This is the central paradox of modern investing: unprecedented access to information, paired with an epidemic of expertly packaged deception.

Your financial safety in this arena no longer depends on picking the right asset. It depends on a more fundamental skill: telling the difference between a teacher and a con artist.

Look at your screen. Scroll through your feed. The new financial guides are not in pinstripes on Wall Street; they’re in hoodies on YouTube, flashing luxury cars and cryptic charts. Crypto influencers have ascended as the era’s most visible financial voices.

They’re in your feed, on your timeline, and in your ears. Some offer genuine education. Others are running sophisticated scams dressed up as community.