In short
Financial advisors react to “funny money” finance TikToks/Instagram/YouTube skits, debating how misinformation, oversimplified investing claims, and consumer spending myths affect real financial decisions.
Guests
Host Brian and co-host Bo (both finance professionals, with CFA-level knowledge implied for Bo).
Key claims
Viral finance content often uses fake or misleading jargon and oversells quick riches; real planning is usually “boring and basic” (e.g., index funds). Money isn’t a binary alternative to happiness; it’s a tool for long-term goals. Debt payoff vs investing optimization depends on personal priorities.
Notable examples
“made $100,000 in under 10 minutes,” “$3 trillion in under six seconds,” made-up “fundamentals”/market-line jargon, coffee/snack spending jokes, and a student-loan payoff vs S&P 500 return debate.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOReactions to TikTok Finance Trends
0:00 to 0:22
The hosts react to various humorous TikTok videos about making money.
“And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds.”
Reactions to TikTok Finance Trends
1:12 to 3:19
The hosts react to various humorous TikTok videos about making money.
“Dan, if you want to make a finance TikTok, you're going to have to pump up your numbers.”
Financial Discipline vs. Lifestyle Choices
3:19 to 4:28
Discussion on the balance between financial discipline and enjoyment in spending.
“He just shined a light to the journey we are all on, where there's going to be a battle between being your financially disciplined self and then let it rip.”
Money as a Tool
4:28 to 5:20
Exploring the relationship between money, happiness, and long-term goals.
“come into money or start making good money, they think that it has to be sexy, has to have sizzle, has to be more complicated.”
Money as a Tool
5:29 to 6:15
Exploring the relationship between money, happiness, and long-term goals.
“It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.”
Understanding Taxes
6:15 to 10:25
Discussion on the complexities of the US tax system and the importance of early planning.
“Why are accounting departments the most welcoming?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Brian Preston:Study and play. Come together on a Windows 11 PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds. Get the Unreal College Deal. Everything you need to study and play with select Windows 11 PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft 365 Premium and a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with a custom color Xbox Wireless Controller. Learn more at windows.com slash student offer. While supplies last, ends June 30th. Terms at aka.ms slash college pc. When you need to build up your team to handle the growing chaos at work, use Indeed Sponsored Jobs. It gives your job post the boost it needs to be seen and helps reach people with the right skills, certifications and more.
0:42Brian Preston:Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Listeners of this show will get a$75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com slash podcast. That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. And we're back with another React episode. The content team's been busy at work trying to find some funny content. Ron, I am so excited to see what the content team has in store for us. Let's dive right in. Here's how I made$100 ,000 in under 10 minutes. The first thing I did... No, no, no, no.
1:17What the are you doing?
1:18Brian Preston:I'm lying about making money. Dan, if you want to make a finance TikTok, you're going to have to pump up your numbers. But these are pretty big. Pump them. Here's how I made$3 trillion in under six seconds. First, I look at a company's fundamentals. What was the problem that time? Fundamentals is too inside baseball, so is stock. Those are like basic finance terms. Try these lines I wrote. When green line go up, good. Green line only go up. Can't ban it up. Money, money, money, money. Jay-Z, Bugatti. We can't just say this stuff. Who's gonna say anything? The TikTok police? Shut up, keep reading.
1:51Brian Preston:Well done. Your line movements you should look out for. The triple wedge, the Ant-Man, the wet otter, and the bagel. I feel like we're just lying to people at this point. Too loud. But no, this isn't true. We're not even selling them anything. And buy my course. Which is why you should buy my finance course, Overnight Millionaire Money Move. This stuff writes itself. So you mean to tell me that everything that we hear on the internet, everything we see on TikTok, everything we watch on Instagram, everything we watch inside the YouTube universe, isn't exactly accurate and in my best interest if I act upon the information given?
2:27Brian Preston:So we think that there are right places to get your information in there Get whatever you want on the menu. I got money. You sure we need wedding flowers. That's a lot of money We had our wedding now. We don't have money. Honey, you should go buy yourself a coffee today. You earned it I don't know if you should be buying a five dollar coffee every day. Stop buying a coffee every day for his birthday Let's buy him a hundred toys for his birthday. Let's buy him one toy. Oh, it's his birthday How about we give them a cardboard box? Now that the kids are gone, we should buy a Corvette. Now that we're retired, we should buy a vacation home in Florida.
3:00Brian Preston:Now that we got grandkids, we should buy them whatever they want. We got money. I feel like it was like the Frank Sinatra song where he talks about his life all through it. We just watched it in financial pro style. It's okay that our financial preferences and thoughts around how money should be used will likely change. So we should be aware of that as we're moving through this life. He just shined a light to the journey we are all on, where there's going to be a battle between being your financially disciplined self and then let it rip. How you doing? NASDAQ. Pleasure. Now, tell me, are you putting your money into various diversified bubble bonds or more so a singular global volatility fund?
3:39Brian Preston:I keep most of my viscous assets in a bifocal heritage savings trust. Definitely worth it if you're thinking of buying a house or a large purchase. Now, if you want something with a moderate liquid expungement margin and fairly deviated dividends, go with a septic IPA. Gives your money some room to breathe. And when you're ready to yank it out, zero gradual deferments. Sick. You see, Bo gave me no reaction. You know why? It's because his CFA brain was actually trying to see if he could turn that into something. You were trying to actually pay. He was just throwing big terms into the sentences.
4:11Brian Preston:Well, he was throwing out made up terms. Those weren't even like real terms. And what I think is interesting, a lot of times people find out that I'm a financial advisor. They'll always come and tell me, hey, let me tell you about my portfolio. Let me talk about this. Oh, what are you doing? And I think they're often let down to find out that what I do is pretty boring and pretty basic and pretty simple. Well, I mean, we've picked on dumb doctor deals because sometimes people, when they come into money or start making good money, they think that it has to be sexy, has to have sizzle, has to be more complicated.
4:38And then they find out we're still talking about index funds. And they're like, what?
4:41Brian Preston:My client is in the back of the courtroom. Arrest my case. Would you choose money or happiness?
4:49happiness. That was like a jump scare financially. I had no idea where that was going.
4:56Brian Preston:In our world, here's what we believe. We do not believe that it's a binary decision between choosing money or happiness. We think that money is nothing more than a tool that allows us to achieve our long-term goals. A lot of those goals, if they are well thought out, meaningful, and purposeful to us will bring about happiness. Money might be the mechanism to get us there, but they are not mutually exclusive. And I don't think they have to be in competition with one another. I like sleep too. Or maybe you just need a nap. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new.
5:31Brian Preston:It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required. Compatibility and availability varies 18+. So good, so good, so good. New markdowns up to 70 % off are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. Stock up and stay big on shoes, tops, dresses, accessories, and more must-haves for summer. Join the Nordic Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more.
6:08Brian Preston:Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. Where do homeless accountants live? In tax shelters. How do accountants manage their money? They act their wage. Why are accounting departments the most welcoming? Because they know everyone counts. I got one for you. What do you call a bear without teeth? What? a gummy bear but that that has nothing to do with accountants well I didn't know we had to stay on trail I thought we were just doing dad jokes this is you Brian these are your people these are your jokes I don't make the rules I just live the life CPA life right CPA life is real you know if you think thug life is hard try the CPA life a lot of reading This is one of my biggest pet peeves when we travel with other couples is that they always are trying to take flights at the world's worst time so they can save a hundred bucks a year.
7:17And I'm like, but if you have to take a nap when you get to where you're going or you lose the whole first day because you're wrecked, because you got no sleep, you were up at 3 a.m. to make your early flight, what are you doing? I love that they're drawing attention to all the coffees, the snacks.
7:30Brian Preston:Now, I will say this, Brent, I'm a pretty conservative traveler, so I do get to airport very early. I get there early enough where even if all the computers go down except for one and there's only one plane leaving, I'm still there in enough time to get to my gate. And so one of the problems of being there so early is it is easy to kind of walk around and go get the snacks and then get the voodoo donut and then get the coffee and stuff. So I kind of get this. Don't be that person. Why have you carried your student loans for a decade? How much do you have left in student loans? Not like 35. Okay.
7:59Brian Preston:And the interest rate is what? 2.5%. With the money that I've put in the S &P 500 versus paying it off is up like 30, 40, 50 percent. Okay. Whereas like if I paid off the sit and lunch and said I would have made progress of 2.5 percent. Don't you think it would be beneficial to your mental health, to your anxiety, to have no debt?
8:24That's kind of cruel that that clip got put in there because I actually can see both guys' angles. and I feel like, you know, it's like when mom and dad are fighting and you hate to choose a side.
8:33Brian Preston:Yeah. Here's what I think matters the most when it comes to financial planning is having a plan in place. Some people's plan has them getting out of debt and moving on to that more quickly because getting out of debt is a higher priority, a bigger goal for them. Others is about optimization and maximization. So you have to decide inside of your world which strategy is the optimal. Is it the George strategy or is it the Caleb strategy? and we don't think that one is necessarily right or wrong, because it depends on your personal preferences, but there are some that are more optimal or less optimal.
9:06Brian Preston:Hey, has anyone seen my shoebox or receipts? Dad, how are you? I can write off the dog as a dependent, right? You don't need to yell. It's a yes or no question. Jeez Louise. Oh, that we got to get rid of. Taxes is a lot like camping. Leave no trace. That's a keeper. Hi, TurboTax. Let me just get this straight. Uncle Sam knows how much I owe him, but I have to figure it out. and if I'm wrong, I pay more. How many senators did you need to bribe to make that happen? Hello? Do I want audit protection? Yes. Okay, and my taxes are done. Now I can enjoy February. Honey, we got a refund. Pack your bags.
9:40Brian Preston:We're going to Kalamazoo. The way we do taxes in America, I can see why people think this is like a bad skit. Because you hear about it. I remember we had somebody come in from Switzerland and they were laying out how the taxes are calculated and it's done. It is an exercise in are you compliant? Are you telling the government what they already know? It feels like with modern technology, we ought to be able to skip a few steps. And look, our tax code is not incredibly straightforward. It is complicated, and there's a lot of nuance to it. So the earlier you can plan for it and the better you can start thinking about your tax situation, not just on April 14th, but throughout the year, the more likely you are to set yourself up for success when it comes to filing your taxes and hopefully saving some money on taxes.
10:25Brian Preston:I'm your host, Brian. Joined by Mr. Bo. Guys, we love reacting to this type of content. Keep coming back for more. Money Got Team, out.
10:36Brian Preston:The right window treatments change everything. Your sleep, your privacy, the way every room looks and feels. At Blinds.com, we've spent 30 years making it surprisingly simple to get exactly what your home needs. We've covered over 25 million windows and have 50 ,000 five-star reviews to prove we deliver. Whether you DIY it or want a pro to handle everything from measure to install, we have you covered. Real design professionals. Free samples. Zero pressure. Right now, get up to 50 % off with minimum purchase. Plus, get a free professional measure at Blinds.com. Rules and restrictions apply.
From the publisher
We are back with another hilarious react episode, breaking down some of the most interesting financial content circulating online. From fake finance TikTokers claiming to make "$3 trillion in 6 seconds" by watching "green line go up" to made-up investment jargon like "bifocal heritage savings trusts" and "septic IPAs," we share the importance of critical thinking when taking advice we see on social media.
Jump start your journey with our FREE financial resources
Reach your goals faster with our products
Take the relationship to the next level: become a client
Subscribe on YouTube for early access and go beyond the podcast
Connect with us on social media for more content
Bring confidence to your wealth building with simplified strategies from The Money Guy. Learn how to apply financial tactics that go beyond common sense and help you reach your money goals faster. Make your assets do the heavy lifting so you can quit worrying and start living a more fulfilled life.
DRINKAG1.com/MONEYGUY
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
