Ready to chuckle? 2025 has gifted us with some seriously meme-worthy moments in the world of finance! As the year wraps up, let's take a lighthearted look at the top finance memes that had everyone talking. From quirky dating advice to unforgettable TV characters, get ready for a trip down memory lane.
The Meme That Started It All: Bill Ackman's Dating Advice
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In the realm of high finance, Bill Ackman's dating advice to young men stole the show. In November, the hedge fund manager took to X, offering some, shall we say, unique tips. His advice? Simply ask, "May I meet you?" before engaging further.
This sparked a meme frenzy across X and Instagram, with one user aptly calling it "the most unc advice of all time."
The White Lotus: Where Finance Meets Drama
No other TV show this year resonated with the finance community quite like HBO's "The White Lotus." Virtually every character became a meme. The father-son hedge fund duo, Tim and Saxon Ratliff, were prime meme material. But it didn't stop there; Tim's wife, Victoria, and Kate, from the girls' trip, also made regular appearances in top finance meme accounts.
One of my personal favorites was during the brutal "Liberation Day" tariff plunge in April. The meme account Litquidity wrote: "Tim Ratliff actually broke the fourth wall and spoke to investors all over the world in this scene."
Meet PE Guy: The Ultimate Finance Caricature
Back in March, Johnny Hilbrant Partridge found himself chatting with a cartoonishly snobbish private equity guy at a wedding, and a meme was born. Hilbrant has been regularly making videos with the character ever since, and has built a following of 213,000 on Instagram. His favorite word to work into his videos through his now-famous nasal twang? "Substantial."
"I'm actually on garden leave right now," he says in one video. "Oh, curious, you don't know what garden leave is! Yeah so, I'm in between two really substantial jobs. So I left one, and they're going to pay me for several months, and I'm not able to work for a few months. But they're paying me my very substantial salary."
Ryder Cup: Where Finance and Golf Collide
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While the US Open tennis is always a contender, the Ryder Cup takes the crown this year. Hosted near New York City at Bethpage Black, the event was a magnet for the finance industry, thanks to corporate sponsorship tents. As Tom Cerasoli from Citi noted, "People go to be seen." Walker Ward captured this perfectly in a series of videos, including one where a finance bro recounted his weekend: "Went to Ryder with work on Friday, obviously entertaining clients. Had a chalet on 18, just knocking back bubbles and caviar. It was so elite."
So, what do you think? Did these memes capture the essence of 2025's finance world? Which ones were your favorites, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments – let's get a discussion going!
