How money really works

The clearest, most complete breakdown of the system we all rely on.

Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

I came across a documentary called “Money Masters” last week, and over the weekend I figured I’d finally sit down to watch it.

You really have to care about money to make it through.

It’s old, grainy and, with a three-and-a-half-hour runtime, long enough to scare off most viewers.

“Monday Night Football” is definitely more entertaining.

But give “Money Masters” a chance, and within minutes you realize it’s far more valuable to you than another ballgame.

The film walks you through the origins of modern money — how it’s created, who controls it and why debt sits at the center of nearly everything.

It’s dense, old-school in style, but strangely captivating once you settle into its rhythm.

As the film peeled back the layers of money — from central banking and monetary crises to credit expansion and fractional-reserve banking — I found myself thinking less about the documentary’s length and more about the centuries-old system we’re all part of.

This is the system running the world, whether we see it or not.

Money Masters won’t compete with sports for entertainment, but it offers something far rarer: perspective.

If you care about your financial future, watching this might be the smartest three-and-a-half hours you spend all year.