Side hustles and budget challenges top FinTok trends of 2025

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

‘FIN-TOK’ – WHICH IS THE FINANCIAL SIDE OF TIKTOK – HAS BECOME A GO-TO RESOURCE FOR FINANCIAL ADVICE FOR MANY AMERICANS.

IN FACT, THE AVERAGE FINTOK USER SPENT OVER 400 HOURS SCROLLING THROUGH THEIR FEED IN 2025, ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH FROM CHIME.

A SURVEY OF 2,000 AMERICANS FOUND THAT THEY SPEND AN AVERAGE OF EIGHT HOURS PER WEEK WATCHING VIDEOS, TOTALING 416 HOURS THIS YEAR.

THIS WAS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR MILLENNIALS WHO AVERAGE ABOUT 10 HOURS PER WEEK, OR 520 TOTAL HOURS IN 2025.

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH, THE SURVEY ASKED PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES GETTING FINANCIAL ADVICE FROM TIKTOK.

ALMOST THREE IN FIVE (59%) TRIED SOME SORT OF MONEY-SAVING FINTOK TREND IN 2025, INCLUDING LOW-BUDGET LIVING (30%), GIRL MATH (17%) AND ‘NO SPEND SEPTEMBER’ (15%). 

THAT SAVED PEOPLE AN AVERAGE OF A LITTLE OVER $400 ($406), WHILE MILLENNIALS ($432) AND GEN X ($428) SAID THEY SAVED THE MOST.

Research methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans who use FinTok, split evenly by generation (500 Gen Z, 500 millennials, 500 Gen X and 500 baby boomers) who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Chime and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 24 and Nov. 4, 2025. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.

To view the complete methodology as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, please visit the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.