Personal finance has no shortage of gurus. The harder question is which ones people actually trust. When Reddit debated the question, a few names kept surfacing.
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ere’s who made the Reddit cut, and what people said they’d learned from them.
1. Ramit Sethi
Ramit Sethi was the clear favorite, with multiple commenters praising his practical, guilt-free approach to money.
- Encourages people to spend generously on the things they genuinely value after taking care of saving and investing.
- Strong emphasis on automating finances and keeping money management simple.
- Repeatedly praised for avoiding the shame-based approach some people associate with other financial personalities.
- One Redditor disagreed with his views on renting versus buying, arguing that his famous line about rent being “the maximum you’ll spend” ignores many real-world costs.
- “He gives good advice on saving/investing/debt payoff… and encourages a reasonable amount of guilt-free spending.”
2. Brian Preston and Bo Hanson (The Money Guy Show)
The Money Guy Show earned repeated recommendations from Redditors looking for a structured roadmap rather than motivational speeches.
- The Financial Order of Operations came up more than once.
- Praised for practical, data-driven advice.
- Several commenters described the show as a refreshing alternative to more emotional financial personalities.
- “I personally follow their FOO.”
- “Great, practical YouTube content that is data visualization driven.”
3. Dave Ramsey
No one inspired stronger opinions than Dave Ramsey.
- Supporters credited the Baby Steps with helping them eliminate debt and build better financial habits.
- Others said his direct style is exactly what people buried in debt need.
- Critics called his advice outdated or too rigid.
- Several commenters said they’d outgrown Ramsey after getting their finances under control, while others dismissed him altogether.
- “The Dave Ramsey Baby Steps have helped me greatly.”
- “I’m so over Ramsey.”
4. Caleb Hammer
Caleb Hammer‘s Financial Audit series earned plenty of support.
- Praised for holding guests accountable.
- Several commenters said his guests feel more relatable than traditional financial call-in shows.
- Others felt the channel has become increasingly focused on entertainment as its popularity has grown.
- “If you need an ass kicking, watch Caleb Hammer.”
5. Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett may not be a budgeting guru, but Redditors still treated him as one of personal finance’s most trusted names.
- Frequently mentioned alongside Charlie Munger and Jack Bogle.
- One commenter said Buffett’s life story was their biggest motivation.
- Another grouped Buffett among the experts who “cut above the noise.”
- “Buffett and Munger.”
- “Warren Buffett practically owns half of where he lives while sitting peacefully in Happy Hollow. His life story was a motivator.”
6. Jack Bogle
Jack Bogle, founder of Vanguard, drew praise from investors who preferred timeless investing principles over internet personalities.
- Recommended by investors who preferred timeless investing principles over internet personalities.
- Praised for keeping investing simple.
- One commenter described him as the “founder of Vanguard, who helped make simple index investing popular.”
7. Jesse Mecham
Jesse Mecham, founder of You Need a Budget, drew a smaller but passionate response.
- Several commenters said YNAB completely changed how they manage money.
- One said Mecham is “not a guru so much as a dude.”
- Another said they no longer pay for YNAB because the book explains the method well enough to use independently.
- “Number 1 most life changing thing I did for my finances.”
- “I don’t pay for YNAB because the book covers what to do so well.”
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8. Jaspreet Singh
Jaspreet Singh of Minority Mindset received multiple endorsements.
- Praised for explaining investing and debt elimination in a way people could follow.
- One commenter said the videos can repeat themselves, but the repetition helps reinforce good habits.
- “His videos have helped me learn more about investing and debt elimination.”
- “Videos tend to repeat content/points fairly often but the content is sound.”
9. Suze Orman
Suze Orman did not dominate the thread, but the people who recommended her were specific.
- One commenter said Orman’s older advice helped a friend pay off student loans and buy a home in one of the country’s most expensive housing markets without family help.
- Another said Orman helped improve their finances when they were younger.
- “Suzy Orman did slowly help with my finances when I was younger.”
- “I’d say that’s a solid recommendation.”
10. Tori Dunlap
Tori Dunlap, founder of Her First $100K, appeared in a comment praising several women in financial education.
- Recommended alongside Tiffany Aliche, Britt Williams Baker and Sallie Krawcheck.
- The praise centered on making budgeting, saving and investing feel less shame-based.
- Commenters valued advice aimed at audiences often overlooked by traditional personal finance media.
- “They take the shame and blame out of budgeting, saving, and investing.”
Strong contenders
Plenty of other names earned recommendations, even if they did not appear as often.
- Tiffany Aliche, known as The Budgetnista, was praised alongside Dunlap for making money advice more accessible and less judgmental.
- Britt Williams Baker of Dow Janes was mentioned in the same group of women changing the tone of financial advice.
- Sallie Krawcheck, co-founder of Ellevest, was also recommended in that group.
- JL Collins, author of “The Simple Path to Wealth,” was recommended for helping one commenter rethink their finances.
- Michael Kitces came up among commenters looking for deeper financial planning expertise.
- Ben Carlson was recommended for cutting through financial noise.
- Mr. Money Mustache remained a favorite among financial independence fans.
- BiggerPockets was mentioned by a commenter interested in real estate and investing content.
- Codie Sanchez also earned a recommendation.
- Amy Dacyczyn of “The Tightwad Gazette,” Thomas Stanley of “The Millionaire Next Door,” Annette Thau of “The Bond Book “and Juliet Schor were recommended for frugality, bonds, lifestyle and spending advice.
- George Kinder, Wade Pfau, Brian Portnoy, Daniel Crosby, David Blanchett, David Hultstrom, Christy Archuleta and Rick Kahler appeared in a more advanced planning-focused recommendation.
- Peter Thornhill, Rick Rule, Brent Johnson, Michael Pento, Tom Luongo and Gregory Mannarino also received mentions.
No one-size-fits-all
Clearly, there are many excellent personal finance advisors. The most enthusiastic recommendations came from people who found someone whose approach matched where they were financially at the time.
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