Learning From the Brightest: Top 6 Movies Investors Must Watch

These movies will interest both the beginner and the experienced investor. They give an insight into the world of investing and its risks, motivate you and show you what to do with your money and what not to do.

The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron, 2003

The film is based on true events and is beloved by experienced investors worldwide so that it can be compared to Bet22 in terms of popularity. It is the story of 26-year-old Brian Croover, who is determined to become a financier and get rich. The young man gets a job at a large company “Enron”. There he learns about a mysterious scheme to make money. The main income of the company’s employees is contained in “virtual assets” – a magical place where all of the company’s insurance contracts are collected. Details are not disclosed to the employees; their business is to bring the company contracts and receive 10% of the value of each.

The key character quickly realizes that the main thing is to “handle” the client properly. Brian learns all the necessary “tricks” and becomes part of the team. He quickly builds up capital and surrounds himself with items of wealth. But at some point problems begin to emerge in the company and the truth comes out, which had been hidden for 15 years.

Enron is a company that actually existed. The film tells the high-profile story of its bankruptcy in 2001. It has been called the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, with losses totaling $25 billion. The company collapsed literally in a week, exposing the financial fraud of 15 years of existence. The bankruptcy insurance division, as well as the company’s virtual asset finance department, deceived investors by hiding real losses and keeping stock levels extremely high. In one week, the company’s value dropped 100 times.

Margin Call, 2011

This movie tells the story of a major American investment bank, which is on the brink of financial crisis and bankruptcy. The risk management department examines the financials and reveals horrifying facts. The risk of mortgage-backed securities in the bank’s portfolio has reached a level where a further decline in the quotation of these securities will lead to losses comparable to the value of all assets of the investment bank. A few hours later, all of the bank’s top managers were called into a meeting to discuss “toxic assets. There are over $8 trillion worth of such securities in the U.S. market as a whole. A sudden sale of the whole package of securities would lead to a stock market crash. Both major shareholders and millions of ordinary depositors will be left with nothing. The head of the bank faces a choice: dump the stock or wait and risk losing all his capital.

The Pursuit of Happiness, 2006

Starring Will Smith in the title role. The picture is one of the few on the subject of investment that has earned such high praise from audiences and critics. It is based on real events. The head of the family, Chris Gardner, is trying by all means to make money. The business does not bring income, as a result of the hero being evicted from the apartment, his wife leaves him, leaving behind a young son. Chris does not give up and decides to get a job as an intern at a brokerage company, hoping for a specialist position. To earn it, he has to study hard for six months. Chris studies a new science for him to eventually pass the exam. During this time, he is forced to live in the most real poverty: wandering around in night shelters with his child and even sleeping in the subway. The film is suitable for beginners and experienced investors as a reminder not to give up on the road to your dreams.

Buy & Cell, 1987

This movie is about a stockbroker, Herbie Altman. He became a scapegoat and went to jail for financial fraud of his firm. The hero was to spend 13 years in a prison cell. The sentence knocked Herbie out for a while, but in time he got used to it and began to develop his stock trading activity in prison. After a while, the prisoners’ favorite newspaper became The Wall Street Journal.

Trading Places, 1983

This is a comedy about looking on the bright side of money problems. Starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. Businessman Louis Introp runs a company on Wall Street and has no idea what surprises his bosses, the two Duke brothers, are preparing for him. The owners argue about whether or not the first rogue can run such a company. The brothers put a dollar on the line and found a street crook, Billy Ray Valentine, to run the company instead of Louis Yntrop. The owners of the company had no idea how much they would risk by swapping the two men.

Krach, 2010

This is a movie about a Wall Street trader who designed a unique trading system based on climatology and made a lot of money. The picture is about what taking off too fast can lead to. The trading system invented by the hero turned him from a beginner to a stock market shark in a short period of time. And big money, as it is known, often breaks a person’s outlook.