The TikTok ‘finfluencers’ teaching Gen Z how to invest

• English entrepreneur Mark Tilbury, 53, from Sittingbourne, Kent, is the second most influential finance content creator in TikTok with 7.1 million followers, and can potentially earn up to £5,049 per sponsored post
• Mark Tilbury is the only English content creator in the global top ten
• Ex-corporate lawyer Erika Kullberg, 32, whose video explaining Nike’s shoe return policy has been viewed over 74.8 million times, is the most influential finance content creator on TikTok with 8.9 million followers, and can potentially earn an average of £6,066 per sponsored post

New analysis has revealed that Erika Kullberg is the number one TikTok financial influencer, or ‘finfluencer’, teaching Gen Z how to save money on the social media platform.

The study conducted by derivative trading provider CMC Markets analysed TikTok profiles of the creators and marketing calculators to determine how influential the financial content creators are on social media. 

53-year-old English entrepreneur Mark Tilbury is the second most popular finance influencer on TikTok. With 7.1 million followers, Mark can earn an estimated £5,049 per sponsored post. This means that he could potentially earn one million dollars after posting 171 sponsored videos, or 14 videos per month for one year on TikTok alone. He has the highest engagement rate out of anyone in the top ten, 2.18%, with an average of 154,650 likes per TikTok video. Mark shares advice and explanations on how to invest, save money and negotiate in order to become a millionaire. He grew up in Sittingbourne, Kent, where he studied at Fulston Manor School. Mark currently owns multiple businesses and now resides in Whitstable, Kent. Mark is the only TikTok creator from England in the top ten.

Erika Kullberg, 32, an ex-corporate lawyer based in New York City, takes the top spot with 8.9 million TikTok followers, potentially earning an average of £6,066 per sponsored post, according to TikTok Money Calculator. This means she only needs to post two sponsored videos per month in order to make the average salary of a corporate lawyer in New York City. Erika’s TikTok videos offer users tips across retail, investing, employment and law. A video about how to get free Nike shoe replacements using the company’s 2-year warranty is her most popular, racking up 74.8 million views, as of August 2022. Erika became a content creator after paying off £190,000 of student debt in two years and discovered a passion for helping others with personal finance. A video on her TikTok reveals she now makes over £85,000 per year from YouTube revenue alone. 

Duke Alexander Moore, aka Duke Tax, is the third most popular finance TikToker. Based on his 3.4 million follower count, niche and audience, he could earn an estimated £2,343 per sponsored video. Duke’s videos educate his followers about taxes for creators and entrepreneurs and personal finance tips. His most popular video, with over 10.6 million views, summarises President Biden’s stimulus plan, explaining how people can claim the checks and how to file this on a tax return. Duke is from Shreveport, Louisiana. Before finding success in finance, Duke was evicted from his apartment and filed for bankruptcy. He is now a Certified Tax Coach and Enrolled Agent, and currently one of Intuit’s QuickBooks top 5 Tax Advisors in Dallas, Texas. 

Brandon Schlichter, aka Investment Joy, 36, from Circleville, Ohio, is the fourth most popular financial influencer on TikTok. With 3.4 million followers, Brandon can earn approximately £2,274 per sponsored TikTok video. That is just over 1% of his monthly revenue, as he generates around £172,000 per month from his businesses. He has now accumulated a net worth of over £8.6m million. Brandon uses his TikTok account to share his rental properties and businesses, investing tips and financial education with his followers. His most popular video, with over 45.1 million views, shows how much money his laundromat made in one day (£969).

Humphrey Yang, 34, based in San Francisco Bay Area, California, is the fifth most popular finance content creator on TikTok. With 3.3 million followers, Humphrey can earn an estimated £2,274 per sponsored video. Humphrey is an ex-investment banker who uses TikTok to share personal finance, money and investing tips in simple terms. According to his financial mastersheet, his investments include Vanguard, Robinhood, Coinbase Pro, WeBull, Fidelity, Public and Wealthfront, where he invests between £290,000 to £430,000 per month. He went to school in Portola Valley, California. 

Tatiana Londono from Montreal, Canada is the sixth most popular financial TikTok influencer. Her 2.7 million following can earn her an estimated £1,861 per post. This means she would need to post 265 sponsored videos in order to afford the average cost of home in the Greater Montreal area, or £492,375, according to this CBC report. Tatiana only needs to post one sponsored TikTok video per month in order to cover the average cost of rent for a three bedroom apartment in Montreal city centre, according to Numbeo price data. Her TikTok content covers business and real estate tips and how to make and invest money. Her most popular video highlights three high-paying jobs you can get without a college degree (electrician, plumber, real estate photographer), which racked up over 16.9 million views. As well as being a real estate coach and investor, Tatiana is the star of HGTV’s Property Shop, a reality show following the opening of her real estate agency. 

Preston Seo, aka the Legacy Investing Show, is the seventh most popular finance TikTok creator. With 2.3 million followers, Preston can potentially earn £1,585 per sponsored video. He has 3 properties making him over £17,000 per month. The Legacy Investing Show covers investing, real estate and personal finance in order to teach viewers how to have ‘financial freedom’, with a focus on Airbnb rentals. Preston’s most watched video shares his favourite stock trading platform, Public.com, which has gained over 39.9 million views. He owns over 50 rental properties and makes around £9,470 per day from his businesses, according to a recent TikTok video. 

Tori Dunlap, 27, is the eighth most popular financial influencer on TikTok. She has over 2.2 million followers on her TikTok account, herfirst100k. Tori can make an estimated £1,516 per sponsored post. Her most popular video addresses how to invest and why it’s important, which has been viewed over 6.1 million times. Tori’s channel features free tips on personal finance and investing. With over 2,000 posts on TikTok, she is the most active creator out of anyone in the top ten. Tori is based in Seattle, Washington and is a University of Portland graduate. She quit a corporate marketing job and founded her TikTok account to teach other women how to grow their wealth in order to fight the patriarchy. She describes herself as a financial feminist. 

John Liang ranks at number nine on the list of financial influencers on TikTok. He can make an estimated £1,378 per sponsored video, based on his 2 million TikTok followers. John is a real estate investor and shares tips about investing, credit cards, retail, employment and earning money on his channel. His most popular video, with over 15 million views, reveals the low costs of manufacturing luxury brand products and how much markup gets added. Before becoming a personal finance influencer, John used to work at Chipotle.

Vivian Tu, aka Your Rich BFF, rounds off the list of TikTok’s top ten finance influencers. She has a following of 1.8 million, meaning that she can potentially earn £1,171 per sponsored video. Vivian is an ex-Wall Street Trader and uses her TikTok platform to share tips on everyday money saving, stocks and crypto investments. Her most popular video, which explains what you should do if you win the lottery, has gained over 9.1 million views. Vivian started educating people about personal finance after realising most people, even financial employees, didn’t know much about it. She went to school in Marriottsville, Maryland.

The analysis was conducted by CMC Markets, a UK-based financial services company that offers online trading in shares, spread betting, contracts for difference and foreign exchange across world markets.