Learning how to manage our money can be as easy as going to the movies.
Over the decades, the peaks and troughs of the financial world have made for great cinema. But art can also be instructive.
Despite their focus on larger-than-life characters and a propensity to glamourise excess, many Hollywood blockbusters offer invaluable personal finance insights that we can all incorporate into our daily lives.
Here are five money lessons from the movies.
1. Wall Street
Greed is good, Michael Douglas’s Gordon Gekko tells us in Wall Street, because it drives the evolution of mankind. Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning 1987 tale of a young stockbroker lured into the world of corporate espionage resonates just as loudly 35 years after it was released.
The film offers a primer on how financial markets work and how investors can benefit from calculated risks. It illustrates the role of demand and supply, how news (and insider information) drive up valuations and underscores the role of market regulators.
Through a gold trade in Hong Kong, we learn how money never sleeps in a diversified global market of numerous asset classes.
At a deeper level, the seminal tale of excess in the 1980s forces us to question our approach to money.
Is greed truly good? Even at someone else’s expense? Our uncertainty about whether Gekko should be a hero or a public enemy speaks to an abiding irony at the heart of capitalism, writes John Paul Rollert, a professor of behavioural science at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, “a moral ambivalence that sees us not knowing whether we should wipe the grin off Gekko’s face or mirror it”.
Those questions remain relevant at a time when global inequality is higher than ever. The World Inequality Report in December revealed that the richest 10 per cent of the global population currently take home 52 per cent of the world's income while the poorest half, by contrast, earn only 8 per cent of the total pie.
Lesson: how to make money work for you, but not at somebody’s expense.
2. The Money Pit
Rewind to 1986 for a lesson on what happens when you fall for sob stories and fail to do your due diligence.
Sound familiar? Stories of people who can’t pay their debts make headlines regularly, proving the continued relevance of The Money Pit.
Tom Hanks and Shelley Long play a couple who buy a house under pressure and in a hurry. Purchase made, they realise the building is in worse condition than they thought and requires a succession of expensive repairs — which they don’t have the funds for.
They learn not to trust slick salespeople and that buying a house doesn’t end with closing the deal. Ultimately, they are victims of their own lack of financial planning.
Debt remains a major issue in the Middle East region. About 71 per cent of the region’s youths are concerned about personal debt, according to the 2021 Arab Youth Survey. Last November, 4,511 Emirati citizens had financial debt of more than Dh1.1 billion written off as part of a national relief initiative.
Making purchases without a financial plan to pay for them can lead to one building up high volumes of debt over time. Whether it is a home, a car, a holiday or even luxury shoes on your credit card, consider making a list of each potential expense — and any unforeseen extras in advance.
Then identify a source of funds and try to set aside a few extra months’ payments before actually making the purchase.
Lesson: plan your purchases in advance and always have a financial plan.
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
With total box-office earnings of $392 million, the 2013 story of the rise and fall of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, resonated with millions of people around the world.
The Wolf of Wall Street can be deconstructed for its lessons about poverty, ambition, ethics and addictive behaviour — not to mention the way it appears to glorify Belfort’s immoral choices.
But perhaps the biggest financial theme rippling through the Martin Scorsese film is the role of unregulated financial advisers. We see right away how Belfort and his team of brokers drive pump-and-dump rallies on penny stocks by cold-calling potential investors.
Not only is it worth checking their credentials — using sites such as whichfinancialadvisor.com and also by asking about commissionable investments — but it also pays to carry out research on investments beforehand and learn how to identify their potential.
A February 2019 study from Insight Discovery found that 37 per cent of UAE residents want stronger action from regulators against unregulated companies and fraudsters.
Those looking to invest their money should either do their own research — another great theme in the film — or put money into passively managed index funds. As the film emphasises, if an investment sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Lesson: be wary of financial salesmen.
4. Up
In the 2009 animated film Up, Carl and Ellie begin saving for a trip to their dream holiday destination of Paradise Falls, but must constantly use their savings to fund more pressing needs. When Carl is eventually able to arrange the trip as a surprise for his wife, she falls ill and is admitted to hospital, dying soon after.
The 3D fantasy comedy offers a poignant look at the human character, but it holds an important lesson about the motivators of personal financial planning.
Money is the means to obtaining what we want — but only if we have a strategy on how to use it. Carl and Ellie constantly dip into their emergency fund because they don’t identify separate savings buckets.
It is worth considering having separate funds for medical emergencies, expenses over a period of job loss, unexpected trips and family emergencies. Most banks now offer the ability to open additional savings accounts online; setting up regular direct debits is usually a quick process within your banking app.
UAE residents have finally realised the importance of an emergency fund, with 29 per cent of respondents in a December 2021 survey by online financial aggregator Policybazaar.ae saying they now pay more attention to reducing discretionary spending and creating an emergency fund after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
The next step is to identify and save for different goals, including a dream holiday — so that an emergency doesn’t cause you to miss out.
The other lesson in Up is that with medical cover and home insurance, you won’t have to dip into emergency funds to quite the same extent. While you will still need to pay the regular premiums, you won’t be paying for 100 per cent of damages.
Lesson: save for the future but don’t dip into your holiday fund.
5. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Nobody likes to read the fine print but it is there for a reason. That message is reinforced through a series of events laid out in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, as well as the 2005 version starring Johnny Depp.
The musical fantasy follows young Charlie Bucket and four other children who win a golden ticket to visit a chocolate factory, teaching us about good and bad along the way. However, before they — and the accompanying adults — can enter the factory, they must sign a liability waiver shrouded in legal terminology.
When the children are injured, factory owner Wonka shrugs off his responsibility. He even tells Charlie he is no longer entitled to his prize, a lifetime supply of chocolate, because he breached the contract he signed at the start.
Whether it is for an app or a credit card, we are all Charlie when we sign legal contracts in real life. The fine print is often the only place where many financial institutions explain what they are liable for, what incentives they receive and what investment and management fees they charge.
On a credit card, for example, 10 per cent cashback on every purchase may sound great, but reading the fine print will reveal any caps to the maximum refund available, writes Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching, in a column for The National.
A contract may say you receive 10 per cent or Dh25, whichever is lower — which means you receive Dh25 in cashback, not Dh100, on a Dh1,000 transaction.
Sometimes, the fine print makes it difficult to understand what you are actually signing up for. In such cases, it is best to make a list of questions and ask the institution’s representative before signing up to avoid missing out on that lifetime supply of chocolate when it is too late.
Lesson: always read the fine print.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
EXPATS
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Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m
Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons
9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals
2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis
2004 Beat Andy Roddick
2005 Beat Andy Roddick
2006 Beat Rafael Nadal
2007 Beat Rafael Nadal
2008 Lost to Rafael Nadal
2009 Beat Andy Roddick
2012 Beat Andy Murray
2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2017 Beat Marin Cilic
Representing%20UAE%20overseas
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The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Ukraine%20exports
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight Championship AJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')
Story of 2017-18 so far and schedule to come
Roll of Honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia rugby season?
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
Fixtures
Friday
West Asia Cup final
5pm, Bahrain (6pm UAE time), Bahrain v Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy final
3pm, The Sevens, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Sports City Eagles
Friday, April 13
UAE Premiership final
5pm, Al Ain, Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins