Money, Power and Wall Street, Part One (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

In the 2012 award-winning series Money, Power and Wall Street, FRONTLINE tells the story of the struggles to repair the economy after the 2008 financial crisis, exploring key decisions, missed opportunities, and the uneasy partnership between leaders of government and finance.


In part one of Money, Power and Wall Street, FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith interviews leading bankers, government officials and journalists to chart the epic rise of a new financial order—and the trouble that followed. As Wall Street innovated, its revenues skyrocketed, and financial institutions of all stripes tied their fortunes to one another. Smith probes deeply into the story of the big banks—how they developed, how they profited, and how the model that produced unfathomable wealth planted the seeds of financial destruction.

FRONTLINE’s veteran financial and political producers Michael Kirk (The Choice 2020: Trump Vs. Biden, United States of Conspiracy), Martin Smith (The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, The Pension Gamble), Marcela Gaviria (The Virus: What Went Wrong?, Separated: Children at the Border) and Tom Jennings (Right to Fail, Opioids Inc.) team up to present this Emmy Award-winning documentary series.

#Documentary​ #MoneyPowerWallStreet

Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the Ford Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.

[Sampson-jhyq]

There is an equal market chance associated with each crash or collapse. I have seen people accumulate up to $1 million during a crisis, and even make it work in a strong economy if they are prepared and well-informed. Without a doubt, the bubble/collapse is making someone wealthy.

[jameswood]

"It all comes down to interest rates. As an investor, all you're doing is putting up a lump-sump payment for a future cash flow."

[kortyEdna]

I was advised to diversify my portfolio among several assets such as stocks and bonds since this can protect my inherited portfolio of about $2.5m. I’m used to just buying and holding assets which doesn’t seem applicable to the current rollercoaster market plus inflation is catching up with my portfolio. I’m really worried about survival after retirement.

[Peterl]

I recommend diversifying your investments by considering stocks alongside real estate. During a recession, there are potential buying opportunities in the stock market if approached cautiously. Additionally, market volatility can offer short-term buying and selling opportunities. However, please note that this is not financial advice. It's important to be proactive in investing as cash may not be the most advantageous option during these times.

[oneiljerry]

It is a government inspired crisis this time. The Treasury have to sell Bonds to cover the trade imbalance and the government spending imbalance. In order to sell them they have to raise interest rates and the old long-term, low risk, low interest, AAA investments (including Treasury Bonds), held by the banks (often due to government regulatory policy), become next to worthless. The next milestone is the 15th when the government issue a new batch of Bonds. If the interest goes up too much, this thing snowballs. I'm still at a crossroads deciding if to liquidate my $338k stock portfolio, what’s the best way to take advantage of this bear market

[rannyorton]

The average person has never been so poor. Millions of families are struggling financially as living expenses hit the highest levels in more than four decades. Over 60% of our country lives paycheck to paycheck and about 40% earns poverty wages. Even after working all their lives, more than a quarter of older people have no savings and many believe they will never be able to retire in dignity, while around 55% of elderly people try to survive on an income of less than 25, 000 a year.

[lawerencemiller]

Managing money is different from accumulating wealth, and the lack of investment education in schools may explain why people struggle to maintain their financial gains. The examples you provided are relevant, and I personally benefited from the market crisis, as I embrace challenging times while others tend to avoid them. Well, at least my advisor does too,

[Jamesjerome]

Scholars who study the stock market’s historical performance estimate that over time, the payment (and reinvestment, and compounding) of dividends have contributed anywhere from 30% to 90% of the S&P 500’s total returns. I want to spread across $4oo k into profit yielding dividend equities but unsure of which to get into.

[esther.]

As a form of insurance against anything the economy may throw at you, Wall Street marketed so-called quality stocks with strong profitability and minimal debt. This year, quality equities have underperformed the S&P500; my $400k portfolio is down by about 20%; any suggestions to increase my ROI before retirement would be very appreciated.

[Riggsnic_co]

To my understanding this just proves how much we need an edge as investors because playing the market like everyone else just isn’t good enough. I've been quite unsure about investing in this current market and at the same time I feel it's the best time to get started on the market, what are your thoughts?

[micheallancelot]

A weak dollar can signal an economic downturn, making me to ponder on what are the best possible ways to hedge against inflation, and I've overheard people say inflation is a money-eater thus worried about my savings around $200k

[Natalieneptune]

People try to predict the economy not realizing it is not a capitalistic market, its a command economy, central planning! my concern is, instead of having much dollar in bank that could lose value to inflation, do I save in gold to reserve and grow wealth for now, or just hang on?

[ericmendels]

As recession fears mount on Wall Street and inflation remains well above the Fed's 2% target, some of the top commentators in markets, business, and economics have been sounding off on just how bad they think the next downturn might be — and how far stocks may have to fall. I need ideas and advice on what investments to make to set myself up for retirement, my goal is to have a portfolio of at least $850k at the age of 60.

[johnlennon]

Most Americans find it hard to retire comfortably amid economy downtrend. Some have close to nothing going into retirement, my question is, will you pay off mortgage as a near-retiree, or spread money for cashflow, to afford lifestyle after retirement?

[AndersonFair-cybb]

Transfer of wealth usually occur during market crash, so the more stocks drop, the more I buy, in the meanwhile I'm just focused on making better investments and earning more as recession fear increases, apparently there are strategies to 3x gains in this present market cos I read of someone that pulled a profit of $350k within 6months, and it would really help if you could make a video covering these strategies.

[traviswes]

Buying a stock is easy, but buying the right stock without a time-tested strategy is incredibly hard. Hence what are the best stocks to buy now or put on a watchlist? I’ve been trying to grow my portfolio of $350K for sometime now, my major challenge is not knowing the best entry and exit strategies... I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.

[MalindaDeleon]

Well, i do have my reservations about the economic crisis. Wall Street pitched so-called quality stocks with high profitability and low debt, as a kind of insurance against whatever the economy might throw at you. Quality stocks have underperformed the S&P500 this year, My $650K portfolio is down by approximately 20%, any recommendations to scale up my ROI before retirement will be highly appreciated.

[CarlAndrew-hvfm]

According to the New York Times, the average savings of a couple reaching retirement is $110k I’m closing in on my retirement and I’m under pressure to grow my reserve of $330k, despite the fact the capital gains you can make on growth stocks far outweigh dividend yields, and even in downtrends folks still pull off 6-7figures gains in months. surely the risk is much greater, but I’d love to know how.

[thomasgreen]

<I'm 50 years and I retired at 46. I was able to do this because I understood Four Principles of Financial Planning Success Think long-term with goals and investing. Spend less than you earn. Maintain liquidity (an emergency savings).Minimize the use of debt.>

[Rochelletrem]

In spite of how everyone is frightened and calling the crash, there is already an excessive amount of demand waiting to absorb it, which is another reason it's less likely to happen that way. This forecast was not made in 2008, at least not by the general public, as I will explain below. The ownership rate peaked in 2004, according to the other comment. We reached a peak in the second quarter of 2020 and are currently at the median level. From 2008 to 2012, it fell by 3%, and in the second quarter of 2020, it dropped from 68 to 65.