5 top resources to prepare for starting your Accounting with Finance degree

It is a great idea to prepare for the year ahead and to start to immerse yourself in the world of accounting and finance.

We are suggesting that you look at our favourite resources which we think will help you grasp the concepts you will study during the first year of your degree.

1. Books

Have you thought about learning some of the language and theories that you will be using throughout your degree? Here we have a list of books that you might find an interesting read during your summer holidays. 

We recommend:

• Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal by Nick Bilton – This is a great read that tells the story of how Twitter rose.
• The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff – An interesting read that looks into the new phase in economic history, challenging the boundless hype surrounding the activities of digital companies and powerful corporations.
• Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely – A book that challenges common assumptions that we behave in fundamentally rational ways.
• The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham – This book was first published in 1949, and has since become one of the most important books on value investing.
• Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street by John Brooks – An entertaining read that will open your eyes to what the corporate and financial life is like in America. 

2. Podcasts and videos

There are a ton of wonderful resources and we encourage you to think beyond the course and even beyond the subject. Here we have a list of podcasts and videos that we think will help you during your degree. 

Check out:

• Tim Harford's videos – Accounting and finance are economics in action, and you can learn so much from economic theory. Why not try the Undercover Economists work (Tim Harford), as he shares his favourite practical video clips for you to watch. 
• Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford – Each story has a moral that emerges from psychology, economics, even design. Listen as they will make you wiser.

3. Blogs and Websites 

Take a look at our list of blogs and websites for up to date information, they are easily accessible and you can read them on your phone or on your laptop. In a café or even when you're snuggled up on the sofa at home. 

Give it a go:

• Financial times – The Financial Times is a great source for news and analysis, it is one of the world’s leading news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. 
• Accounting Fun – Mark picks apart and looks at the lighter side of the accounting profession. Providing hundreds of stories, jokes, videos, anecdotes, links and quotes relating to accountants, accountancy and tax related topics. See his latest post 'Why do accountants....?'
• The Economist – Take a look at the articles in the finance and economics section of The Economist to find out the latest news and stories. 

4. YouTube Channels 

Why not subscribe to some of the excellent YouTube channels out there. They will support your learning, offer new insights and they are a great way to get engaged with the subjects and issues that matter.

We suggest:

• The Financial Times – This YouTube channel will inform and inspire you to rethink existing political and economic models so you can understand crucial trends.
• BBC Ideas –This channel is far more relevant to an accounting degree than you would think, the BBC Ideas YouTube channel aims to feed your curiosity and to open your mind to new perspectives.
• The Plain Bagel – A great watch, The Plain Bagel Youtube playlist produces some really fun and accessible content about finance
• The Marginal Revolution University – This is great fun and very relevant, helping you to discover your inner economist. The videos explore everything from fundamental economic concepts to life’s big questions.
• The Royal Institution – This YouTube channel produces short films and talks from the world’s leading scientists and writers, to challenge the way you look at the world.

5. Films 

Films are a great way to get you thinking about the rest of your degree and to help us introduce some complex topics in an entertaining way. 

Enjoy these classics:  

• The Big Short – In 2006–2007 a group of investors bet against the US mortgage market. In their research, they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.
• The Founder– The story of Ray Kroc, a salesman who turned two brothers' innovative fast food eatery, McDonald's, into the biggest restaurant business in the world, with a combination of ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness.
• Margin Call – Follows the key people at an investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis.
• Moneyball – Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
• Wolf of wall street – Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
• Wall Street – A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.

You should find some of these activities a great way to prepare for starting an Accounting with Finance degree.