Where Are Americans Turning for Money Advice in 2022?
Many Americans rely on experts to get their money advice — in fact, a recent GOBankingRates survey found that 49% of Americans do. But which experts are they turning to?
To find out, GOBankingRates performed a thorough analysis of various rankings and “best of” lists to find the top money experts across a number of categories, including books, podcasts and radio shows, social media, blogs and websites, television shows and news columns, as well as popular names in the finance industry.
You can find our full list of the top 100 money experts here, and some highlights below.
Top Money Experts: Books
To find the top personal finance authors, GOBankingRates sourced names from The New York Times Bestsellers Monthly Business List, the list of Amazon Bestsellers in the personal finance category and NYMag’s list of the Best Personal Finance Books According to Money Experts. Among the top names is Dave Ramsey, author of “The Total Money Makeover.”
“In my mind, the biggest obstacle to building wealth is debt,” Ramsey told GOBankingRates. “Most people are drowning in debt and end up working their entire lives just to see everything they earn go right back out the door in the form of payments. Your income is your greatest wealth-building tool; and, when it’s eaten up by debt, it’s almost impossible to save for the future.”
Check out GOBankingRates’ interviews with other top money experts in the books category:
- ‘Automatic Billionaire’ David Bach: What To Do If You’re Behind on Retirement Savings
- ‘Broke Millennial’ Author Erin Lowry Says Financial Success Starts With Your Mindset
- ‘Psychology of Money’ Author Morgan Housel Doesn’t Believe in One-Size-Fits-All Money Advice
- Rachel Cruze Says Your Phone Could Be Wrecking Your Budget
- Ramit Sethi: How ‘Everyday Americans Can Get Better Results Than Wall Street Investors’
- Millennial Money Expert Tonya Rapley Shares the 2 Best Ways To Fight Inflation
Top Money Experts: Podcasts and Radio
Nearly a quarter of Americans said they have subscribed to a podcast on personal finance or money advice in the last year, the GOBankingRates survey found. To find the biggest names in this space, GOBankingRates analyzed the lists of Spotify Top Shows in the business and technology category, Apple Podcasts Top Shows in the business category, Talkers 2020 Heavy Hundred Top Ten and Time’s Best Finance Podcasts of 2021.
GOBankingRates has recognized David Greene, host of the “BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast,” as one of the biggest names in the biz.
“Real estate investors build wealth in more ways than people may think,” he told GOBankingRates. “While they obviously make money when the prices of their properties rise, they also make money when their rental income is more than the expenses associated with owning the property. This tends to happen over a longer period of time, as inflation pushes rents higher while expenses stay relatively fixed. In addition to this, there are tax benefits associated with real estate investing, and paying down the loan balance on a property creates equity, too.”
Check out GOBankingRates’ interviews with other top money experts in the podcasts and radio category:
- Podcaster Andrew Sather Shares His 3 Foundations of a Prudent Investing Strategy
- Podcaster Mandi Woodruff-Santos Says Saving and Budgeting Isn’t Enough To Build Wealth
- Real Estate Investing Guru Scott Trench Says These ‘Plain, Vanilla’ Properties Are the Best Bet in 2022
Top Money Experts: Social Media
YouTube and TikTok have become increasingly popular places to find financial advice, and 72% of Americans said they would be willing to follow money advice they found on social media, the GOBankingRates survey found.
YouTuber Nate O’Brien previously has been recognized by GOBankingRates as being one of the “51 Biggest Money Influencers on TikTok and YouTube,” and now he has been named as one of the top 100 money experts across categories.
“I wish people would pay more attention to the 80/20 rule,” he told GOBankingRates. “Instead of trying to save money on $4 Starbucks coffee, you’re better off focusing on the largest expenses, like housing, transportation and food. Eighty percent of expenses come from 20% of purchases.”
Check out GOBankingRates’ interviews with other top money experts in the social media category:
- YouTuber Andrei Jikh Shares the Key To Achieving Financial Freedom
- YouTuber Jaspreet Singh Says These 2 Habits Are What’s Keeping You Broke
- TikTok’s John Eringman: Invest in Yourself During Times of Inflation
- TikTok’s John Liang Shares the Best Way To Accelerate Building Wealth
- TikTok’s Taylor Price: Gen Z Should Take Advantage of the Bear Market
Top Money Experts: Blogs and Websites
Nearly half of Americans (45%) go online to get their money advice. GOBankingRates has identified the top personal finance blogs, which include Tori Dunlap’s Her First $100K.
“My best advice is that personal finance is personal,” she told GOBankingRates. “Sure, there are a lot of great ‘standard’ principles to follow and we can all learn from each other, but accepting that what works for you may not work for others and vice versa is foundational. I am also a big advocate for shame-free education, so I think it’s important, for women especially, to seek out and follow advice that isn’t deprivation-based or trying to make them feel guilty about buying a morning latte.”
Check out GOBankingRates’ interviews with other top money experts in the blogs and websites category:
Top Money Experts: TV Shows
GOBankingRates analyzed Fox Business Network’s top-rated programs of 2021 and CNBC’s most popular shows to find the top money experts on TV. Among the top experts in this category is Mark Cuban, who has become a household name as a Shark on “Shark Tank.”
“Don’t follow excitement, follow your homework,” he told GOBankingRates. “People tend to chase excitement in markets, thinking if everyone else is buying or selling, they should be too. Instead, we all need to do our homework and have a good reason why we are buying or selling a stock. And when you don’t know what to do, do nothing. Over the long haul of decades, the markets will work in your favor.”
Check out GOBankingRates’ interviews with other top money experts in the TV category:
- Barbara Corcoran Shares the 1 Major Difference Between Entrepreneurs Who Fail and Those Who Succeed
- Fox Business’ Charles Payne: Investors Should Focus on ‘Balance, Safety and Patience’ in 2022
- Here’s What Jim Cramer Says Investors Should Focus on in 2022
- Here’s Why Kevin O’Leary Sees the Uncertain Financial Environment as ‘a Time of Opportunity’
- Fox Business’ Liz Claman: Every Parent Should Be Investing for Their Child’s Future
Top Money Experts: News Columns
To account for prominent voices in print media, GOBankingRates identified key columnists for seven of the nine most widely circulated daily newspapers in the U.S. Michelle Singletary, author of “The Color of Money” column, is one of the top names in this category.
“The one piece of advice that has shaped my financial life came from my grandmother Big Mama,” she told GOBankingRates. “During my first week as a reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun, I covered a major fire and ended up with a front-page byline. I called Big Mama to tell her about making the front page. The first thing she asked was, ‘Did you make sure that you have money from your paycheck set aside every time you get paid?’ That advice from my grandmother — to save something every time you get a paycheck — helped me become a great saver. I wish everyone (would) understand the power of paying yourself first, then living on what’s left.”
Top Money Experts: Popular Figures in Finance
One-third of Americans said they have followed advice from a well-known money expert over the past year, the GOBankingRates survey found. To find the top popular figures in finance, GOBankingRates looked at financial CEOs and changemakers with large followings. Among them is Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of the cryptocurrency and derivatives exchange FTX.
“People oscillate between being overly aggressive (and) risking too much, and (being) overly conservative (and) failing to grow wealth,” he told GOBankingRates. “Instead, try to find and maximize opportunities while making sure to keep a safety net.”
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