21 Best Ted Talks On Personal Finance

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I love listening to Ted Talks.

They help me to think about topics and issues in a different way because the speakers are so engaging and great at bring forth new ideas.

And since I love personal finance, I wanted to hear some Ted Talks on personal finance.

What I found blew my mind.

In this post, I share with you the 21 best Ted Talks on personal finance I’ve found.

To be honest, this list could have been much longer and I plan to add more to this list because I feel the talks are so beneficial.

21 Best Ted Talks On Personal Finance

What Are Ted Talks?

ted talks on personal finance

In case you are unfamiliar with Ted Talks, Ted is a non-partisan non-profit whose goal is to spread ideas through short, powerful talks.

These talks began in 1984 as a conference for technology, entertainment and design, which is how the name TED started.

Today, these short talks cover all topic areas.

Now that you know a little more about Ted Talks, let’s dive into my favorite financial Ted Talks I’ve found.

I link to each video for you watch and I give a brief summary so you know what to expect.

#1. Less Stuff, More Happiness: Graham Hill

This short talk is only 5 minutes and discusses how to be more aware of the things you buy.

While the theme is about minimalism, the good news is you don’t need to adopt this message to get the main point of having less things can make you happier in life.

#2. How To Buy Happiness: Michael Norton

Here is a slightly longer video on the topic of money and happiness.

It’s a great dive into the impact of how using your money for the good of others increases your overall happiness.

Compare this with using all your money for yourself and your happiness does not increase.

#3. Sell Your Crap, Pay Your Debt, Do What You Love: Adam Baker

So many of us buy things because we think the items will provide us security or how having things shows others that we are successful.

The problem is buying things often leads to financial trouble.

This talk flips this script we tell ourselves on its head and why when you have less stuff, you have more freedom in life.

#4. How To Make Work Life Balance Work: Nigel Marsh

Most everyone tries to balance work and life but very few successfully achieve it.

In this excellent Ted Talk, the speaker shares some harsh truths on why this balance doesn’t work and how the so-called benefits to give you balance don’t accomplish this.

In the end, it is up to you to take on the task of redefining life and work as you’ve come to know it.

#5. My No Spend Year: Michelle McGagh

This is a great talk on the lessons learned from choosing to not spend money for the year.

While many people might not consider an extremely frugal living challenge, this could be the thing you need to realize what life is all about and what you really need to survive.

In fact, once you stop spending money, you will see how your buying habits got you to the money situation you are currently in.

#6. How I Learned To Read And Trade Stocks In Prison: Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll

Here is an inspiring story about a man who grew up in poverty and committing crime and learned to not only read, but also how to become financially literate.

He now helps to teach others how they are responsible for their own financial education and how you can go about becoming a better steward of your money.

#7. 3 Psychological Tricks To Help You Save More Money: Wendy De La Rosa

We all know we need to save money, but most of us don’t make it a priority.

With the 3 tricks shared in this talk, you can use behavioral finance to trick yourself into saving more money every day with ease.

Learn how to change your behavior and you will find saving money simple.

#8. Know Your Worth, Then Ask For It: Casey Brown

Most people aren’t getting paid what they are worth. T

here are a number of reasons for this.

In this honest conversation, you will learn actionable tips to ask for and get paid for the value you bring.

#9. Saving For Tomorrow, Tomorrow: Shlomo Benartzi

Do you struggle with saving money for your future?

If you answered yes, this Ted Talk is for you.

The economist Shlomo Benartzi shares a simple strategy to save for retirement without making it feel like you are missing out on enjoying life today.

You will learn the behavioral challenges we face when trying to save for the long term and how to use our own shortcomings to our advantage.

#10. How Governments Create Money Out Of Thin Air: Doug Levinson

Ever wonder how more money gets put into the system?

Curious what they actually mean with the term quantitative easing?

Here is a great video that will explain the basics to you.

#11. The Emotions Behind Your Money Habits: Robert Belle

Learn what your spending can tell you about your relationship with money, both good and bad.

Then take the knowledge to change your habits so you can be smarter with money and reach your financial goals.

#12. What Playing Monopoly With Real Money Taught Me About My Kids: Adam Carroll

Ever hear the term financial abstraction?

It’s a theory that you act differently when you aren’t spending something tangible.

In other words, when you don’t pay with cash but rather credit cards, debit cards, or digital payments, you are more likely to spend higher amounts of money.

This talk goes through this phenomenon as the speaker tested it out on his kids during a game of Monopoly.

You can then use the lessons learned to improve your own financial health.

#13. Could Language Affect Your Ability To Save Money: Keith Chen

This is a fascinating watch.

Who would have thought that something as basic as language could have an impact on whether or not you save money?

Learn how speaking of the present and future has an impact on where you end up financially.

#14. Let’s Raise Kids To Be Entrepreneurs: Cameron Herold

In today’s world, we teach young people to be doctors or lawyers, but not entrepreneurs.

The reality is, many kids have the skills to be great business owners, but we focus on making sure they are more prepared for a career that we assign a high social value to.

In this talk, you will learn the importance of nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit in kids who show signs of it.

#15. The Battle Between Your Present And Future Self: Daniel Goldstein

Another great personal talk on the impact of decisions you make in the present and how they affect our future selves.

By using a virtual reality tool, you can see how decisions impact how you age and your happiness in the future.

You can then take this information to make smarter financial decisions today and improve your financial stability for years to come.

#16. Finding The Funny In Financial Literacy: Catie Hogan

Studies show that when we combine humor with facts, people are more likely to retain the information.

In this talk, the speaker shares how adding humor into the traditionally dry topic of personal finance is a great way to educate people about money and learn about money management.

#17. Why You Should Think About Financial Independence And Mini-Retirements: Lacey Filipich

If you take some time to rethink the idea of working your entire life to enjoy a short retirement at the end, you can change your life.

By taking mini-retirements throughout your working career, you not only enjoy life more, but you choose how you live your life, not someone else.

This idea of freedom is foreign to many people.

But after watching this talk, you will question why more people don’t take advantage of it.

#18: One Life Changing Class You Never Took: Alexa Von Tobel

In this powerful talk, you see the impact of financial decisions as a new college grad has on the rest of your life and your children’s life.

And these same decisions are made by millions of Americans every day.

By making smarter money choices, you can not only enjoy a better financial situation, but live a better life for yourself and for future generations as well.

#19. The Surprising Way To Teach Your Kids To Be Smart With Money: Ellen Rogin

While it is great to teach the younger generation good money habits through the use of allowances, there are other simple things you can do.

In this talk, learn about some simple, actionable things that will have a huge positive impact on your kids as they learn about money.

#20. Break The Social Taboo About Money And Improve Financial Wellness: Jason Vitug

Money has always been a taboo topic.

The question is why?

The more we can be open and honest discussing money, the better off we will be.

We can let go of any money shame we have.

We can learn from others successes and failures.

And we can find hope for our lives.

This talk is an honest look about how to overcome this taboo.

#21. Design Your Dream Life Through Passive Income: Alex Szepietowski

What if you could earn an income and not work?

It sounds shady, but this is what passive income.

There are many ways you can earn an income without putting in a lot of work.

But it doesn’t mean you never work.

You work to build up your passive income stream and reap the rewards in the future.

Here is an inspiring talk that offers practical advice on passive income.

Final Thoughts

There are 21 of the best Ted Talks on personal finance.

There are many others out there and I encourage you to spend some time listening.

In fact, there are a lot of great talks on personal development and other topics as well.

The bottom line is, be open to listening from others about money and you will learn a lot about yourself and how to fix your money problems and your life overall.

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