🎯 The aim: the most ★ points at 55. ★ points = 😊 happiness from what you buy and the life you live + 💰 1 point for every $1,000 you still have at 55.
⏱️ Time: 4 rounds of 3 min 45 sec. Each round is 10 years: 15–25, 25–35, 35–45, 45–55.
1. At the start of each round you are paid for all ten years, and ten years of needs — rent, food, mortgage, kids — come straight back out: half your pay. The other half is yours to decide about.
2. 📝 Our budget (on the right) works like 50/30/20: needs (50) are preset and paid for you, so as a table you split the rest into wants (30) and save (20) — an emergency fund + investing. The game shows how you're tracking against your own plan — a surprise bill always lands just before the next payday.
3. Tap Invest: in this game, money grows a steady 7% a year (real investments go up and down) — it roughly doubles every round, so the earlier you invest, the more it becomes. Cash earns 4.5%.
4. Buy now with Cash pays the price in full today. Buy now Pay Later costs nothing today — but it adds 10% in fees, and all four instalments come out before the round ends. Can't cover them? A $10 late fee each, and the rest goes on a credit card at 21% a year.
5. 🌱 Experiences give 40% more happiness and keep growing. 📦 Things fade. That's based on real research, not just a game rule.
6. Spending $1,000 costs you 1 point from your money — so only buy something if it gives you more ★ than that. Tap your score at the top of the screen any time to see how it works.