Watch these Videos in the Summer to Stay Sharp

As yet another academic year has come to its end, a student (or a recently graduated student, for that matter) might all of a sudden find him-/herself with too much free time. Summer vacation, despite being well-deserved, has a tendency to blur a large part of the information that you worked so hard to gain during the year. A nice and relaxed way to stay sharp during the summer, whether you will be returning to university in the fall, or continuing with new challenges, is to use some of your free time to watch videos and documentaries that are relevant to finance and business. If finding nice videos to watch seems like an overwhelming task during a lazy summer day or after a long day of work, here are some suggestions that you might find interesting.
 

  1. The Third Industrial Revolution a must see, eye-opening talk by social and economic theorist Jeremy Rifkin, about where the world is going, what to expect and how to have the right mind set for it. The talk addresses some technology and solutions to how we can reduce our impact on the planet, and it is all in all an informative presentation.

  2. How the Economic Machine Works by Ray Dalio. This video serves as a refreshing reminder of how the economy works. It is a concise introduction to understanding the basics of an economy, using simple illustrations. So if you have forgot most of Economics 101, or never have attended a course like it, you might find this video helpful and interesting.

  3. Dirty Money is a six-part Netflix Original documentary series about specific examples of greed and corruption of capitalism. It’s is good and more educational alternative to watch, instead of watching all seasons of Friends for the fifth time.

  4. Real Value is a documentary about how being socially responsible may impact a business. The documentary is a mix of interviews of a professor in psychology and behavioral economics, and thoughts of business-owners who care about more than profits.

  5. Hidden Secrets of Money by Mike Maloney. If you’re in the mood for an alternative view, to say the least, you might find this entertaining. Maloney believes that the use of currency is a big mistake (did someone say conspiracy?), and presents an alternative: using gold and silver. Not so surprisingly, he also happens to run a site where he sells gold and silver.  

Are you in the mood for something more inspirational? Here are a few TED Talks to watch:
 

  1. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable by Luvvie Ajayi. She discusses how comfort is overrated, and how you shouldn’t let fear dictate what you do but instead, do things that scare you.

  2. Why you should define your fears instead of your goals by Tim Ferriss. He discusses mental health and how to use stoicism as a means of mental training by focusing on what you can control and what you can’t. He gives tips on how you learn to thrive in high-stress environments, which may come in handy when you one day find yourself working within finance or business.

  3. We should aim for perfection and stop fearing failure by Jon Bowers. Aim for perfection by accepting failures - how does that work? As Bowers puts it, failure should be a motivating force, not a pathetic excuse for giving up. Click the link if this made you curious!

For more up-to-date content and news, you can check out the videos posted by The Economist or The Financial Times, covering various topics. Remember that your RUG account gives you full access to The Financial Times, so if you haven’t activated your account yet, you can do it here 

Hopefully you find these helpful, and with this article Risk Magazine would like to wish you a joyful summer! Risk Magazine will take summer break, but we will be back when the next academic year starts again.