A finfluencer is simply a financial influencer, an acronym for my “financial independence”. And while I’m tooting my own horn here, let me disclose that I myself am considered a money-loving person, at least here in Canada.
I say that following the Toronto meeting of many of Canada’s top funds organized by BMO ETFs in early June at Cboe Canada. The Creator Insights platform features a scrolling highlight reel of top content creators, including yours truly. The forum brought together financial content creators to acknowledge the growing influence of their voices and the role they play in educating Canadian financial consumers. Although regulatory principles were discussed, the broad emphasis was on helping creators navigate the space responsibly.
Back in April 2025, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) released a research report titled “Social Media and Retail Investing: The Rise of Finfluencers.” It found that investors are really influenced by finfluencers: An OSC survey of 655 Canadian investors found that 35% of them made a financial decision based on advice from a finfluencer. In addition, 24% of 1,465 Canadian social media users (investors and non-investors) who were exposed to financial-related social media posts were found to have purchased promoted assets, compared to 7% of those who were less exposed.
“Financial advice on social media is attractive because retail investors perceive it to be accessible, free, and educational,” OSC said. “Although retail investors believe that investors are often motivated by self-interest, about 40% of investors believe that the investors they follow are trustworthy.
I found the forum to be an eye-opener as it brought me face to face with dozens of YouTubers, TikTokers, Instagrammers, journalists, and other Canadian financial writers that I had yet to meet. Many were part of the minority, a club I can confidently say I no longer fit into.
How other content creators got started
Some participants explained how they left their jobs to launch finfluencer jobs on YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, and other video-focused platforms. These include Joyee Yang (@joyeeyang on Instagram), trader/YouTuber Shay Huang (@HumbledTraderOfficial on YouTube, where he has nearly 1.5 million followers), stock trader Zac Hartley (@zachartley on YouTube), and YouTuber Adrian Bar (@canadianinatshirt).
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Shay Huang started his career on YouTube in 2019 and soon jumped into it as a full-time endeavor. He worked long hours on his own and soon hired an editor, then writers and communications managers. No one in a financial organization should be the “single point of failure” although those starting out may be that point, he advises those who want to emulate him. It’s best to hire from your community, usually fans who already know your content and style and trust you. Huang started out young, just by himself, and grew it to a group of 10 people, but it has since been reduced to five. He also uses AI to build systems and help write content but insists that humans prove it.
Adrian Bar said his philosophy is quality, not quantity. You only post videos every two weeks and you choose who you work with or agree with. Instead of building a team of entrepreneurs, as Huang did, he prefers to do it alone, including writing and editing. He doesn’t use AI, either.
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“For the first five years on YouTube, I didn’t take a single vacation or weekend,” Bar said. He made no money at all his first year and a half. His goal was to gain trust and loyalty, which made his approval of patrons very important. But he believes that taking on too many sponsors lowers that number, which is why he didn’t take on any for the first five years of his YouTube career. “Be strong… don’t take any sponsorship that you might regret.” You’ve seen the ups and downs of many content creators and the biggest difference is credibility. “If others have sold, the audience can smell it. Once you lose trust, you’re done and you won’t be able to do it again.”
How to be successful in earning money
To be sure, it seems that the most successful content creators can make money from it. One BMO slide showed that the global influencer market is worth $33 billion, up 35% from last year, and Canadian companies will spend C$1.9 billion on finfluencer marketing in 2025, up 23% from 2024. One in six Canadian investors bought a social media company because they heard about social media.
The key to making money with finfluence is to build great communities, like Blossom Social. Blossom founder and chief marketing officer Brandon Beavis and CEO Annika Ng told the panel how they were able to build their community to 500,000 members after eight years, some of whom were early investors in the business. The milestone is reaching 1,000 “super followers”.
Another big step is the first live event, even if it only attracts ten or 15 people. Beavis said the market is eager to see the human story behind it and expects to see the human side of the content creator. A big follower buys your product or service because they like or align with you as a leader: “People want more transparency and authenticity… Make sure what you’re talking about really cares and is passionate… Find your lane and stick to it. Don’t care about what’s trendy or hot as that doesn’t last long.”
One panel featured financial educator Gina Judge (@iamginajudge on Instagram) and financial innovator Azia Mery (@azia_mery). Judge told the audience that he realized his podcast audience could turn into a real community soon after he spoke out during the COVID-19 crisis and saw a gap in financial education. As he added live events and webinars, Jaji said he quickly realized that to grow his audience he needed to delegate and have teams or partners. As Mary put it, “It’s a mistake to think you can do it all yourself.” But, he added, “be as gentle as you can with the event. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Go around your neighborhood and visit coffee shops to see if it’s needed.” Even if you can charge for the events, prepare yourself for the income so that you don’t cover all the expenses.
Not all contributors to the Creator Insights Forum were on the panel. There was a lot of interaction and one audience member I got to reacquaint myself with was Jessica Moorehouse, the author of the book. Everything but Money; that book is bookmarked in a blog on my site with the interesting title Your Money Problems Are Not About Money.
Regulators and finfluencers
The Creator Insights event closed with a thorough overview of risk management companies and finnfluencers in collaboration. One of the last slides, titled, “Moving Forward!”, advises finnfluencers to read the OSC notice marked at the top of this column, then review their existing content list, check services for subscribing activities or disclosure requirements, follow funding disclosure requirements, be aware of who they support or advertise, and seek legal help to stay compliant.
What was clear from the Creator Insights Forum is that the finfluencer scene is growing. Creators are becoming increasingly aware of both the influence they have and the responsibility that comes with it. Trust, as noted by several participants, is hard earned and easily lost. The best content creators don’t just build an audience but aim to educate them thoughtfully and responsibly.
