Films about investing help us understand the world of finance better. Investing is a very popular topic today. We come across all kinds of articles, expert opinions, books and magazines that give us all the essential information. However, every experienced investor knows that you can never have too much information. Our minds are a bottomless well, and even when we know a lot, we are eager for new approaches that open the door to further investing. Films about investing help us gain new knowledge in an entertaining way and suit anyone who does not enjoy reading much.
Films about investing
Education is the key to every investor’s success. If films or books about investing were part of the primary school curriculum, more of us would understand how money works. There are many films about investing, and each of them helps us gain a better insight into the subject.
Boiler Room (2000)
Boiler Room is one of the films about investing meant to warn all beginners about the risks of stock markets. Although the story is fictional, it is based on real events. The leading roles are played by Giovanni Ribisi and Vin Diesel. Director Ben Younger drew on his own experience of working at a brokerage firm. A fraudster persuades clients to buy a company’s stocks for large sums. This pushes the stock price even higher, and he then sells his own stocks at a very good price. This film about investing shows how important it is to invest in stable companies with solid foundations. It also shows how important it is to follow the rule that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Becoming Warren Buffett (2017)
A documentary about the American billionaire, investor and businessman Warren Buffett, who celebrates his 92nd birthday this year. Many of us may find this film very inspiring, because it traces how an ordinary, ambitious, number-obsessed boy became one of the richest and most influential people in the world. His wealth began with buying cheap stocks in small companies, betting that their value would grow. It was his genius and hard work that earned him enormous wealth. The film also tells the story of his personal life and his extensive charitable projects. The golden rule says that we should give something back in return for the wealth we gain. Only then will the door to further wealth open for us.
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The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
A film by Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese. The story follows the career of American stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), who lured millions of dollars out of very wealthy clients and then spent the money on parties, drugs and other pleasures. The film reveals how, at the end of the 20th century, Belfort and his firm Stratton Oakmont became involved in illegal activities full of corruption and fraud on Wall Street. The film was criticised for its morally ambiguous portrayal of events, excessive amount of profanity, sexual content and depiction of hard drug use.
Inside Job (2010)
The film won an Oscar and is considered the best film about the financial crisis. It explains in detail what lay behind the outbreak of the 2008 financial crisis and how a crisis of such scale could happen. It shows how strongly political changes and banking practices contributed to the situation. The film features interviews with leading financial experts, journalists and politicians and goes through all the factors that caused the crisis in detail. Director Charles Ferguson began his research in 2008 and says that “the film is about the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry and the consequences of that systemic corruption”.
The Ascent of Money (2008)
This six-part documentary series offers a broader look at the history and origins of money. Harvard professor Niall Ferguson shows us, for example, how bonds came into being and why economics is such an important concept in this world. The Emmy-winning series gives each of us a new perspective on the world of finance. We learn how, over many years, money changed from a tool for exchanging goods into a factor that shapes today’s society. This inspiring documentary shows how strongly money influences the world we live in.
The Big Short (2015)
The film is from 2015, but it is based on the 2010 book “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine” by Michael Lewis. The film offers action and pace and is easy to follow even for those who do not understand economics. The book was inspired by the 2007-2008 financial crisis, which was caused by the bursting of a financial bubble in mortgages and property. In 2005, anyone in America could get a mortgage for a luxury villa, and the banks did not care whether people had the means to repay it. Our four heroes were convinced that the American economy could not grow forever and that, because of risky mortgages, it would one day collapse badly. And they were right. Financier Michael Burry developed a financial instrument that would earn him a huge amount of money once the mortgage bubble burst, and he invested his entire fortune in it. This bet on uncertainty paid off three years later, when many people lost their jobs and the roofs over their heads.
Equity (2016)
Equity tells the story of investment banker Naomi Bishop, who tries to succeed in the male-dominated financial world at a Wall Street firm and brings an IPO to a world still recovering from the financial crisis. An interesting fact about the film is that it was written, produced, financed and directed by women. That is why it focuses on women who use their ambition and competitiveness in strategy and negotiation. At the same time, they must keep their personal and professional lives in balance to succeed in both areas. This film about investing is the result of a collaboration between women from the entertainment industry and the financial sector (real women from Wall Street). These female leaders of the financial sector wanted to tell their story through this film.
More films about investing and finance
Other films include, for example:
- Wall Street (1987),
- Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010),
- Too Big to Fail (2011),
- Margin Call (2011),
- Glengarry Glen Ross (1992),
- The Corporation (2003),
- Rogue Trader (1999),
- Barbarians at the Gate (1993),
- and more.
