- A DayTrading.com report finds TikTok investment advice is often misleading and risky.
- In 2026, 60% of viral videos failed to disclose investment risks.
- Users should verify TikTok advice with financial advisors and check influencers' credentials.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns just don't flock to TikTok for recipes, life hacks and travel tips. Many are also getting investment advice from the social media platform. But just how solid is that advice?
A new DayTrading.com report graded viral investing TikToks. Not one of the videos it graded this year earned an A for accuracy.
"The sort of initial results we did were fairly worrying," said James Barra, head of content at DayTrading.com, a website that provides info and tools for investors. "We then redid the test ... this year, and they appear to be getting worse."
In 2025, 30% of the viral videos DayTrading.com graded got an F for failing to disclose the risks of their investment advice. In 2026, that number rose to 60%.
"Disclosure is important because it is very easy to be lured into a sense of 'This is a great investment opportunity' and focus on the positives," Barra said. "People have to understand that every investment has downsides and there are risks."
In 2025, 70% earned an overall grade of C or worse. This year, that number is 80%.
Influence of 'finfluencers'
That's a problem, Barra said, especially with over a third of Gen-Z investors in the U.S. describing financial influencers, or finfluencers, as a major factor in their decision to start investing in a CFA Institute study.
"Young investors are increasingly turning to social media platforms like TikTok to learn about investing," he said. "For some of these younger generations, it may be the first touch point they're having to learn about finance and how to approach investing. At the same time, these short videos can really encourage impulsive decision-making."
Some videos analyzed by DayTrading.com did fine. A TikTok post about investing mistakes in your 20s got a B, as did another about long-term investing.
"We did find some genuinely useful information," Barra said.
But other posts are not nearly as useful.
One video touting crypto investment got an F for claiming a $50 investment could earn $187,000. Also earning the F was a video pushing "cheap cryptos" that could transform viewers into millionaires in 365 days.
"Confidence is often being mistaken for expertise on these platforms," Barra said. "We see lots of articulate young people, but I don't see evidence of them having a background in finance and financial services. I don't see evidence in them having suitable financial qualifications."
I asked Barra for the red flags of TikTok money advice that I should run from — not just walk away.
If the video touts an investment as "guaranteed," stop. If it sounds too good to be true, stop. If it says the investment is "no risk" or makes no mention of risks, stop. That is not sound advice.
"Nobody knows what's going to happen," Barra said. "And I think that is helping to contribute to this environment of pushing high-risk investment opportunities without considering the downsides."
Using TikTok advice
Bottom line: Use TikTok as a spark for investing ideas, but not for investing strategies.
Before taking a finfluencer's advice to heart, investigate them. Make sure they have legitimate finance and investing credentials. Know that some finfluencers receive commissions from the products or platforms they're pushing. And run TikTok money advice past a financial adviser or planner to see if it really holds water.
Remember: A confident stranger lit by a ring light with 60 seconds of advice does not constitute a sound financial plan.
