From bartending and court clerking to becoming a Gen Z investing icon, Joyee Yang joins host Bilal Little on the ETF Central podcast and shares how she built her portfolio and her influence by making finance relatable, risk-aware, and completely DIY.

Kicked Out at 19 and Straight Into the Markets

Joyee Yang’s investing journey started with a life-changing moment. At 19, she was kicked out of her parents’ house and had to figure things out quickly. She turned to Google and typed in “how to make money online.” One of the top results was dividend stocks.

With just $100 to $200, she bought shares of Fortis. The next morning, she saw a dividend of 69 cents hit her account. It was a small amount, but it proved a big idea: it is actually possible to make money while you sleep. That moment set her on a path toward financial independence.

Three Jobs, One Relentless Goal

To fund her investments, Joyee juggled three jobs. During the day, she worked as a court clerk in Ontario. In the evening, she served tables at a restaurant. On weekends, she picked up freelance bartending gigs.

She lived solely off her court clerk salary. Every dollar she made from serving and bartending went straight into the markets. The goal was simple: build wealth, but do it safely.

From Dividends to Diversification

Joyee started with dividend stocks because she wanted to make mailbox money. But once she began researching how to invest more safely, she came across ETFs. The appeal was clear. Rather than putting all her eggs in one stock, she could buy a basket of them and get broad diversification.

As a self-described risk-averse investor at the time, ETFs gave her a sense of comfort. She leaned heavily on YouTube and Google to learn, and she followed creators who made complex topics easy to understand.

Today, her portfolio is about half ETFs and half individual stocks. That balance reflects her growing confidence and knowledge over the years.

Why Gen Z Learns Finance from YouTube

Joyee’s first encounter with the financial industry was underwhelming. When she opened an investment account at a big bank, no one explained what to do with it. The advice she did receive focused on mutual funds with high management fees.

That experience pushed her toward independent learning. Free resources like YouTube, Yahoo Finance, Google, and new platforms like Blossom became her go-to sources. Content creators who shared their own portfolios made investing feel less intimidating and more transparent.

She believes that trust, transparency, and relatability are what set creators apart from traditional advisors. For her, watching a video where someone walks through their ETF holdings builds far more trust than a one-hour consultation that costs $100.

Investing as a Team Sport

Joyee sees investing as a collaborative experience. She shares her trades on Blossom and makes videos explaining her thought process. She also learns from other creators, especially when new ETFs or IPOs enter the market.

While her closest friends may not be into investing, her broader peer group includes finance influencers who actively share insights. The back-and-forth keeps her learning and engaged.

A New Approach to Risk

When Joyee first started investing, she was extremely cautious. She stored her savings in cash-filled envelopes instead of putting the money to work. Over time, she began to understand the value of calculated risk.

She now rates her risk tolerance at around a 6 or 7 out of 10. Learning how the stock market works helped her move beyond fear. She encourages others to focus less on timing the market and more on spending time in the market.

Managing Emotions with Automation

For Joyee, the key to successful investing is removing emotion from the equation. She practices dollar cost averaging and automates her contributions so she is not tempted to react to short-term market moves.

She also reminds her audience that checking your portfolio 18 times a day is not a strategy. When she started investing at 19, she did not sell a single stock until she bought her first condo at 23 — despite living through a pandemic and countless market swings.

What Beginners Are Looking For

Joyee’s audience is made up of mostly beginner investors. Some were drawn in by Bitcoin. Others were intrigued by a friend’s story about a stock that skyrocketed overnight. Many are looking for quick gains but are unsure how to get started safely.

She sees a big gap in portfolio education. Most people know how to buy a stock, but they have no idea how to build a portfolio. Concepts like diversification, asset allocation, and risk management are not part of the conversation.

She dreams of a free online tool where people can enter their age, income, risk tolerance, and goals, and receive suggestions on what to research. Not a robo-advisor that tells them exactly what to buy, but a guided roadmap that teaches them how to build a solid foundation.

From Creator to Educator

Joyee wants to go beyond TikTok and YouTube tips. Her future content will focus on deeper education. She envisions building a course that explains financial concepts with total transparency, including which investment vehicles are riskier, how to structure a portfolio, and what terms like “dividend” and “capital gain” actually mean.

When she creates content, she speaks directly to her 19-year-old self — the girl who had to pause every video to Google financial jargon. She wants to eliminate gatekeeping and make investing feel possible for anyone, no matter their starting point.

The Role of Institutions

Though she has been slow to adopt crypto herself, Joyee is paying attention. Her audience lights up whenever institutional adoption makes headlines. For many, seeing large institutions invest in crypto builds trust and signals that it is worth looking into.

She believes institutions have a role to play in building that trust. Their research and resources can help validate investment opportunities, but individual investors still need to do their own due diligence — especially if their financial situation is more complex.

Building the Bridge to Wall Street

Joyee’s mission is to be the person someone finds first when they want to learn how to invest. She wants her content to serve as a foundation, so that her audience can eventually understand more sophisticated financial podcasts and platforms without feeling lost.

If the financial industry wants to connect with a younger audience, Joyee says it needs to simplify the message. The conversation happening in this interview, for example, is already a step in the right direction. When financial professionals collaborate with relatable educators, the entire industry benefits.

Please note this article is for information purposes only and does not in any way constitute investment advice. It is essential that you seek advice from a registered financial professional prior to making any investment decision.