# Kyla Scanlon

> Kyla Scanlon is an economist, author, and content creator who coined the term 'vibecession' and has built a multi-platform media presence dedicated to making economics accessible. Her debut book 'In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work' (2024) became a New York Times bestseller. She reaches over 1 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Substack, and Twitter/X, and has been named to Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance. A triple major from Western Kentucky University, she left a career in institutional asset management at Capital Group to pursue financial education full-time.

- **Role:** Independent Creator & Author
- **Organizations:** O'Shaughnessy Ventures (former EIR), Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator (Senior Fellow), United Talent Agency (represented)
- **From:** Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Financial Management, Economics, Business Data Analytics (triple major), Western Kentucky University, Gordon Ford College of Business
- **Known for:** Coined 'vibecession' - now in Dictionary.com, cited by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Meet the Press, New York Times bestselling author of 'In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work' (2024), Self-illustrated her debut book

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Learned options trading at age 16 from her father via a children's E*Trade account
- **2016** — Sold 38 cars at a Hyundai dealership the summer after freshman year, sparking passion for accessible finance communication
- **2019** — Graduated Western Kentucky University as valedictorian with Ogden Foundation full scholarship; moved to Los Angeles
- **2019** — Joined Capital Group (asset management) as macroeconomic analyst
- **2020** — Published 'The Secret of Car Sales: The Science of Negotiation' blog post
- **2021** — Began making financial explainer videos on TikTok during the GameStop/meme stock surge
- **2021** — Left Capital Group; founded Bread, a financial education company
- **2022** — Coined the term 'vibecession' in Kyla's Newsletter on Substack
- **2023** — Became Entrepreneur in Residence at O'Shaughnessy Ventures
- **2024** — Published debut book 'In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work' (Crown Currency/Penguin Random House) - NYT Bestseller
- **2025** — Named to Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance
- **2025** — Appointed Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator Senior Fellow
- **2025** — Appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Ezra Klein Show
- **2026** — Featured speaker at CNBC Davos 2026; working on second book about the Federal Reserve

## Achievements

- Coined 'vibecession' - now in Dictionary.com, cited by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Meet the Press
- New York Times bestselling author of 'In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work' (2024)
- Self-illustrated her debut book
- Named to Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance (2025)
- Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator Senior Fellow
- Built 1M+ combined following across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Substack, and Twitter/X
- Regular contributor to NYT Opinion, Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Policy
- Frequent guest on MSNBC, CNN, and Bloomberg TV
- Received full-ride Ogden Foundation Scholarship to Western Kentucky University
- Managed $500,000 portfolio in TVA Investment Challenge
- Appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (July 2025)
- Featured at CNBC Davos 2026

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Featured speaker at CNBC Davos 2026
- **2025-12** — Appeared at CNBC Fast Money Live
- **2025-07** — Appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Ezra Klein Show discussing the attention economy and Gen Z
- **2025-06** — Published 'How Gen Z Sees the World' in Foreign Policy
- **2025-04** — Told Fortune magazine that current economic conditions are not a 'vibecession' - the data now supports the negative sentiment
- **2025-01** — Named to Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance; appointed Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator Senior Fellow

## Links

- Website: https://www.kylascanlon.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylascanlon/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/kylascan
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kylascan
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylascan/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylascan

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kyla-scanlon
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-24