Financial product ads are often unconcerned with the truth, or in the words of philosopher Harry Frankfurt, they are full of bullshit. You’re probably susceptible to it. A 2022 study found that younger, high-income men who are very confident in their own financial knowledge are more likely to fall for financial bullshit.

The financial products that get advertised the most aggressively tend to be the most profitable for the firm selling them. If it's highly profitable for them, you can generally infer that it's less profitable for you. You're funding the profits. But the thing is, if you know what to look for, and what to avoid, you can actually use this to your advantage.