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Winter 2020/2021 Issue of Inc. Magazine
Erika Kullberg did everything right…
following a Herculean effort to dispatch $225,000 in debt in a span of less than two years, Kullberg started another business. In early 2020, she launched Plug and Law, a company that provides templates of legal documents, accompanied by how-to videos, for small-business owners.
May 26, 2023
To her 20 million followers, Erika Kullberg, 32, is a cheerful source of personal finance how-tos and hacks (don’t throw out those old Nikes — you could use them to get new ones for free!). But before she amassed her audience, she was a corporate lawyer with $225,000 in student debt. She paid it off in two years and then got obsessed with helping other people gain control of their money.
A big part of what sets Kullberg apart in the money-influencer field is, of course, her law degree. One of her taglines — “I read the fine print so you don’t have to” — is based on her ability to decipher legalese in contracts, warranties, and other documents that most people ignore. But she also attributes her success to plain old doggedness. She walked 30 minutes to her fancy law job every day for years just to save $2 in bus fare. Extreme? Sure, she’s the first to admit it. But she believes that it kept her in the zone of pursuing her goal of getting out of debt. “Having that mind-set and mentality and discipline helped me to stay committed and not make bigger splurges,” she says.
When did you realize that reading the fine print could really pay off?
I got into reading fine print in law school. I was learning all of these new legal skills, and I wanted to apply them to practical life. The first time it really affected me was when I was on a United flight for a job interview and my bag was delayed a number of hours. I knew from reading the fine print that if your bag is delayed, you’re entitled to compensation up to $3,800. It’s a Department of Transportation rule. Because I had an interview the next day and I didn’t have my suitcase, I went to Nordstrom and bought a nice outfit — a shirt, pants, shoes, and toiletries. I saved the receipts, submitted them to United, and they reimbursed me the full amount, which was over $500. As a broke law student, I had never spent $500 at the mall in my life, so that was very meaningful. I still have the shirt I bought, actually. And it was the first time I realized that reading the fine print could make a big difference.
May 10, 2023
With nine million followers on TikTok, people look to Erika Kullberg for help navigating their travel nightmares.
“'We'll try to get you on the next flight in a few hours, but there's nothing else I can do. Sorry.' Watch this. Actually, I've read the terms. This is called involuntary denied boarding and in this case, I'm eligible for compensation,” she says in one TikTok.
Kullberg suggests turning to the Department of Transportation.
“They have a website and lots of resources around what to do when your flight is canceled or delayed, and what to do when your bag is delayed. And then the second biggest thing, I always look at the actual airline's contract of carriage. That's the contract between you and the airline,” Kullberg said.
She says if your flight is delayed by three hours or more due to the airline, you are entitled to a meal, and if it's overnight, hotel accommodations. But what about issues like Central Florida thunderstorms?
May 6, 2023
Erika Kullberg is an attorney who wanted to educate viewers on tips and tricks that could save them money and finance-related headaches.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a cheery woman's helpful videos sharing financial tips and flagging the fine print found in agreements and deals began appearing on TikTok, Twitter and Facebook feeds. The videos are the brainchildren of Erika Kullberg, an attorney who wanted to educate viewers on tips and tricks that could save them money and finance-related headaches.
April 17, 2023
Traveling can be an uplifting and rewarding experience… but it can also be extremely stressful. That’s why lawyer Erika Kullberg (Instagram: @erikankullberg) — who gives her combined 19 million social media followers tips on travel and personal finance — is here to answer the most common travel policy questions.
As seen in her viral videos, Erika reads and explains companies’ terms-and-conditions agreements to make sure you know your rights when it comes to airline travel. As a result, you can save precious time and money just by following her advice.
April 5, 2023
Lawyer Erika Kullberg is going viral on TikTok for her investment advice, money-saving hacks and travel tips.
March 30, 2023
Attorney and money expert Erika Kullberg chats with California Live’s Paul Costabile about how she became a personal finance expert and offers a few easy tips on how you can start saving more money.
March 20, 2023
Personal finance expert, attorney and influencer, Erika Kullberg, reads the fine print so you don’t have to.
March 18, 2023
Nearly every transaction in life involves a contract, whether it's flying or even buying a pair of shoes.
Personal finance expert Erika Kullberg, who reads the fine print so you don't have to, offers up several tips for the DBL Nation, including how to ask for compensation for lost luggage and delayed flights, finding errors in medical bills, and even getting free coffee at Starbucks.
March 11, 2023
Erika Kullberg, an attorney and personal finance expert who has gone viral on TikTok, talks about the deals she has found from companies after reading the fine print. She also shares tips if your flight gets canceled or delayed.
Feb 14, 2023
Erika Kullberg graduated from law school with over $200,000 in debt but paid it off in two years. Now, she's trying to help young people get ahead financially and learn their rights as consumers.
Last September, she made nearly $6,000 sharing financial advice over social media. Her most popular content features her “reading the fine print” of companies' terms and conditions to help people save money.
In one video, which has received over five million views, Kullberg explained that if a pair of Nike shoes develops a tear within two years of the shoe's manufacturing date, the company will often provide a new pair or a gift card for the same value. She's also detailed other companies that have similar policies.
Jan 5, 2023
Thousands of people were left stranded over the holiday break after Southwest Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, leaving some also without their luggage.
Erika Kullberg, an attorney who has gone viral on TikTok as your “Money Lawyer,” joined Ryan Seacrest on-air to share what travelers can do in the future when it comes to refunds and flight cancellations.
Southwest Airlines is now offering 25,000 frequent-flier points to travelers who were affected by the epic meltdown, but do they have to accept that in lieu of a monetary refund?
Oct 7, 2022
An influencer with more than 70 million followers has revealed what many of us really want to know about the industry: how much they get paid.
If you are on TikTok you probably know Erika Kullberg as the lawyer “who reads the fine print so I don’t have to”.
She has 9 million followers on the fast-growing platform, as well as 59.9 million likes and 452 million views across her videos.
This success is all within just one year. Her total income from TikTok? $3,255.
Aug 26, 2022
TikToker and lawyer Erika Kullberg shares travel tips to save money and avoid stress amid airport chaos.
Aug 15, 2022
Plug and Law Attorney and Founder Erika Kullberg outlines how she got started on TikTok, where people can save money in retail and travel expenses, and pay transparency among creators.
Aug 11, 2022
She’s a social media influencer who is known for “reading the fine print” so we don’t have to – From air pods to adidas, Lawyer and content creator Erika Kullberg joins us with money saving tips when it comes to retail.
Jul 26, 2022
It’s a story that has become more common at airports: After you show up, get through security and walk to your assigned gate, you hear an announcement that the airline is looking for volunteers to give up their seats. If you’re unlucky, you find out you’re getting “bumped” from the flight because the airline overbooked.
Airlines beset by labor shortages have struggled to keep up with summer travel demand, leading to an unusually high number of cancellations, delays and disappearing luggage. More people are also getting bumped: According to a consumer report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the rate of passengers who were involuntarily denied boarding in the first quarter of 2022 was 0.44 per 10,000 passengers, which is more than five times greater than the 2021 figure (0.08) and bigger than the pre-pandemic rate of 0.32 in the same period of 2019.
MAY 27, 2022
Yes, you can get a refund if your flight is canceled and you choose not to travel. You are entitled to a refund if an airline cancels your flight and you don’t travel, even for non-refundable tickets, as a viral TikTok video claims.
But what options do you have if your flight is canceled? In a viral TikTok with more than 1 million views, popular creator Erika Kullberg claims airlines will give you a full refund if your flight is canceled and you choose not to travel. Kullberg also claims that the type of ticket doesn’t matter – and you can get a refund even if your ticket is nonrefundable.
MAY 4, 2022
Reading the fine print or understanding available offers means you could be saving money or taking advantage of refunds or freebies that you might not have otherwise known about, like a brand-new pair of Nike sneakers.
That’s the kind of attention to detail that can lead to some surprising upsides, according to Erika Kullberg, lawyer and founder of Plug and Law, a legal tech start-up for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Kullberg has found that you could be eligible for compensation for everything from getting bumped from your flight to having a package arrive after its guaranteed delivery date or money off an Apple purchase under its educational pricing.
MAR 22, 2022
Reading the fine print means you could be saving money that you might not have otherwise known about, according to Erika Kullberg, lawyer and founder of Plug and Law, a legal tech start-up for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Kullberg found that you could be eligible for compensation for everything from getting bumped from your flight to having a package arrive after its guaranteed delivery date.
MAR 13, 2022
A recent viral TikTok by lawyer Erika Kullberg broke down the “involuntary denied boarding practice” and demonstrated how you might be owed $1,000 for being bumped off a flight.
Kullberg, who prides herself in “reading the fine print” to help people navigate similar situations, used the DOT’s rules for the video, but it’s also worth remembering that the compensation in her video is only the minimum required. There’s no maximum that would prevent an airline from giving more to remedy a situation.
“Most of the time, airlines correctly predict the “no shows” and everything goes smoothly,” according to the DOT. “But sometimes, passengers are bumped as a result of oversales practices.”
MAR 11, 2022
MAR 2, 2022
Erika Kullberg is helping consumers know their rights through her viral TikTok videos. She shares content using companies' terms and conditions agreements that can bring to light the fine print of everything from lowering bills to negotiating severance packages.
MAR 1, 2022
Erika Kullberg, an attorney who studied at Georgetown Law, explained that when buying things overseas, it's important to purchase them in the local currency and not U.S. dollars – because stores will often charge an extra fee to pay in USD, and give you a bad conversion rate.
Erika warned her followers about the ‘trick' in a TikTok video, which has now gone viral – gaining more than three million views in a matter of days – and many people were thankful for her advice.
FEB 9, 2022
According to a recent survey of 1,400 investors aged 18 to 40, conducted by The Motley Fool, a whopping 91% of Gen Zers and 75% of millennials turn to social media for information on investing.
There are hundreds of creators across all major platforms sharing their tips on how to save money and invest, and discussing topics like the stock market and monthly budgets. Some have grown massive online followings, with millions of fans and video views.
JAN 11, 2022
If you’ve ever been bumped from a flight, it probably ranks high on your list of biggest travel headaches. That may be why a recent TikTok detailing how passengers can get compensation for being bumped has racked up millions of views.
Erika Kullberg, a 31-year-old lawyer, posted the video in which she plays both passenger and gate agent, the former requesting compensation from the airline after being bumped, also called “involuntary denied boarding.”
JAN 7, 2022
TikToker and lawyer Erika Kullberg has racked up millions of views on a video that explains how you can get money from airlines if they bump you from a flight.
In the video from December, Kullberg, who had 7 million followers at the time of writing, acts out a conversation between an airline employee and a customer who's bumped from a flight. In the end, the customer receives $1,000 for having to deal with the delay by citing the policy known as “involuntary denied boarding.”
JAN 06, 2022
A lawyer has become a trending source of useful travel information after dedicating her TikTok account to the hacks that can be learned from reading the fine print.
Erika Kullberg, who goes by the username @erikakullberg on TikTok, where she has more than 7m followers, frequently uses the platform to share tips and tricks for everything from an “instant Nike discount” to saving $400 at Apple.
JAN 6, 2022
If your flight is delayed, she has the language you need to get your airline to book a hotel for you and bump your seat to first class. If your flight is overbooked and you get bumped, Kullberg has a script you can use to get compensated for up to four times the value of your one-way ticket.
JAN 5, 2022
There's nothing like wearing a fresh pair of kicks, and also nothing worse than having to fork out a small fortune when they get scuffed and ripped.
But one woman, Erika Kullberg, has shared a little-known hack to TikTok, delving into the brand's warranty.
Kullberg revealed customers can get a new pair of sneakers—for free—up to two years after buying the original pair.
DEC 31, 2021
A lawyer who specializes in finances has gained over 30 million views online with her advice on how to claim back thousands in compensation from an airline.
In two months, Erika Kullberg has gained over 6 million followers on TikTok, where she often advises people on tips and tricks to one-up companies. Kullberg is a lawyer and founded startup Plug and Law, where they draft legal agreements including policies and disclaimers for small companies—meaning she's well-rehearsed with reading the fine print.
DEC 22, 2021
Erika Kullberg has shared a video explaining how passengers are entitled to freebies from an airline if a flight is overbooked. Airlines often intentionally overbook flights in anticipation that some passengers won't show up. But if they do show up, then there aren't enough seats for each person so some people get bumped from the flight – this is more common on US airlines. Erika revealed that if you volunteer to be bumped, you can receive free food, drinks, hotel stay and cash from the airline for your trouble.
DEC 16, 2021
(Shh, she doesn’t know I know this hack.) Lawyer Erika Kullberg describes herself as someone who “reads the fine print so you don’t have to,” sharing tips on how to save money while shopping at Costco to getting free upgrades on flights. While I will never be brave enough to ask a retail worker for free stuff, I’m a fan of all the parodies inspired by her channel.
DEC 15, 2021
“I just realized that there was no amount of money that I wanted to keep working, to have someone be able to just dictate my time and have control over me,” said Erika Kullberg, 31, who quit her job as a corporate attorney in 2019 after long hours prevented her from spending time with a dying relative who eventually passed away.
OCTOBER 10, 2021
It’s a question almost anyone watching videos online has probably asked themselves: How much do YouTubers make in a month? Thanks to YouTuber Erika Kullberg, viewers are getting a pretty detailed look into the process. The social media personality recently shared a viral TikTok breaking down her earnings.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
These days, “passive income” is a very familiar concept to Erika Kullberg, an attorney and personal-finance YouTuber who left her job as a corporate lawyer at a big firm to work for herself. But that wasn't always the case.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2021
Kullberg left her law firm after she was denied an extension on a work assignment despite being in the middle of a family emergency. “It was heartbreaking, and I always say I don't blame the boss … but in that instant I knew I was going to quit,” she tells Insider.
APRIL 9, 2021
“I think of other platforms, like YouTube, as rented land,” Kullberg said. “The YouTube algorithm controls the reach. Over the past six months or so, I've put much more focus on growing my email list and have now grown it to over 20,000.”
APRIL 6, 2021
MARCH 5, 2021
Student loan debt can feel overwhelming, but in Erika Kullberg’s experience, facing it head-on, learning about options to manage it, and buckling down to a plan made all the difference.
In 2016, Erika Kullberg graduated from Georgetown Law with $225,526 worth of student loans a well-paying job as a corporate lawyer. But it wasn't until a few months after graduation that she realized the gravity of her debt and the importance of getting rid of it as soon as possible.
“I graduated from law school with over $200,000 in student loans, and I'm not alone,” says Erika Kullberg, a former corporate attorney with Morrison & Foerster in Tokyo who now runs her own YouTube channel teaching finance to Millennials.
