Finance
3 Personal Finance Films You Need to Watch This Summer
matt_benoit/Getty Images/CNET
If you’ve never swapped your weekend TV show binge for a personal finance documentary, you’re missing out.
Although personal finance is personal, films and documentaries about money can help us feel less alone when making big financial decisions. Most of us didn’t learn about money in school, so we have to take a hands-on approach to personal finance education for information to really stick. Otherwise, it feels like navigating a dark cave with no guidance.
I write about money for a living, and I’m always looking for ways to improve my financial literacy. I often suggest reading personal finance books, listening to podcasts and subscribing to financial newsletters (like the one at CNET called Money Matters). Then I went down a documentary rabbit hole and discovered the benefit of “watching” personal finance.
Documentaries about money you shouldn’t miss
There are several films that focus on personal finance, from the bare-bone basics to unpacking scandals like the Game Stop saga. If you already subscribe to streaming sites like Netflix, you already have several at your fingertips. Here are three documentaries that stood out to me.
Read more: Best Streaming Services for Documentaries
1. Get Smart With Money
Great for the basics
The 2022 Netflix documentary Get Smart With Money follows four financial experts as they help people with different money struggles. It focuses on the basics: Paying down credit card debt, breaking the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, learning to budget while pursuing early retirement and investing in the stock market.
Peter Adeney (Mr. Money Mustache), Tiffany Aliche (The Budgetnista), Ross MacDonald (Ro$$ Mac) and Paula Pant of Afford Anything partner with folks from different socioeconomic backgrounds to unpack their spending habits and set benchmarks for meeting their financial goals.
The film introduces us to Ariana, who describes herself as an emotional spender. She has $45,000 in credit card debt, and at one point she took out a personal loan to consolidate her credit card payments into one with a lower interest rate. But she quickly found herself in a debt cycle, maxing out her credit cards. Tiffany Aliche, a financial educator and author of Get Good With Money, steps in to help Ariana regain her footing by establishing a sustainable debt pay-off plan.
If you already know a thing or two about basic money management, you won’t find anything groundbreaking in this documentary. Still, there are important takeaways. The main lesson is that you can’t change a bad money habit without changing your mindset and setting attainable goals.
2. The Most Important Class You Never Had
What you don’t learn in school (but should)
From the creators behind Next Gen Personal Finance, which provides educators with free resources to equip students with financial literacy skills, this film focuses on personal finance education and its impact beyond the classroom.
Only one in six high school students in the US is required to take a semester of personal finance to graduate. In this 37-minute documentary, you’ll meet eight high school educators as they incorporate basic money management into their classrooms, covering savings strategies, investing, budgeting and preparing for retirement. Each educator examines why a lack of personal finance education is failing younger generations and what we can do to develop a strong foundation in money management.
Patrick Kubeny, an accounting and personal finance teacher, focuses on real-life scenarios in the film. He covers practical subjects such as saving for retirement and dodging credit card scams. One of his students has already saved over $1,000 in a Roth IRA because of what Kubeny has taught in class. It serves as a reminder that personal finance education can better equip kids with the financial competency they need to be successful after high school.
3. Money, Explained
Navigating money’s minefields
Money, Explained is a docuseries by Vox that addresses several topics: credit cards, student loans, retirement, financial scams and gambling. Condensed into five short episodes of around 20 minutes each and narrated by a celebrity lineup, this series doesn’t explain money but focuses on a range of niche topics, from technology’s role in financial scams to the history of credit cards and the impact of student loan debt.
This docuseries emphasizes the human side of finance. It doesn’t set out to teach you how to budget or pick the right credit card, but rather explores how money affects our sense of security and mental health. It’s a great starting point for anyone looking for an informative yet digestible documentary to boost their financial literacy.
Plus, you get to listen to Tiffany Haddish, Edie Falco and more celebs talk to you about the dangers of get-rich-quick-schemes and the student loan debt crisis, which is something I didn’t know I needed until I saw it.
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The consumer club Hitechzone and the financial firm Mor Langermann are acquiring control of the investment house Kivun at a valuation of NIS 5 million. In the first stage, the two acquiring entities will each hold 30% of the company (60% in total). They will later be joined by Gabi Dishi, one of the owners of hedge fund firm Alpha, who will initially hold 9%, with the option to increase his stake to up to 20%.
The agreement also includes an option to raise the combined holding to 83%. In addition, capital will be injected into the investment house to support growth and expand its operations. The transaction is expected to close within the coming month.
Kivun is currently owned by founder Beni Mozes (40%), Dr. Jan Reuven (16%), CEO Avi Meir (5%), and additional minority shareholders. The acquiring group will purchase all of Mozes’ shares, part of Reuven’s holdings, and the remaining shares from smaller investors. Mozes, aged 83, has been seeking a buyer for his stake for the past year. Despite the change in control, Mozes and Meir are expected to continue managing the company’s mutual funds and portfolio management activities. Mozes declined to comment on the deal but confirmed that control is being sold.
The company manages approximately NIS 350 million in assets, of which about NIS 250 million is in mutual funds, with the remainder in managed investment portfolios. The mutual funds are not operated independently but are managed under a “hosting” model, with operational services provided by Ayalon Investment House. The mutual fund industry remains one of the public’s main savings channels for the short- and medium-term and currently manages a record NIS 835 billion in assets.
Hitechzone’s acquisition of control over the investment house comes as a surprise to industry observers. According to senior mutual fund executives, the consumer club, which targets employees in the high-tech sector, may in the future seek to market investment management services and portfolio products to its members, with a focus on the technology sector. Hitechzone already maintains collaborations with financial institutions across banking and long-term savings, meaning its management will likely need to reassess its policy regarding the distribution of financial products.
Hitechzone is controlled by Ronen Dagan (25.2%) and Noam Busidan (24.2%) and is operated under its parent company, High Biz. It is considered one of Israel’s largest and most influential consumer clubs. The club serves employees in the high-tech industry and has more than 370,000 members across over 2,500 companies. Unlike other consumer clubs, membership is not open to the general public and is limited to organizational affiliation.
Over the years, the club has expanded beyond consumer discounts into a range of business activities. In e-commerce, it operates an online retail platform that grew following the acquisition of the Walla Shops website and is supported by an independent logistics network and a large distribution center.
In addition, the core of the club’s financial activity is based on a dedicated credit card issued in partnership with Cal. Its broader influence is also reflected in strategic collaborations in capital markets and retail. Among other initiatives, the club operates a joint banking service with Bank Hapoalim under the “Poalim Hitechzone” brand, offering members preferential account terms. It is also active in the automotive sector through Hitechzone Motors, which provides new vehicle purchases on discounted terms, and periodically organizes real estate and mortgage initiatives for members.
Hitechzone’s shareholders also include the Menora Mivtachim Group, through Menora Mivtachim Pension and Provident Funds (12.9%) and Menora Mivtachim Insurance (4.4%). The transaction therefore marks an indirect return of the group to the mutual fund sector, after it previously merged its mutual fund operations with Altshuler Shaham in 2017.
For Mor Langermann, the deal is expected to broaden its activity base. Mor Langermann Capital is a relatively new participant in the underwriting sector, while the banking firm itself was founded in 2015 by Uri Mor and Etty Langermann.
The strategic rationale behind the joint acquisition remains unclear. Sources involved in the transaction say the main driver was the relatively low valuation at which the investment house was offered. The investment management industry, particularly mutual funds, has undergone significant consolidation in recent years.
Ronen Dagan said: “We at Hitechzone are committed to maximizing the purchasing power of high-tech employees. Our strategy includes developing ventures and investments in key areas such as real estate, automotive, and finance. These are the categories where club members spend the most, and therefore where we can create the greatest savings and value for them.”
The five candidates for Saturday’s Lubbock City Council District 4 special election filed campaign finance reports showing political contributions from some notable area organizations and community leaders.
The June 27 special election will determine who will replace Councilman Brayden Rose in the south-central Lubbock council seat. Rose announced his resignation earlier in the year and will formally vacate his seat on the Lubbock City Council once the district elects his successor.
Which candidates are on the ballot for District 4?
Here is the list of candidates as they appear on the ballot for the City of Lubbock special election:
- Gary Boren — retired businessman, former city councilmember and member of the Brazos River Authority Board.
- Stephanie Ferran — Lubbock small business owner and life coach.
- Tim Green — local homebuilder, owner of Tim Green Homes and former fireman.
- Bill Curnow — cybersecurity professional with Plains Cotton Cooperative Association and community volunteer.
- Boyd Goodloe — Lubbock Area Director for Access Rentals, former Lubbock ISD school board candidate and a youth minister.
Who led in fundraising for the District 4 special election?
Here’s a look at campaign contributions and in-kind donations the five candidates reported in their 30-day and 8-day campaign finance reports, according to documents from the Lubbock City Secretary’s Office.
Green came into Saturday’s special election leading the fundraising battle during the relatively short election cycle that began in the spring.
According to their 8-day campaign finance reports filed with the city, Green reported $16,235.80 in contributions in June compared to $10,400 for Boren during the period.
Their 30-day reports filed in May showed Green reported $21,600 in contributions compared to $0 for Boren during the initial reporting period through late May. Curnow reported $1,740.11 in contributions during the initial reporting period, with Goodloe reporting $378 in contributions and Ferran $0 at that time.
Curnow reported $183.23 in contributions in his eight-day report, while Ferran reported $0 and Goodloe reported $87.45 during the period.
Notable contributions for Boren included $5,000 from businessman and Texas Tech System Regent Dusty Womble, $1,000 from Carl and Gloria Toti and $1,000 from Mike and Suzie Liner, among other smaller contributions.
Notable contributions for Green included $5,000 from the 806 Advantage PAC, $4,000 from Scott Leach along with several $1,500 or $1,000 contributions from other area businesses people and entrepreneurs. Green also reported $10,500 in in-kind contributions from the Lubbock Professional Firefighters Association.
Curnow reported a $1,000 contribution from psychologist Philip Davis among several other smaller contributions.
In their 8-day reports, the candidates also included total expenses for the period, including: Boren with $19,032.57 ($3,948.07 in his 30-day report), Curnow with $886.69 ($1,494.14 in his 30-day), Ferran with $0 ($464 in her 30-day), Goodloe with $673.43 ($266.67 in his 30-day), and Green with $10.90 ($12,864.20 in his 30-day).
Adam D. Young is the Editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and Amarillo Globe-News in Texas. Have a news tip for him? Email him at ayoung@lubbockonline.com.
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