Case in point, I'm trying to learn financial math. I get the concepts pretty well (just parabolic PDEs and similar things), but it would be helpful if I could more easily remember what the boundary conditions for "down and out barrier options" were or what the exact definition of "VaR" is.
Speed reading could help here, though I don't know how to do it.
Read a number of articles on the subject. Write out the definition in your own words or explain it to a friend. Complete a few textbook exercises to calculate the values you want to understand.
Taking the time to internalize a subject is significantly more helpful than quickly scanning words you do not yet understand.
A more traditional programming example is this; if you learn Java you need to understand, but learning the libraries is more a matter of remembering than understanding.
Some subjects are broad, not simply deep. Speed reading (or whatever) could help with the breadth.