4 Great Finance Movies You Can Bank On

Whatever your position in life finance is important to you. From using a credit card to million dollar financing, money changes hands at a fantastic rate, and everybody is involved. There has been very bad press about the financial institutions around the world, and as movie makers have tried to give us a glimpse inside the walls of the finance, we have been able to see them a little clearer. From stock trading to financial breakdown, below are some of my favourite movies that open the doors on a world we really know very little about.

Wall Street

This movie, which was released in 1987, must surely have contributed to the demise of the yuppies and all they stood for. Though we all want to be wealthy enough to live in the style we wish, Gordon Ghecko showed us how greed for greed’s sake can destroy people as easily as povertycan. Making money through deceit and fraud may be okay in a movie, but we all abhor it in real life; don’t we.

Margin Call

Starring Kevin Spacey and directed by J.C.Chandor, this movie shows us what it may be like to be at the center of an investment bank as it starts to crumble. The movie gives the views of the different employees, and how they  will be affected by any decision the major players make The movie follows them on a journey through the 36 hours up until the final decision is made, a decision you would think would take longer. The cast and story allow you believe that this is how things were during the collapse of the financial world in 2008, and is a very interest insight.

Rogue Trader

 

Ewan McGregor plays Nick Leeson, a young trader who was given far too much latitude and trust by his employers, and paid them back with bankruptcy. After a bright start Leeson was moved to Singapore, where he was given the unusual dual role of head of floor trading and the back office. This was a disastrous move as Leeson started to lose money hand over fist, but was able to cover it up because of his unusual position. He eventually lost $1.4 billion and destroyed Britain’s oldest investment bank. Rogue trader shows how high it is possible to climb in finance, but also how far it is possible to plummet.

Trading Places

As the rest of these movies are so serious, I thought I would add a bit of comedy to the list. In this movie Eddy Murphy and Dan Aykroyd trade places in society at the whim of the Duke brothers. They have in fact become the center of a pointless bet wagered by two bored old men. The movie may not be accurate and real life finance, but it does show us that the abuse of power is both immoral and unethical.

Although these movies seem to show banking in a bad light, it is not always like that. Unfortunately strong and forceful characters sell movies, and Hollywood acquaints these qualities in finance as being single-minded and ruthless. Personally, I see no connection.

The author of this post, Nancy Baker, is a freelance blogger who is also a part of the team at Share Wealth Systems, specialists in stock trading software. She likes to keep herself updated with the latest happenings in the world of finance and share her opinions via blogging. Follow her on Twitter @Nancy Baker.

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