I woke up this morning to an email from my father asking, “Have you heard about this?”. It was a video entitled “‘HORRIBLE Tax Changes Coming For All Seniors in 2026’ Warren Buffett”. It was posted 2 days earlier, had 236,000 views on YouTube, and was forty two minutes long.
I played the video. Sure enough, Warren Buffett was there, explaining why what was coming was a shame, and buried beneath the surface was something we didn’t realize would cause a tremendous backlash and cost taxpayers billions of dollars because it turned out that buried inside the new laws was something complicated that would cause a tremendous backlash and cost taxpayers billions of dollars because it turned out that buried inside the new laws was something…
…that never arrived. After about forty-five seconds, I realized Warren had made the same hand gestures more than once. The language he used was deliberately designed not to say anything, hinting at something coming but never actually getting to the point. Zero substance. And every so often there was a brief cut, where Warren would cycle back through his body language again.
Now the scary thing: his words matched his mouth movements. His sentences were smooth–not perfect, if you knew what to look for, but an unsuspecting person who didn’t know Warren Buffett’s mannerisms well would not be able to immediately see it was a synthetically made video.
The irony is that, for many Americans who are 65 or older, taxes will likely decrease for the next few years, rather than increase. The enhanced senior deduction, extension of prior tax code, reduction in taxation for tips, and decreased taxation for overtime pay will reduce taxes for many families.
How many videos like this are making their rounds on the internet, “informing” people of the current state of affairs?
Earlier this week another Youtube video also captured my attention. Perhaps even worse, it was not a fake video. It featured a young man insisting that 401(k) accounts were a terrible investment, and that he had the math to prove it. His “math” claimed that a 401(k) only had returns of 5% per year, whereas real estate had a 25% rate of return per year, and that over x number of years the difference was absolutely enormous.
He would cut to dollar bills burning, coins being thrown away, and all kinds of negative imagery while talking about the 401(k). While discussing the joys of real estate, however, it was someone shaking hands, money stacking upon itself, and charts with exponentially increasing figures.
Of course, there are all kinds of things wrong with his claims. Like all 401(k)s having the same rate of return (or all real estate properties, for that matter). And the return assumptions are comically off: by that same math, the $100,000 property your 75 year old grandparents might have bought when they were 30 years old would now be worth over two billion dollars.
Yet this fellow’s video had over 50,000 views. He had over 70,000 subscribers to his channel. How many financially unversed people had watched that video and said “Yeah, who needs a 401(k)!?” How many people might have skipped their retirement contributions (along with the employer match that often comes with it), and inadvertently crippled their ability to retire?
My guess is almost no one did. Then again, “almost no one” could be 1%, which would be 5,000 people. I fervently hope my theoretical math is at least as off as the YouTuber’s.
There are many other examples we can point to of bad advice–advice where no one is responsible for ridiculous assertions. These videos are frequently created solely as viral, attention-grabbing clickbait. The more views they create, the more revenue the adds generate, and the more YouTube’s algorithm pushes their videos to larger audiences.
The takeaway: WE ARE HERE. When you see something that makes you wonder or shocks you or calls into question what you think you know about anything financial, reach out. I have had dozens of clients send me videos, posts, articles, and even newspaper clippings that have caught their eye–we can help you sort fact from fiction.
To be clear–sometimes the discrepancy is a matter of perspective. Not all the questionable content clients send us is blatantly wrong or fake. People are entitled to their opinions and predictions. That said, be careful about what you digest.
I will leave you with a few critical tips to avoid being caught by fake videos:
Fake Video Spotting Checklist
1. Look Closely at the Video
- Check for blurry edges, warped backgrounds, or uneven lighting.
- Watch for strange eye blinking or unnatural mouth movement.
- Look for mismatched reflections in glasses, mirrors, or water.
Tip: Pause the video and advance frame-by-frame — fakes often break down on still frames.
2. Listen Carefully
- Voices may sound flat, robotic, or have unnatural pacing.
- Lip sync might be slightly off.
- Background noise doesn’t fit the scene.
Try closing your eyes and just listen — your ears can catch subtle clues.
3. Verify the Source
- Who posted it first? Is it a credible outlet or verified account?
- Can you find the same clip reported by trusted news sources?
- Be cautious with clips shared by anonymous or partisan accounts.
4. Do a Quick Reverse Search
- Use Google Lens or Bing Visual Search on a video frame.
- Try the InVID / WeVerify plugin for deeper analysis.
- For AI-generated content, use Deepware Scanner or Hive AI Detector.
5. Check Context and Metadata
- Do the time, place, and details match the caption or claim?
- Compare landmarks, weather, or lighting with the stated location and time.
- Look for coverage on fact-checking sites such as:
- Snopes.com
- Reuters Fact Check
- BBC Verify
6. Watch for “Too Perfect” People
- Real people use filler words and show subtle emotion shifts.
- AI or deepfake subjects often sound too smooth or emotionless.
7. Pause Before Sharing
If the video triggers a strong emotional reaction — anger, fear, awe — slow down.
That’s often exactly what fake content is designed to do.
When in doubt:
Double-check before reacting or reposting. Wait for confirmation from credible sources.
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