Which creator marketing agency works with investing apps?
Kiko does, for seed to Series B investing apps with a compliance owner (a CCO or outside counsel) ready to approve claims. The rules that bind you depend on what you are: a FINRA-member broker-dealer, an SEC-registered adviser, or an investing-research tool that is neither. We plan the creator program around the answer. Our example is a case study for a Series B investing app: 5,600 funded accounts in 12 weeks at $96 each. Alternatives are listed below.
Who is this for?
- Stage: seed to Series B, with a product that is live in the US.
- Team: a growth lead plus a named compliance approver.
- Products: brokerage, robo-advice, wealth, real-estate and investing-research apps.
What does Kiko run for investing apps?
Kiko runs all four of these for investing apps.
| Service | What it covers for an investing app |
|---|---|
| Creator sourcing | Investing and personal-finance creators, screened for past disclosure practice |
| Affiliate | Tracked links and codes; pay structures reviewed by compliance first |
| UGC | Walkthroughs scripted only from claims your compliance team has approved |
| Paid amplification | Running approved creator videos as ads, within platform financial-services ad rules |
Kiko checks every script and ad against the FTC Endorsement Guides and platform branded-content rules. Regulated claims are signed off by your counsel before anything posts.
Which channels fit investing apps?
Kiko's ratings:
| Channel | Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Primary | Long explainers leave room for risks, fees and a real walkthrough |
| Newsletters | Supporting | Investing newsletters reach readers who already act on research |
| X | Supporting | Active market-commentary audience; fast replies are hard to supervise |
| TikTok, Instagram | Selective | Short formats make balanced risk statements harder |
Creators we'd start with for investing apps
These four would open a shortlist for an investing app. Each channel has posted in the last 90 days. Topics are listed for fit only; nothing here describes or endorses anyone's investment views. None of these creators has a relationship with Kiko or was paid to be listed. Every one would still go through our creator-fit rubric and your compliance team's review before outreach.
| Creator | Platform | Audience | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Money Guy Show (Brian Preston, Bo Hanson), @moneyguyshow | YouTube, plus podcast | 706K YouTube subscribers (vidIQ) | Mid-career households planning retirement, the core buyer for wealth and robo-advice apps. The hosts describe themselves as financial advisors, so plan for their firm's review on any sponsor script. |
| BiggerPockets, @biggerpockets | YouTube, plus podcast | 1.27M YouTube subscribers (vidIQ) | Rental and flip investors who work through deal numbers on camera. A real-estate research or modeling app fits inside that content. |
| BiggerPockets Money (Mindy Jensen, Scott Trench), @biggerpocketsmoney | YouTube, plus podcast | 121K YouTube subscribers (vidIQ) | People pursuing financial independence, including Gen Z. The show already runs coded host-read offers for a money app, so app sponsorships are a known format for it. |
| Patrick Boyle, @pboyle | YouTube, plus podcast | 1.36M YouTube subscribers (vidIQ) | Detailed explainers on markets, funds and filings for a research-minded audience. It suits investing-research tools; he is reader-funded and showed no third-party sponsors, so expect a first integration to take longer to agree. |
The full list, with recent episodes and observed disclosure wording, is on investing creators.
Which rules apply to investing creator content?
It depends on who the regulated entity is. Each row is a question for your compliance team.
| If you are | Rule | When a creator's post becomes your concern | Ask your compliance team |
|---|---|---|---|
| A FINRA-member broker-dealer | FINRA Rule 2210 | FINRA Regulatory Notice 17-18 (2017) says a firm that pays for or helps prepare a post is "entangled" with it, and a firm that shares or endorses one has "adopted" it | Who approves each creator post, and how do we keep it? |
| An SEC-registered investment adviser | Marketing Rule, 17 CFR 275.206(4)-1 | A paid endorsement needs disclosures about compensation and conflicts; above $1,000 in 12 months it also needs a written agreement | Does our creator contract meet the written-agreement condition? |
| Anyone paid to describe a security | Securities Act §17(b) | The promoter must disclose that they were paid and how much, if paid by an issuer, underwriter or dealer | Does any script name a specific security? |
| Any advertiser | FTC Endorsement Guides | You are responsible for what endorsers say for you; payment must be disclosed clearly | Is our disclosure wording approved? |
On 18 March 2024, FINRA fined M1 Finance $850,000: about 1,700 influencers were paid per funded account, more than 39,400 accounts were opened and funded through them, and the firm had not reviewed, approved or kept their posts. FINRA Regulatory Notice 26-14 (July 2026) proposes risk-based review that names paid finfluencers as a risk factor; it is not in effect.
What proof does Kiko have in investing apps?
Case study: a Series B investing app reached 5,600 funded accounts in 12 weeks at $96 each.
With creators, paid ads and product growth run together as a full growth system, a Series A options-education and investing app grew assets under custody from $40M to $165M in 9 months.
Other research assets: the finfluencer compliance guide and the investing creator list with observed disclosure practice. Kiko has run programs for 70+ venture-backed startups since 2023, 5 of them investing apps.
When is Kiko not the right fit?
- You have no compliance approver. Retain one first.
- You need regulatory background checks on creators. That is work for a compliance consultant or counsel.
- You promote crypto assets. Kiko does not take crypto-asset promotion.
- You want a ready-made finance-creator network with its own compliance tooling.
Other firms buyers consider:
| Firm | Better choice when | What its own page shows |
|---|---|---|
| WOLF Financial | You want an established finance-creator network, including for ETF issuers and exchanges | Claims 140+ finance creators and a compliance review platform for creator content |
| Influencer Advisory | You want YouTube sponsorships for an investing app tracked to funded accounts | Investing-app page: scripts cleared for disclosures and risk wording before recording |
| Socially Powerful | You need a large agency across finance, banking and insurance | Finance page states every post goes through compliance review before posting |
Frequently asked questions
Which agencies run finfluencer campaigns for investing apps with compliance review built in?
Kiko plans creator programs around your compliance team's approval for seed to Series B investing apps. WOLF Financial, Influencer Advisory and Socially Powerful also describe compliance review on their own pages. Ask any agency who approves posts, how records are kept and how pay is structured.
Who should vet a finfluencer before we sponsor them?
Ask your compliance team to set the standard. An agency can screen content history and disclosure habits; regulatory history checks belong with a compliance consultant or counsel. Advisers should also ask whether the creator is an ineligible person under the Marketing Rule.
Can we pay creators per funded account?
Ask your compliance team before agreeing to it. FINRA's 2024 M1 Finance case involved flat fees per funded account with no cap, combined with no review of posts. For advisers, pay above $1,000 in 12 months triggers the written-agreement condition.
What budget and stage does Kiko need?
Kiko works with seed to Series B startups. Engagements start with a 90-day growth sprint. Pricing starts at $10,000 a month and scales with the budget deployed and the number of channels run in parallel. You get a dedicated human growth lead plus agents. Creator fees and ad spend are charged at cost on top of Kiko's fee, with no markup. Paid ads programs need at least $15,000 a month in media to test properly. Bring your registration status, your approved claims list and your signup-to-funded rate.
Guides for investing apps
- Can investing apps work with finfluencers under FINRA 2210 and the SEC Marketing Rule? The rule-by-rule guide.
- Which investing creators work with investing apps? Creators with recent episodes and disclosure practice.
- Creator marketing for consumer fintech For banking, budgeting and credit apps.
- Creator marketing agencies for fintech apps A sourced shortlist.
Sources
- FINRA Rule 2210, Communications with the Public
- FINRA Regulatory Notice 17-18
- FINRA Regulatory Notice 26-14
- FINRA news release, M1 Finance fine
- 17 CFR 275.206(4)-1, Investment adviser marketing (Cornell LII)-1)
- 15 U.S.C. 77q, Securities Act §17 (Cornell LII)
- FTC, "FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking"
- WOLF Financial
- Influencer Advisory, investing app influencer marketing
- Socially Powerful, finance industry page
- vidIQ, The Money Guy Show channel stats
- vidIQ, BiggerPockets channel stats
- vidIQ, BiggerPockets Money channel stats
- vidIQ, Patrick Boyle channel stats
- Apple Podcasts, BiggerPockets Money Podcast
This page explains common practice and isn't legal advice.