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Bankrate Awards 2023 Visionaries Logo

New name, same mission. Formerly known as Bankrate Social Honors, the Visionary awards recognize the content creators, communities and nonprofits making waves in the financial industry.

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Published January 10, 2023

Paying it forward

The key to financial equity comes down to literacy and support for people from all walks of life. There are a multitude of online spaces built on providing financial advice to communities that have been previously underrepresented. These communities, built in part by social media personalities and organizations, serve to empower, educate and inspire.

Bankrate Visionaries was launched to raise awareness of these influential people, organizations and communities that champion relevant and effective financial education.

How we rated Visionaries

  • Bankrate evaluated over 50 personal finance influencers, communities and nonprofits.
  • Each superlative was ranked on a number of aspects, including engagement, entertainment and quality of advice.
  • Finalists from each category were crowned winners following an editorial team vote.

The 2023 Visionaries winners logo

Best personal finance influencer

What we love

Pulling from his experience as a former financial advisor, Humphrey Yang provides his over 3 million TikTok followers with advice and educational content about a range of personal finance topics. Getting his start on YouTube in 2019, Yang's once modest channel now boasts 880,000 subscribers who rely on his guidance to make informed financial decisions about everything from saving money to investing in a volatile market.

In addition to his healthy social media following, Yang's "Hump Days" newsletter has grown to reach an audience of 8,000 readers since its launch in 2020. With the simple goal of sharing relevant business news and high-level market breakdowns, this newsletter is just one example of how @HumpreyTalks has made financial content more accessible to his followers.

In his own words, Yang's goals moving forward are to "make better content, become one of the bigger if not the biggest YouTube channels for finance, and continue to create content that helps people."

Why they won

  • Amassed a following of 3.3 million on TikTok
  • Provides accessible and digestible personal finance content
  • Reaches a range of audiences via social media channels and newsletter
The 2023 Visionaries winners logo

Best financial activism account

Taylor Price

Relevant advice tailored to young people

The 2023 Visionaries winner image

What we love

At just 22 years old, Taylor Price has established herself as an advocate of financial literacy, particularly among young audiences. What started as a blog expanded to an impressive social media presence in 2019, with Price now reaching over 1 million TikTok followers and nearly 100,000 Instagram followers and counting.

Outside of social channels, the Pricele$$tay platform continues to grow, offering tools and educational content aimed at improving her followers' financial well-being. Pulling from what she calls the Financial Essentials, she encourages her followers to consider how their finances interact with their personal lives, relationships, careers, and the world around them. In taking this approach, Price enables people to establish well-rounded, personalized goals without discounting the less tangible, non-financial aspects of life.

Why they won

  • Mission to help young people begin their financial journey
  • Referenced in top publications like Business Insider, Fortune and The Wall Street Journal
  • Reaches a range of people via social media platforms and her blog
Awards

Check out all the 2023 Bankrate Awards winners

Find the best of the best in banking, investing and more.

See the winners
The 2023 Visionaries winners logo

Best personal finance podcast

Stacking Benjamins

A balance between fun and functional

The 2023 Visionaries winner image

What we love

Hosted by Joe Saul-Sehy and Josh Bannerman, Stacking Benjamins tackles major financial questions in bite-sized 10- to 15-minute segments. While the podcast keeps things lighthearted, the ultimate goal is for listeners to think more seriously about money and their financial well-being. With episodes going live every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the hosts come together with other thought leaders in the financial space to discuss current events, answer listeners' questions and have some laid-back, informative conversations about money.

Unlike other competitors hitting the airwaves, the team doesn't tote Stacking Benjamins as the be-all and end-all for lessons on money. Instead, they share a broad range of concepts and resources to create a more comprehensive financial foundation for their listeners.

Stacking Benjamins can be found on its website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Why they won

  • Relatable approach to serious financial advice
  • Provides a wide range of financial knowledge
  • Large following with a range of high-quality audio content
The 2023 Visionaries winners logo

Best personal finance influencer for women

Tori Dunlap

Empowering women through financial literacy

The 2023 Visionaries winner image

What we love

A self-proclaimed financial feminist, Tori Dunlap has amassed followers across all major social media platforms through her advice on saving, investing and personal finance. Dunlap quit her job in corporate America at 25 after she successfully saved $100,000. From that point on, she set her sights on helping other women do the same.

Through her community, Her First 100k, Dunlap has "helped over 3 million women make more, spend less and feel financially confident." Her online content ranges from snappy TikToks about debt management to podcast episodes on finances in the dating world and Instagram how-tos on investing. In addition to her online presence, Dunlap is the author of "Financial Feminist," a comprehensive guide to investing and money management.

Why they won

  • Social media following of 3 million with hundreds of positive testimonials
  • Author of an Amazon and Bookshop bestseller
  • Voice for women passionate about financial wellness
The 2023 Visionaries winners logo

Best personal finance influencer for racial equity

Mandi Woodruff-Santos

Amplifying marginalized voices

The 2023 Visionaries winner image

What we love

Founder of MandiMoney Makers, Mandi Woodruff-Santos is a career money expert who has created a community for women of color built on leadership, career coaching and development. Her podcast, Brown Ambition, which she co-hosts with Tiffany Aliche, has over 2,000 reviews on iTunes and has served as a judgment-free zone to discuss personal finance for the past seven years.

Woodruff-Santos' one-on-one coaching program has helped nearly 200 professionals navigate tough topics, from salary negotiation to sign-on bonuses. Her Instagram features candid clips of her life as a mom along with actionable advice on taboo personal finance topics, making her a relatable and inspiring role model for her many followers.

Why they won

  • Helps women of color navigate career opportunities, including negotiating job offers and raises
  • Gives a voice to a community that is otherwise underrepresented in the finance space
  • Offers content on a range of platforms
The 2023 Visionaries winners logo

Best personal finance influencer for the LGBTQ+ community

Carmen Perez

Teaching you how to invest and build wealth

The 2023 Visionaries winner image

What we love

Known by her handle, @makerealcents, Carmen Perez started sharing her financial journey after paying off $57,000 of debt in under three years. The goal of her platform is to use her experience to educate others on personal finance, with a touch of humor.

In conjunction with her Instagram and TikTok, Perez offers downloadables to help her followers manage debt and track finances. Her content ranges from funny finance memes to advice on crypto investing and using spreadsheets to track a monthly budget. Her accounts boast strong engagement, with followers sharing how Perez’s guidance has improved their own financial well-being.

Why they won

  • Built a platform with over 65,000 followers
  • Lifts the voices of marginalized groups
  • Helps followers navigate complicated financial milestones
The 2023 Visionaries winners logo

Best nonprofit for affordable housing

The NHP Foundation

Improving equitable housing access

The 2023 Visionaries winner image

What we love

The mission of the NHP Foundation (NHPF) is simple, explains a representative for the organization. “The NHP Foundation is a not-for-profit real estate organization dedicated to preserving and creating sustainable, service-enriched multifamily housing that is both affordable to low and moderate income families and seniors, and beneficial to their communities.”

The NHPF launched in 1989 and has served over 10,000 individuals in the past 12 months. With 130 active programs, the NHPF works to promote diversity, inclusion and racial equity and is committed to securing access to sustainable, affordable housing for underserved communities.

In pursuit of its mission, the nonprofit provides residents with additional resources and support that position them to succeed in the long run. This can be seen in their work providing assistance to residents transitioning from apartments to single-family homes and their partnership with social service providers to ensure safe housing for those dealing with mental illness, trauma or drug addiction.

If you are interested in helping the NHPF, consider donating on its site.

 

Why they won

  • 30 years of community outreach and work
  • Demonstrates a clear focus on carrying out its mission
  • Working to make housing equitable for all
The 2023 Visionaries winners logo

Best nonprofit for debt relief

National Foundation for Credit Counseling

Empowerment through financial independence

The 2023 Visionaries winner image

What we love

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) provides hands-on guidance and financial planning, empowering individuals to overcome their debt and achieve their financial goals. The nonprofit is founded on the principle that everyone deserves equal access to debt management expertise and prides itself on providing fast, accessible debt relief options.

The NFCC recognizes that not all financial circumstances are created equal and therefore tailors its guidance to the individual. During a 30-minute session, a certified counselor will evaluate a client's financial situation and establish an actionable plan to tackle debt and work toward a brighter financial future.

Why they won

  • Successfully served 3 million people over a 12-month period
  • Provides actionable financial advice for people of all backgrounds 
  • 250 agency locations across the country