Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources The European Debt Crisis, for Kids (NYT)

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2...s-exploring-the-math-of-the-debt-crisis/

This may interest middle school and high school students (and adults who wonder why their stock portfolios have done little this year).

Some interesting infographics there! I didn't realise the US was a debtor of the EU to that extent. Here's a good flowchart from the BBC (from September, but still relevant):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14977728

This is a horrible article with some pretty horrible comparisons. It just misses the mark in so many ways and the writing is very poor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/magazine/adam-davidson-european-finance.html?_r=1


The sovereign debt crisis is at root a demographics issue intersecting with too much spending. With fewer and fewer kids being born and spending going up on a per capita basis, these nations now have no one who can work to pay off the debt. As taxes went up, business activity went down. It is like putting too many cows on too few acres. Eventually the grass dies and the cows starve or escape.

These two books are the best for the US real estate mess.

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Short-Inside-Doomsday-Machine/dp/0393072231

http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Endangerment-Outsized-Corruption-Armageddon/dp/0805091203

FTR, I disagree with Austin's assessment - but also, this takes us too far away from the topic of the board (which is perhaps partly my fault - Bostonian began it very properly as resources for kids) so LET US AGREE TO DISAGREE AND NOT DISCUSS IT HERE... ok? :-)

This looks pretty good. Each booklet covers basic economic concepts.

http://www.finance4kidz.com/

This is more play based.

http://www.minyanland.com/

Khan Academy is excellent.

Sections on Banking, Credit Crisis, Current Economics, Finance, Paulson Bailout, and some smaller sections.

http://www.khanacademy.org/

As for my OP, the book "The Big Short" is eminently readable for anyone who can read at the Harry Potter level. It covers the market players at a personal level similar to a thriller during and up to the failure of Lehman and has a postcript. It also covers some of the technical features of loan packaging and the organization of the market for financial products.