeks to talk about money and investing.
Not because I have cracked the code or have it all figured out, far from it. I do it because I wish someone had done the same for me.
My goal is not to turn them into overnight experts; it’s simply to get them moving. To help them take those early steps that, over time, turn into habits. And those habits? That’s where real wealth begins.
The Kiswahili saying ‘Asiyefunzwa na mamake hufunzwa na ulimwengu’ has never rung truer. But in this case, the world doing the teaching? It’s influencers or, worse, pyramid scheme con artists. There’s a whole generation being raised by content creators instead of mentors. They are being taught to chase returns before they understand risk. To focus on how much they can make not how much they could lose. To skip the work and head straight for the reward. And when you ask where the advice came from?
It’s never a CFA. Never a regulator. Never someone who has weathered a full market cycle. It’s usually someone with a mic, a Wi-Fi connection and just enough confidence to pass for credibility.
The algorithm does not care about your money.
Be careful what shows up on your thread as you mindlessly scroll. Social media algorithms are hype machines. They do not reward accuracy—they reward engagement. And nothing engages faster than a shortcut, a shiny number or a screenshot dressed up to look like success.
That is why the video shouting ‘How I turned 10K into 1 million in 6 months’ racks up views by the thousands, while the one patiently explaining compound interest dies in silence. The algorithm does not care about your financial wellbeing. It is not your friend. It is not your adviser. It is not regulated. And it is definitely not invested in your future. So before you like, share or worse—act—ask yourself: Is this real advice, or just really good lighting?
The real cost of bad advice
What’s heartbreaking is this: People are losing real money because they followed fake advice. They are borrowing to invest in schemes they do not understand. Signing up for platforms they have not researched. Quitting jobs to “go all in” on trading strategies they found in a thread with fire emojis. And when it crashes? They are left with losses, shame and silence. No one talks about the regret, only the (rare) wins. So what should you do instead? Start with real education, not viral content.
Build your money habits the same way you build muscle, slow, consistent and focused on fundamentals. Read books. Ask questions. Sit with someone who has been through more than one market cycle. Someone who has seen the highs, survived the lows and still shows up. Because that kind of experience does not trend, but it’s what builds financial strength that lasts.
And here’s where compliance comes in.
Compliance is not just for banks and boardrooms. It is supposed to be a barrier between consumers and bad products.
A filter that makes sure what is being sold (or said) has been stress-tested, audited, reviewed. But here’s the problem: social media does not go through compliance. There is no licensing check. No disclaimer. No regulator reviewing reels.
That is why your real defence is your mindset. Your scepticism. Your patience. Because while the hype will always be louder, the truth will always last longer. Do not let a trending sound become your financial strategy. Invest in knowledge. Then build with intention.
Compliance, risk and fintech executive
