I find most TED Talks inspiring, and after perusing their catalog I found these gems.
“Student debt is profitable”
How college loans exploit students for profit – Sajay Samuel
Last month I was in a training class and my table mate was encouraging me to go back to school to get an MBA. After watching this video I totally agree that higher education is a consumer product and status symbol.
Student loans from our undergrad degrees have been the largest portion of our debt over the last seven years. If this is our new reality, we need to become better consumers. Clayton and I have tried to help our nieces and nephews make smart choices about higher education so they don’t end up in the same position we have been in. This talk is a little disheartening, but knowing is half the battle!
“You are connected to … this future self. Your decisions today will determine its well being.”
The battle between your present and future self – Daniel Goldstein
This talk has a fun twist in that Goldstein is trying to use simulations to overcome our present bias by simulating your future self and your future income. It’s not the best talk of the group, but he does a great job of showing how we can better motivate ourselves to save without relying on commitment devices.
“Why did you take my apple?!”
Saving for tomorrow, tomorrow – Shlomo Benartzi
It is encouraging to hear that we are already following a lot of the steps Benartzi laid out in this talk. My mom made sure I knew how important retirement saving was by constantly reminding me that her 401K was going to fund her Cocoon
I would highly recommend any of these videos if you’re looking for a little financial motivation.
If you have a favorite finance video please share it in the comments!
plannedpreoccupation.com 