Inside StockTok, where Gen Z finds helpful — and sometimes dangerous — financial advice
Inside StockTok, where Gen Z finds helpful — and sometimes dangerous — financial advice

StockTok, also know as FinTok or “Financial TikTok,” is a very particular corner of the country’s fastest-growing social media app.It’s a place where TikTok users — more than half of whom are aged 16 to 24 in the U.S. — come to share, swap and consume financial advice.The #StockTok hashtag has been used in more than 115 million videos alone.Millions of videos means millions of differing opinions.

And with TikTok’s mysterious, engagement-focused algorithm, information flows freely — and often without a filter.To some veteran financial advisors, like Dejan Ilijevski, that’s a pretty dangerous way to consume knowledge.“We know, based on decades of academic research and empirical evidence, what works,” Ilijevski, a fiduciary investment advisor at Sabela Capital Markets, told In The Know.“We know the actions that actually improve the odds of success for investors — and most of the advice you see on TikTok is definitely not that”.The advice on StockTok varies widely.

One video can feel like a microeconomics class, then the next is like a recruiting pitch for a pyramid scheme.Michael Clark, who runs Ensemble Wealth Management in Southern California, explained, the difference comes down to intention.“These creators need to understand that although they might be providing entertainment value, we need to make sure it is delivered responsibly and with perspective,” Clark told In The Know