Board game for teaching fundamental aspects of personal finance, investing and accounting

• US 6,032,957 A
• Filed: 10/23/1998
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CASHFLOW Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: CASHFLOW Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Parta, Rolf H., Kiyosaki, Robert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US09/177,723
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 273/256, 273/278, 273/237
• US Class Current: 273/256
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/0441 with a written message or sentence, e.g. chance or instruction cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00072 played along an endless track, e.g. monopoly A63F3/00069 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0052 with a plurality of boards used during one game, i.e. separate game boards or playing areas

Abstract

A board game for teaching the principles of personal finance whereby significant wealth may be accumulated includes a playing board having a first, Rat Race, track and an entirely separate second, Fast Track. Each player begins the game on the Rat Race track and is provided with a Game Card to track his/her finances. The Game Card is configured as a combined Income/Balance Sheet, and basic accounting rules of personal finance are carefully followed in updating the Game Card while a player progresses along the Rat Race according to the roll of die. The Rat Race track includes spaces on which a player can land which presents unexpected financial obstacles, but the Rat Race also includes spaces which present financial opportunities. By prudently investing as opportunities arise, a player may obtain passive income in addition to a salary. Once a player'"'"'s passive income exceeds his/her expenses, the player moves to the Fast Track for further play. On the Fast Track, a player enjoys the greatly improved life of one who has accumulated significant wealth. However, provision is made for unexpected problems in various Fast Track spaces along which a player moves. Thus, a player'"'"'s ongoing financial condition while on the Fast Track is also carefully updated using basic accounting principles of personal finance. The game is played in accordance with formal rules which include provisions for declaring a winner.

Claims

1. A game for teaching financial skills to players, wherein each player is initially ascribed a predetermined periodic earned income, at least initially representing income from work activities of the player, predetermined periodic expenses, and a predetermined amount of cash on hand, and an object of such same is for a player to generate passive income from assets greater than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses, said game comprising:

indicia of a financial statement associated with each player, the financial statement reflecting periodic earned income and expenses ascribed to the associated player, and assets, passive income, and liabilities of the player, the financial statement being selectively revisable by the associated player to reflect effects of game events;

indicia of a first set of events applicable to players having passive income less than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses, each of said first set of events potentially affecting at least one of the income, expenses, assets and liabilities of the player, the first set of events including opportunities to participate in business transactions capable of generating passive income;

means for pseudo-randomly designating, in turn, a respective particular game event from the first set of events for respective players that have passive income less than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses.

2. The game of claim 1 further comprising means for ascribing a specified initial periodic earned income and specified initial periodic expenses to each player.

3. The game of claim 2 wherein the means for ascribing a specified initial periodic earned income and specified initial periodic expenses to each player comprises an individual card of a set of cards provided for distribution to the players.

4. The game of claim 3 wherein each card designates a profession for the player receiving the card.

5. The game of claim 2 wherein the means for ascribing a specified initial periodic earned income and specified initial periodic expenses to each player comprises electronic indicia.

6. The game of claim 1 wherein the financial statement comprises an income statement and balance sheet.

7. The game of claim 1 wherein the financial statement includes revisable indicia of cash flow.

8. The game of claim 1 wherein the financial statements includes revisable indicia of savings.

9. The game of claim 1 further including revisable indicia of cash on hand.

10. The game of claim 1 wherein the financial statement includes indicia of a profession ascribed to the player.

11. The game of claim 1 wherein the indicia of the first set of events comprises indicia of a plurality of selectable subsets of events, each subset associated with a respective category of event.

12. The game of claim 11 wherein one category of events corresponds to the opportunity to participate in transactions requiring an investment in an amount less than a predetermined amount, and a second category of events corresponds to the opportunity to participate in transactions requiring investment in an amount greater than the predetermined amount.

13. The game of claim 11 wherein one category of the events corresponds to the opportunity to sell a specified asset at a specified price.

14. The game of claim 11 wherein one category of the events corresponds to the opportunity for all players having a specified asset to sell the asset at a specified price.

15. The game of claim 11 wherein one category of the events corresponds to changes in the periodic expenses to be ascribed to a player.

16. The game of claim 1 wherein the indicia of the first set of events comprises at least one set of cards, each card representing an event.

17. The game of claim 16 wherein the indicia of the first set of events comprises a plurality of sets of cards, each set of cards associated with a different category of the events, each card in a set of cards representing an event in the associated category.

18. The game of claim 16 wherein the means for pseudo-randomly designating comprises a pseudo-random number generator.

19. The game of claim 18 wherein the pseudo random number generator is electronic.

20. The game of claim 18 wherein the means for pseudo-randomly designating further comprises a game board, including a first portion for respective players that have passive income less than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses, and a second portion for respective players that have a passive income greater than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses.

21. The game of claim 20 further including:

indicia of a second set of events applicable to players having achieved passive income greater than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses, each of said second set of events potentially affecting at least one of the income, expenses, assets and liabilities of the player; and

means for pseudo-randomly designating, in turn, a respective particular game event from the second set of events for the respective players that have a passive income greater than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses;

and wherein the first portion of the game board comprises a first track of event designators, at least some of said designators in said first track corresponding to the occurrence of one of said first set of events, and the second portion of the game board comprises a second track of event designators, at least some of said designators in said second track corresponding to the occurrence of one of said second set of events.

22. The game of claim 18 wherein the pseudo random number generator comprises at least one die.

23. The game of claim 1 wherein the indicia of a financial statement comprises electronic media.

24. The game of claim 1 further including:

indicia of a second set of events applicable to players having achieved passive income greater than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses, each of said second set of events potentially affecting at least one of the income, expenses, assets and liabilities of the player; and

means for pseudo-randomly designating, in turn, a respective particular game event from the second set of events for the respective players that have a passive income greater than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses.

25. The game of claim 24 wherein the means for pseudo-randomly designating comprises a first sequence of events designators, at least some of said designators in said first sequence corresponding to the occurrence of one of said first set of events, and a second sequence of event designators, at least some of said designators in said second sequence corresponding to the occurrence of one of said second set of events.

26. The game of claim 25 wherein the event designators comprise electronic media.

27. The game of claim 24 wherein the indicia of at least one of the first and the second set of events comprises electronic media.

28. The game of claim 1 wherein the first set of events comprises respective categories of events.

29. The game of claim 28 wherein the first set of events includes a first category of events corresponding to transactions involving amounts less than a predetermined number;

and a second category of events corresponding to transactions involving amounts greater than a predetermined number.

30. The game of claim 28 wherein the first set of events includes a category of events establishing the then current sales price at which specific assets may be sold by players having such assets.

31. The game of claim 28 wherein the first set of events includes a category of events that effect at least one of the player'"'"'s cash on hand and expenses.

32. A method of teaching financial skills to players in the context of a game, an object of such game being for a player to generate passive income from assets greater than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses, the method comprising the steps of:

initially ascribing a predetermined periodic earned income, at least initially representing income from work activities of the player, predetermined periodic expenses, and a predetermined amount of cash on hand to each player;

pseudo-randomly designating, in turn, a respective particular game event from a first set of events for application to respective players that have passive income less than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses, such game events potentially affecting at least one of the income, expenses, assets and liabilities of the player, the first set of events including opportunities to participate in business transactions capable of generating passive income; and

selectively revising indicia of a financial statement associated with each player to reflect the effects of game events, the financial statement reflecting periodic earned income and expenses ascribed to the associated player, and assets, passive income, and liabilities of the player.

33. The method of claim 32 further including the step of:

pseudo-randomly designating, in turn, a respective particular game event from a second set of events for the respective players that have a passive income greater than a predetermined percentage of the player'"'"'s expenses.