My Favorite Money Documentaries
A few weeks ago, while watching a video on terrible ways Americans waste their money, the author of the video mentioned a particular documentary about a family who made their fortune in the timeshare business. That documentary is called The Queen of Versailles and later that night I watched the whole thing (available on YouTube, with ads).
I thoroughly enjoyed the watch and it was kinda eye-opening to learn more about the Timeshare industry and just how scammy it can be (minor spoiler: a timeshare presenter leading a seminar advises other presenters to view potential customers as “greedy” for coming to a presentation for a free trip AND he advises them to lie if they have to in order to get a sale) as well as the dynamics that play out within the family profiled. It got me thinking about other great documentaries that touch upon either personal finance or money in general. I wanna share some of my favorites.
Here are some of my must-watches, in no particular order:
Maxed Out
This documentary takes a very sober (and oftentimes sad) look at the credit card/lending industry and the interactions between everyday Americans and their credit cards. This documentary came out in 2006, at the height of the housing bubble, and kinda feels prescient sometimes. It features interviews from money personality and long-time radio host, Dave Ramsey and Senator Elizabeth Warren (back when she was a Harvard Law professor).
Absolutely a must-watch! Side note: there is a really funny clip from a stand-up bit by Louis CK about being broke. It shows you just how insane our economic system can be.
I won’t post a link for this since a lot of them I’ve found have been posted without obtaining permission from the copyright holder. You can find it on YouTube.
Inside Job
Another solid entry on the list, this documentary takes a very deep (and sometimes very technical) dive into the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and how the world almost blew up because of it. There are tons of great interviews from various figures in both the financial industry, government, and advocacy groups.
With strong narration from Matt Damon, this documentary is both education, informative, and at times, enraging.
The Queen of Versailles
As mentioned above, this 2012 documentary profiles one American family’s quest to build the most expensive and lavish house, modeled after the famed Palace of Versailles, in Versailles, France. This family just happens to have made their fortune in the timeshare business. The family portrayed is as stereotypical as you can imagine: rich old guy on his 3rd (much younger) wife, the wife a former model/current socialite, (most definitely) underpaid nanny, they live in Florida…, the list goes on.
Absolutely watch this gem, especially for its focus on one of the most controversial industries in the United States.
Final Thoughts
I hope you all watch and enjoy these movies as much as I do. Heck, from time to time, I’ll give them a rewatch, just to learn a few things I missed the first time or just because I’ve found them really, really informative.
Do you have any recommendations you’d like to share? Feel free to do so in the comments!
