This Christmas instead of giving your children or grandchildren mindless video games, or strange looking dolls called “Brats”, why not give them something that will change their life for the better? I know that sounds a bit ambitious but in fact it is quite possible!
As a matter of fact this kid’s game actually did change my life! Want to know how? Well, I’ll get to that in a minute, but first let me tell you a bit about the game.
This game was designed by Robert Kiyosaki (bestselling author of Rich Dad Poor Dad
) based on one of the lessons his “Rich Dad” told him. His “Rich Dad” was always telling him that he could learn a lot from playing Monopoly® so Robert designed this game to create an even greater learning experience than that. And boy did he succeed!
The game board looks a bit like the wheel on Wheel of Fortune® but your pieces move around on it. And speaking of the pieces they are shaped like cute little boy and girl “Rats”. By now I supposed that you have guessed that the board symbolizes the “Rat Race” and the game is supposed to teach you how to escape the “Rat Race”.
And it does an excellent job of doing exactly that. And being a game it does it in a fun and memorable way. Recently at my daughter’s 11th birthday party we had all the girls playing the game it was a great educational experience and the girls absolutely loved it! I suppose it didn’t hurt that the prize for the “winners” was a gold colored Sacagawea dollar (not included in the game).
One interesting feature of this game is that it doesn’t end when one person wins. You can continue to play until everyone wins! To win the game you simply have to become “financially free”. And everyone has an equal chance to succeed!
Kids Clamoring for Something that’s actually good for them
Imagine your kids (or grandkids) clamoring to play a game where they will learn the secrets of becoming financially free. It’s almost too mind boggling to think of! One of the best ways to learn is to combine new information with fun! The lessons enter your brain effortlessly and tend to “stick” much better! So by giving your loved ones, a fun game that will teach them the secrets of becoming financially free, you can start them on the road to success without them even knowing it. And let’s face it, for some strange reason kids often rebel against something just because it is good for them or because parents want them to do it! But if it is “fun” that is entirely another story!
Do you know the secret?
Do you actually know how much money will make you financially free? The answer might surprise you. Remember at the beginning I told you that this game changed my life? Well this is how. You see, I always thought that enough money was “just a little bit more than I have right now”. But I was wrong.
Tests have shown that most people think they would be “well off” if they were earning between 20% and 50% more than they are earning right now. And they feel that if they were making twice what they are making now they would be “rich”. But think about it for a minute. If you have been working for several years now, you are probably making twice what you were making when you started, Are you rich?
Maybe, but you probably don’t feel rich. Why? Because your expenses increased as fast or faster than your income. In actuality, you might be poorer than when you started! Now that’s a happy thought! Work for 10, 20 or 50 years and end up worse than when you started! But if you had played this game as kid you would know the secret is not getting a higher paying job (and it’s not living like a miser).
Learn the Winning Strategy
By learning the winning strategy of this game and applying it to “real life” you can learn how to become financially free. And interestingly once you know how much “enough” is, it is amazingly freeing.
Always wanting “just a little bit more” is no way to live. Having an actual logical realistic goal that you can shoot for makes it much easier to hit that goal. By creating a fun way to crystallize that goal for your children you will give them a gift beyond compare. Incidentally, once I knew my goal and began actively working toward it, it only took me 18 months to get there! I can’t believe how many years I wasted working for more and more only to realize that the goal really wasn’t as hard as I was making it out to be. Now I can relax and enjoy life and do things because I want to, rather than because I have to.
Do you know how much it will take to make you “Financially Free”? The number is different for everyone based on their goals and current expenses but by playing the game you can learn how to take control of your life and “win the game”.
How would you like to teach your loved ones to do exactly that? If you don’t teach them how to succeed who will? Not the schools! And interestingly if they start young (before they rack up lots of debt) it is so much easier to reach the goal! They can easily do it before they are 30. Imagine your kids as responsible financially free adults at the age of 30. Just think of all the good things they could do with their lives if they aren’t locked into a job just because they need to pay the bills.
I get really excited when I think of thousands (or millions) of people contributing to the happiness and well-being of others because they are financially free and have the time and resources to help others.
Missed the Boat? Think Again!
And in case you think that you have missed the boat and that this game will only help kids, think again, if I can do it you can too! This game is fun for kids from ages 6 to adult. (although a 6 year old will need some help in playing it). There is also an adult version that even more accurately simulates real life and is even better training and more fun for adults.
I have had great fun leading my kids through this game. It includes many variations so you can learn various aspects of financial freedom. For instance you can work with varying salaries (like a Salesman) and see how that affects the game. You can have varying passive income or business income just like in real life. Ask any business owner and they will tell you that not every month generates the same income, how does that affect your financial decisions? You can play the game and find out!
Kids Catch on Quickly!
Oh, speaking of passive income and business income… these are concepts that the players of this game must grasp in order to win… and because it is a lot of fun the kids catch on quickly! Recently one of our friends was “blown away” to hear our 9 year old talking about the advantages “passive income”! So imagine the advantages your kids will have after playing the game a few times. And they will play it! My kids love it and beg to be able to play it especially when they have friends over! We kind of enjoy teaching the whole neighborhood the secrets of success!
Some of the other things your kids can learn are:
- The problems with using credit cards
- The difference between “good debt” and “bad debt”
- The difference between a salary and passive income
- The benefits of passive income
- The definition of an asset in easy to understand language
- What is a “balance sheet”
- The difference between necessities and “doodads”
One of the lessons I was most grateful for my kids to learn was that spending on “doodads” (things that are not necessities) is not the way to financial freedom. Some time ago I saw a bumper sticker that said, “He who dies with the most toys wins”. Frankly, that is not the way I want my kids to live. I want their lives to have meaning and fulfillment and purpose not just be filled with more “stuff”.
The way to do that is by learning that “doodads” don’t help you win the game, they actually make it harder to win and this game did a wonderful job of teaching that. The only bad thing is that now when I want to buy a “doodad” I sometimes get “grief” from my kids! But it’s a wonderful feeling to know that they “get it” and understand the principles of money that many people 2, 3 or even 5 times their age do not.
Escape The Rat Race
If you want to invest in your kids or your grandkids futures, so they can learn these life changing principles, I strongly suggest you get this game. The one thing I don’t like about this game is the name. It is called “Ca$hflow for Kids” and I think it is a kind of dumb name.
I think it should be called “Escape the Rat Race” or “Rats Revenge” or something flashy like that. With a name like “Ca$hflow for Kids” you might have to play it with your kids the first time in order to get them “hooked” but after that I’m sure they will be begging to play it again. But perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing after all, you might actually enjoy yourself and learn something too!
If you’d like to give yourself the gift of wealth you can order The Adult version of Cashflow 101.
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One Warning
One thing I must warn you is that a first blush these games might appear a bit pricey but if you consider that a college education might cost you $20,000 per year and your kid still won’t know anything about money when he graduates this game is down right cheap!
As a matter of fact, I think, this game will do more to lay the foundation for a good financial future than even college. As the editor of InflationData.com I am constantly getting email from college students (and recent graduates) asking really dumb questions about money and inflation (you would be amazed)! I think after playing this game for a while, my kids know more about finance than many of the recent college grads do! So I am almost convinced that at any price less than $20,000 this game would be a great investment! Fortunately, it doesn’t cost anywhere near 20 grand!
Personally, I have attended many a seminar which cost from $500 to $2000 plus airfare and hotels where I haven’t learned as much useful knowledge as is contained in this little game. So I guess by that standard even $500 would be a fair price. And because you can play the game over and over and it is fun, the information is actually more likely to stick than at a one time seminar, so perhaps the game is actually worth more than $500.
If you’d like the more advanced (adult) version for your Grown up kids (or yourself) it comes with:
- the board game Cashflow 101
- three CDs which reveal the lessons of CASHFLOW® 101
- an 18-minute video titled “The Secrets of the Rich”
With all that potentially life changing information it is easily worth the $195 asking price.
Here’s what some other people have said about the adult version of the game:
Cashflow 101 is fantastic! In the 6 days we have had it, my husband and I have played 3 times… the second & third time, my 16 year old brother-in-law played with us. It’s unanimous. We love it! We enjoy playing while we learn. In fact, we are planning on learning more this evening! Teressa Castro
My wife and I played the game and really enjoyed it. We scheduled a time to play it every couple of weeks. We are thinking of starting a club. I recommend the game. Craig Brittingham
Awesome game, my 10 & 11 yr old sons are learning a lot about Life. David McDowell
I can’t believe how much I learned while playing this fun and informative game. My boyfriend is a Mortgage Broker and he even learned a lot.. as a matter a fact I made it out of the rat race before him! I can’t wait to play with my teen-aged son… it’s a must for kids!! British Ford
I want to say that Cashflow 101 is an amazing game! Anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of money (cashflow) in an extremely simple and fun way, should definitely buy this game. And, when you’re ready, buy Cashflow 202, too. Both of these games have taught my girlfriend and I invaluable lessons about the power of what we do with our money! Thank you so very much. Pablo Rodda
I’ve been talking to my fiancée for months about investing in real estate and not getting too far with her. I ordered Cashflow and we played the other night for the first time. About an hour into the game she declares that she wants to invest in real estate. Every day she asks me if we can play again. Thank you Robert for this wonderful piece of education. Joel Garton
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