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Investing & personal finance: videos Hacker News recommends
Investing and money: stocks, valuation, index funds, retirement, personal finance, real estate investing, financial literacy, trading, venture capital, banking basics, taxes. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (20 explainers, 12 interviews, 8 commentarys), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- 11 HN recommenders 13 months 2015–2024N Numberphile2 · interviewHN recommends it as the best readily available interview with Simons, notable for his emphasis on luck and a humble approach to success.
- 9 HN recommenders 7 months 2023–2026Recommended as a thorough, sober critique of meme-stock culture and a good starting point whenever GameStop news appears.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2014–2023B BuffettMungerWisdom · talkHN regards it as a classic to revisit every few years for improving decisions and self-awareness.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2019–2025HN points people to it as the clearest single video on simple, long-term index fund investing.
- 5 HN recommenders 6 months 2023–2026A All-In Podcast · talkHN commenters repeatedly recommend it as the clearest explanation of regulatory capture, and cite it in threads on AI regulation, GDPR and telecom.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2014–2023G GoldSilver · explainerRecommended, often in Bitcoin and monetary threads, as a clear introduction to how the US money system works, though it comes with a strong goldbug slant.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2024HN cites the scene as a model of clear, decisive communication and of leaders acting fast to survive, and recommends the film as the best take on 2008.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2014–2025D doctordude · explainerRecommended as an accessible animated primer on banking and the Fed, usually with the caveat that it is biased and dated.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2020–2026HN points to it for a clean first-order framework for the rent versus buy decision.
- 7 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2025HN commenters recommend it as the best single, entertaining overview of Tether's dubious history, and cite it when arguing Tether lacks real USD backing.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2023Recommended as a free, first-principles finance course for software engineers wanting to learn business and finance.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2022E Economics Explained · explainerHN recommends it to explain why comparing billionaire net worth by share price is misleading.
- 2 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2023Y Youtube Videos · videoHN points to it as the source and best distillation of 'fuck you money', in threads about FIRE, windfalls, layoffs and financial literacy.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2012–2017HN recommends it in startup video lists for its stories and Sacca's candid background.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2024HN users point to it to correct the 'money printer go brrr' view and as a clear explanation of how banks create money through loans.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2022HN recommends it as a good overview of predatory lending and the problems with payday loans.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2022HN commenters cite it whenever a thread touches on tax complexity, loopholes, or why companies like Intuit benefit from a convoluted tax system.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2024T Tokyo Llama · documentaryRecommended as a candid look at the real costs and paperwork of buying and renovating an abandoned Japanese home.
- William Ackman: Everything You Need to Know About Finance and Investing in Under an Hour | Big Think3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2020B Big Think · lectureHN recommends it to beginners as a quick, clear overview of finance and investing fundamentals.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2020D Dominic Frisby Comedy Videos · explainerHN users share it as a short, accessible explainer for land value tax whenever housing, rents or inequality come up.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2026HN commenters point to it whenever airline economics or frequent-flier miles come up, since it clearly shows loyalty programs are worth more than the airlines themselves.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2023L Life Where I'm From · explainerIt is the standard citation in HN housing debates for showing that dense cities can still have affordable single-family homes.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2019B batrachious · documentaryHN recommends it as a detailed documentary on the Soros-versus-Bank-of-England episode.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2022Recommended as a clear, compact explainer on China's empty homes, ghost cities and property troubles.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2026HN links it in personal finance threads as an entertaining explanation of how fees erode retirement savings.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026Recommended as detailed math on rent versus buy, showing the choice is often roughly a wash.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2022R Roaring Kitty · explainerAfter the 2021 squeeze, HN cites it as the original thesis behind the GME story and praises its quality.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2026HN posts it as a favorite comic summary of debt avoidance and spending discipline, and as a joke in buy-now-pay-later threads.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2016HN calls it a favorite startup video because it is packed with candid stories about Facebook, Twitter and Google.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2019T The Globe and Mail · explainerHN commenters cite it as a clear, numbers-based rent-vs-buy comparison when housing-as-investment debates come up.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2021W wKw · comedy videoCited as an accessible depiction of how commodity trading and the trading pit work.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2025A Aditya Shukla · documentaryHN points to it as an informative account of how the 2008 crisis developed and spread, and of conflicts of interest among economists and bankers.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2024M Mr Martin Shkreli · courseHN mentions it with caveats: despite the author's reputation, commenters say it contains good investing and Excel material.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2021HN recommends it as an insider-style look at quants and high-frequency trading and their effect on markets.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2025HN commenters point to it as good, accessible coverage of mobile-home park exploitation by private equity.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2009–2013HN cites it as a famous example of someone publicly predicting the housing crash before it happened.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2022J John Snow · explainerPointed to as a concise explanation of land value tax and its effect on city finances.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2026Cited in housing threads for his rule-of-thumb rent-versus-buy analysis and the view that it is often a financial wash.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2018HN recommends it as a clear explanation of self-custody and of why to move coins off exchanges.
- 1 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2025B Bridge Alternatives · talkHN points to it in investing threads as an argument that passive index flows distort markets and could precede a crash.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2023O Omid Malekan · videoHN links it whenever the discussion turns to layoffs, saving, and having enough financial independence to say no.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2025HN uses it as the go-to explanation of why landlords refuse to renegotiate leases and leave units empty.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2012–2013K Kevin Rose · interviewHN recommends it for Sacca's candid account of going deep into debt and recovering, in threads about failure and financial risk.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2023–2025Cited in investing threads as a research-backed argument for diversifying beyond US equities, with sources in the description.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2022P ProPublica · explainerShared as a clearer explanation of the tax loophole than the accompanying article.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2023A ADVChina · documentaryLinked in threads on China's property glut as visual evidence of empty, investment-driven housing, later seen as foreshadowing Evergrande.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2021HN links it as the primary source for Buffett's bitcoin views and his argument about productive versus non-productive assets.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2025T The Rational Reminder Podcast · podcast episodeHN points to it as an interview with Housel and as the source of his quote that financial decisions happen at the dinner table, not on a spreadsheet.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2023M MAK - Mudassir Akber Khan · interviewCited in threads about startups, VC and private equity as an insider's description of how VC economics work, though commenters note he is self-serving.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2022HN cites it for Chamath's claim that venture-backed growth resembles a Ponzi scheme, especially when startups spend heavily on big-tech advertising.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2024HN cites it as a view of Simons as a humble, pragmatic person, with the caveat that the host's questions are weak.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2026Shared as a short, interesting explainer on very long-lived financial instruments.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2023Cited as a quick, visual explanation of IEX's deliberate latency and of artificial delay as a fairness tool.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022–2025HN cites it as the source for the argument that safe withdrawal rates should be lower than 4%.
- cited 5× 0 months 2017–2021Cited for subprime auto loan statistics and as a reference for predatory car financing, rather than as a recommendation.
- cited 5× 0 months 2013–2020B barnseyoz · videoQuoted in threads about declining companies and shrinking markets as a blunt statement of the case for liquidation.
- cited 8× 0 months 2014–2025HN mines it for WhatsApp facts, such as pricing used to slow growth, a 7-8 person backend team and late hiring of customer service.
- cited 3× 0 months 2013–2023U UC Berkeley Haas · lectureHN uses it as a reference for startup advice such as not befriending your VC, linear thinking in valuations, and protecting ideas.
- cited 6× 0 months 2022–2025M Michael Reeves · comedy videoMostly invoked as a joke in threads about monkeys or darts beating professional stock pickers, and about loose definitions of AI.
- cited 5× 0 months 2022–2025I Investor Talk · interviewUsed as an anecdote in layoff and cost-cutting debates: the company supposedly never noticed what the fired staff had done.
- cited 7× 0 months 2023–2025Linked in career and burnout threads as shorthand for the freedom financial independence gives you.
- cited 3× 0 months 2016Referenced as a quick, entertaining overview of problems with credit reporting and scoring.
- cited 5× 0 months 2016–2021C CNA Insider · interviewCited, usually critically, as a window into how payment companies view cryptocurrency and cash.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022–2023C Cats Meow Trading · commentaryHN quotes it mainly to mock or criticize Cramer, or as him admitting to manipulation on air, not as a recommendation.
- cited 3× 0 months 2023–2026M Max Fosh · comedy videoHN mostly cites it as a joke or as a prior example of inflating a company's valuation through a small share sale.
- cited 3× 0 months 2019–2023H Hoosiertown · videoUsed as a classic analogy for fractional reserve banking and bank runs.
- cited 3× 0 months 2015–2018HN mostly cites it for specific anecdotes, such as Thiel's early Facebook investment and how he thinks about the future, not as a general recommendation.
Questions
What is the most recommended investing & personal finance video on Hacker News?
Jim Simons (full length interview) - Numberphile by Numberphile2: HN recommends it as the best readily available interview with Simons, notable for his emphasis on luck and a humble approach to success.
How is this investing & personal finance list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.