There are certainly a lot of helpful shows on television throughout the week, but there are also some that do very little for the average person like you or me. Today I'm going to take a look at the top five financial shows on television that educate us about our finances and keep us entertained at the same time.

The top five

1.Squawk Box- This show debuted in 1995 and has been a leader in market news ever since. The show is setup as a sort of pre-game show for the stock market trading each day. The show is currently hosted by Joe Kernen, Carl Quintanilla, and Becky Quick. Squawk Box has shown an uncanny ability to be ahead of the game when it comes to reporting the financial news first and having the big name interviews. Squawk is a great show for both breaking news as well in-depth analysis of the broader economic picture.

2. Mad Money- Love him or hate him, Jim Cramer has done a very good job with Mad Money. The show first aired on March 14th 2005 and it has been a hit ever since. Cramer does a good job of making the show very educational, while at the same time being entertaining. Am I Diversified is a particularly helpful segment which helps individuals diversify their investment portfolio to help ensure better risk protection in the future. Cramer brings a lot of energy to the show, but he also certainly knows what he is talking about. Be careful not to just buy and sell every pick of his, but try to learn from this show in any way that you can.

3. Taking Stock- This Bloomberg Television show with Anchor Pimm Fox helps investors make better stock picks for their portfolio. Top notch analysts and money managers often debate popular stocks and provide picks of their own. If you are looking for a stock picking kind of show, there isn't a better one on television than Taking Stock.

4. Kudlow and Company- Larry Kudlow is the host of this nightly CNBC that incorporates many different topics into a very interesting hour of business television. The show provides insights on the economy as whole, the stock market, politics, and much more. Kudlow is definitely conservative in his economic views and the show is centered around the idea of free market capitalism being the way to prosperity. Kudlow and Company always has terrific economists on the program that help immensely with breaking down where the economy stands and where it is going in the future. This is a great show for those who already have a solid knowledge of finance.

5. Fast Money- Dylan Ratigan serves as the chair to this very fast paced investing show. The four panelists are Karen Finerman, Pete Najarian, Guy Adami, and Jeff Macke. The four panelists debate topics and individual stocks and Ratigan serves as the moderator to the debate. The show has some very helpful trade schools, which help beginners learn market jargon. Fast Money is in the same mold as Mad Money, in that it is a very insightful show, but it is clearly built for some entertainment value as well. Be careful not to lose yourself in the trader jargon during this show.

I believe that overall CNBC has the best lineup of financial television, but Bloomberg and now Fox Business are on the rise as well. Keep an eye out for these five shows from above and gain some extra knowledge in the financial world!