Personal finance might seem boring on its own, but it becomes fascinating when you look at it through the lens of human experience. Individuals’ fortunes and failures are often guided by their relationships with money, approach to work and whom they choose to trust with their money and work.
The documentaries on this list tackle some aspect of that challenge. Each one manages to be entertaining by looking at the reality of finances through the window of human lives, but they also illuminate the world around us and give some guidance on better financial practices for viewers and their families.
Here are four great documentaries on the subject of money and work that manage to balance entertainment and insight.
[Read: How to Pick the Best Streaming Service for Your Budget.]
“Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders.” This film is an in-depth look at the harsh realities of living paycheck to paycheck in a life that’s sustained only by the easy availability of consumer debt. The documentary shows the abusive practices that are hidden behind the outward friendliness and availability of credit cards and other types of easy debt. It reveals the financial hole they can create for unsuspecting customers, particularly those who are already at financial risk.
The key lesson is that credit card companies are not your friends. A credit card can be a useful tool, but credit card companies make the most money when you make poor spending decisions with your credit cards, so they subtly encourage those mistakes. The best customer for a credit card company is one who pays interest charges every month, even while that customer struggles to improve his or her own financial standing. That’s not where you want to be as a consumer.
You can watch “Maxed Out” on YouTube.
[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]
“The Ascent of Money.” This documentary is based on Niall Ferguson’s book of the same name. It addresses how we moved from a world that was largely guided by trading real-world goods to an era where trillions of virtual dollars are exchanged daily for securities on computer-run stock exchanges. What happened? What does it mean for us as people?
The key lesson here is that money is just a means of exchange, so people can trade things. Alone, it means little. It’s a way to represent an amount of work done or how much someone wants an item. When you earn money, you’re trading time and energy for it. When you spend it, you’re trading it for goods and services. Money itself has no real value beyond what you can buy with it, but without a healthy supply of it, you don’t have the means to acquire much of anything. Don’t view money as something by itself, but as the possibility of food, clothing and other items you need now and will need in the future. If you trade it away for things you don’t need, all you do is guarantee yourself more work to get more money later on.
You can watch “The Ascent of Money” on the PBS website.
“Inside Job.” This film digs into the real causes behind the economic crisis of 2008 and reveals one core truth: Human greed was the real source of the problem. Without laws in place to protect people against the invisible greed of others, economic crises and financial disasters will continue to happen.
The takeaway is that people are greedy, and it’s up to you to protect yourself. Always have an emergency fund, a great resume and a strong professional network because someone else’s personal greed can mean the end of your job or the onset of a difficult financial time, often when you least expect it.
You can watch “Inside Job” on Vimeo.
[Read: Why Financial Literacy Matters in an Era of Deregulation.]
“Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” This film follows Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old sushi master who runs one of the finest sushi restaurants in the world. At the end of his career, however, he is beginning to realize that his singular focus and passion for sushi may not be shared with others in his life. What is his legacy? What did he sacrifice for his singular vision and success? This is an engaging film about a true master’s lifetime of work and the costs and regrets of that work.
Being single-minded about your goals can win you great financial and professional success, but what’s left in your life if those are your only goals? This is a meditation on working to live versus living to work. If you enjoy your work and you can make money at it, is it OK for that work to become your obsession? If you’re struggling with work-life balance, this documentary will give you some powerful food for thought.
You can watch “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” on Netflix.
Each of these programs is worth watching for entertainment’s sake, but they’ll also leave you with plenty of new ways to think about your own relationship with money and work.
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These 4 Documentaries Will Teach You About Money originally appeared on usnews.com
