I usually need to find "usable" ways of introducing the subject I'm studying in my day-to-day life.
As for finance, eg. I'd try to read Economy mags more often, and try to explain to myself just "what the actual hell" they're saying.
This method can be very challenging when you're starting on something, but by the time (two weeks) you get to know "just enough" you'll be flying through the news, and then you can get to scientific papers on the subjects that you have interest on.
For programming, my way for it is exactly the same, but without newspapers and articles: just try to approach everything in a specific mindset.