From Ponzi to Madoff: Interactive Graphic from the Wall Street Journal

Here is the link:

From Ponzi to Madoff

"The arrest of investment manager Bernard Madoff for allegedly running an ongoing $50 billion swindle is the latest scam of the kind made famous by Charles Ponz in the 1920's. In these schemes, early participants are paid returns from the principle received from later and different investors." -Wall Street Journal

NY Times Series "The Reckoning: The Risk in Hindsight"

As a public school employee, my investment knowledge, until the past few weeks, has been limited to my understanding of my low-risk 401K and 403-b funds.

Derivatives? Hedge funds? Credit Derivatives? Short selling? Futures Contracts? Why should I worry about all of that! Like many other people, I was happy in my ignorance.

Here are a few links that I found useful in my fast-track education in finance and economics:

The New York Times Online is full of articles and video clips exploring the causes of the financial crisis:

Video: Examining the Financial Crisis
Video Timeline: Five Weeks of Financial TurmoilVideo: How Fannie Mae's Problems Lead to the Country's Financial Crisis
The Credit Crisis-The Essentials
AIG: Behind Insurer’s Crisis, Blind Eye to a Web of Risk
Taking a Hard New Look at Greenspan Legacy


NY Times Multimedia Graphic: Growth of a Complex Market

Interactive Graphic: Credit Crisis Indicators

More to come!

Reference:
Investopedia