Always your view.
Your feed is full of people giving you money advice. But can you trust it?
— IN THIS ISSUE
01 Five red flags
02 What good actually looks like
03 Ask Third View
04 Try the five-minute feed audit
— THE BIG QUESTION
How do you know if personal finance content is legit?
Content contributed by Jake McCarthy, CFP®, ChFC®, Vice President at Third View Private Wealth
Scroll through any of your feeds for a few minutes, and I bet you’ll get shown some kind of personal finance-related content. It might not necessarily be someone talking about stocks or investment returns, but it might be someone standing in front of a Lambo at a Miami mansion telling you about how to get rich tomorrow and never think about money again.
We can laugh about that example… but people get caught up in this type of content, and it’s easy, and sometimes dangerous, when you start getting tempted into thinking it’s legit.
To prepare for this newsletter, I sat for an entire hour and scrolled my feed on IG and TikTok. While I did, I took notes on what I was seeing and put together a list of all the red flags and green flags you should watch out for when you come across personal finance and money related content online.
I hope this edition of the Long View helps keep an eye out for who might be providing sound advice and who might be offering some kind of “get rich quick” scheme you should stay away from.
You are not judging whether the person is smart. You are judging whether they are showing you their reasoning or their results. Only one of those is useful to you.
— RED FLAGS
🚩 Five red flags to catch before you believe a money post.
After my hour of scrolling, I had like 30 bullets on red flags… I broke them into 5 categories. Here are the things you should watch out for:
01 Is the lifestyle the proof?
Luxury cars, private jets, watches, and vacations, all presented as evidence the advice works. Same goes for the “quit your job” and “retire by 25” promises. Even when the success is real, it doesn’t prove someone is qualified to guide you, or that what worked for them will work for you.
What it looks like: A self-proclaimed millionaire day trader filming next to a rented sports car, with no credentials, employment history, or track record you can actually check.
02 Are they promising, predicting, or pushing?
Guaranteed returns. “Little or no risk.” “Buy now before it explodes.” Be most careful when someone tells you to go all in on one stock, one coin, or one option trade, or mocks diversified, long-term investing as outdated.
What it looks like: A creator calls a little-known AI company “the next Nvidia” and tells followers to buy before the price takes off, without a word about its valuation, its finances, its competition, or how much you could lose.
03 What are they actually selling?
If the content mostly exists to move you toward a course promising financial freedom, a paid Discord, Telegram, or VIP trading group, or a “secret” strategy Wall Street supposedly doesn’t want you to know, you’re watching an ad. Complicated charts and heavy jargon are usually part of the pitch. They look like analysis and explain very little.
What it looks like: A $997 options trading course sold as the path to “financial freedom,” with nothing on the odds of losing money, the tax consequences, or how the strategy has actually performed over time.
04 Are you seeing the whole record?
Winners get posted. Losers don’t. Returns get quoted with no mention of risk, fees, or taxes. And a comment section full of glowing testimonials can be manufactured just as easily as a screenshot.
What it looks like: A feed of winning trade screenshots with no complete track record, a wrong prediction that quietly got deleted, and a wall of success stories in the comments that all sound the same.
05 What aren’t they telling you?
Sponsorships, commissions, or ownership they never mention. People who ask reasonable questions get blocked or attacked. And if an account ever asks for a screenshot of your brokerage account or your personal information, that’s an unfollow on the spot.
What it looks like: A creator hypes a stock they own without saying so, then sells their shares once followers pile in.
— GREEN FLAGS
✅ What good actually looks like.
The accounts worth your time tend to share five habits or qualifiers that have nothing to do with follower counts or views.
VERIFIABLE
You can check who they are
Their credentials, licenses, experience, and employer are out in the open, and they match the public record at FINRA BrokerCheck, the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database, or the CFP Board.
Example: Someone who says they’re a CFP® professional shows up in the CFP Board’s verification tool with no disciplinary history.
UPFRONT
You know how they get paid
How they’re compensated, plus any sponsorships, commissions, or conflicts, is stated plainly. So is the line between general education and advice for your specific situation.
SHOWN
The work is clear
Claims are backed by the IRS, SEC, FINRA, or another reliable source. The math is shown so you can check it, and they encourage you to do your own research.
Example: A post about a new tax rule links to the IRS guidance, explains who qualifies, and says the value depends on your income and circumstances.
BALANCED
They talk about risks and downsides
Risks, fees, taxes, and drawbacks sit right next to the benefits. No guarantees, realistic expectations, and a willingness to say “it depends.” They push diversification over going all in, and the content is useful even if you never buy anything.
Example: Instead of “everyone should open a Roth IRA,” they walk through how it’s taxed, who’s eligible, the contribution limits, and when a different account makes more sense.
CONSISTENT
They give the same advice in any market
Long-term habits over short-term predictions. The same message when markets fall as when they rise. Public corrections when they get something wrong, and respectful replies to people who push back.
— ASK THIRD VIEW
What if your friends are in something, and you are not?
“Crypto, AI stocks, and meme names look fun, and my friends are in them. How should I think about that part of my portfolio?”
Some appetite for this is normal, and pretending otherwise is how people end up doing it secretly and badly. Our message to clients is often that a small, capped, deliberately chosen slice that is dedicated to riskier investments is fine, so long as 90%+ of your portfolio is committed to a tried-and-true long-term investing strategy.
So have a strategy in place for the 90% and then determine how you’d like to allocate the other 10% before you open the app or are pitched some new opportunity, not after.
— TRY THIS TONIGHT
5 MINUTES
The feed audit.
Open whichever app you spend the most time in. Scroll until you hit five money posts. Do not unfollow anything yet, just run each one through the list and notice how it scores.
☐ Could I explain this post’s point to a friend right now?
☐ Is there a number here that is not a return?
☐ Would this still be good advice if the market had gone the other way?
☐ What is this account actually selling, and to whom?
— SAVE THIS FOR LATER
Jake’s Picks: Three posts to check out.
Notice we’re linking to specific posts, not recommending the accounts behind them. A good post doesn’t mean everything that creator says is right, so run every account you follow through the same red flags and green flags, including the ones we send you to.
The quick one. If your employer offers a match, it’s part of your pay, and contributing less than it takes to get the full match leaves some of that pay on the table. Worth understanding before your first paycheck, not after.
You put in money you’ve already paid tax on, and qualified withdrawals in retirement come out tax-free. It’s the kind of explainer our green flags describe: how the account works and who it fits, not just “go open one.”
A thread on r/investingforbeginners where regular investors answer one question. It’s the long read of the three, and the upvotes do some of the filtering for you.
— QUICK PULSE
What do you want to see more of in The Long View?
- Starting your career: job offers, benefits, your first paycheck
- Investing basics: accounts, index funds, how it all fits together
- Everyday money: budgeting, rent, student loans, credit cards
- Big life moments: moving, getting married, money talks with family
- More picks like Jake's: posts and videos worth your time
— PASS IT ON
Send this to someone whose feed probably looks like yours.
They’re likely seeing the same posts you are. The test works best before anyone needs it.
Forwarded this message?
Sign up here to receive future The Long View editions in your inbox.
Any media logos and/or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and no endorsement by those owners of the advisor or firm is stated or implied.
Past performance is not indicative of future results. The material above has been provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security or strategy. The investment strategy and themes discussed herein may be unsuitable for investors depending on their specific investment objectives and financial situation. Information obtained from third-party sources is believed to be reliable though its accuracy is not guaranteed, and Third View Private Wealth makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information, which should not be used as the basis of any investment decision. Information contained on third party websites that Third View Private Wealth may link to is not reviewed in their entirety for accuracy and Third View Private Wealth assumes no liability for the information contained on these websites. Opinions expressed in this commentary reflect subjective judgments of the author based on conditions at the time of writing and are subject to change without notice. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission from Third View Private Wealth. For more information about Third View Private Wealth, including our Form ADV brochures, please visit https://adviserinfo.sec.gov or contact us at (203) 408-0098.