Three Financial Principles From Monopoly That Will Change How You Think About Money
#3: The key to dealing with CHANCE events is to prepare strategies beforehand.
--
My family played a lot of board games when I was growing up — we’d always make a night out of it. I would light up the fireplace, my mom would order pizza, my brother would make milkshakes, and we’d all argue with my dad whenever he tried to invent new rules.
One of my favourite board games growing up was Monopoly — not because it was the most fun but because I was always the banker. As a 10-year-old kid, being the Monopoly banker represented an opportunity to hold the entire family accountable. It was a prestigious responsibility bestowed on me.
Inspired by the government’s stay-at-home order, the board games made a return. But instead of playing with family, I played with friends. And instead of drinking milkshakes, we drank wine. Pizza obviously remained a necessity.
Monopoly as an adult was a surprisingly interesting experience. I love recreating childhood memories but with the added perspective of adulthood. I find it’s interesting to reflect on my memories as a child and imagine how those experiences moulded my ideas and opinions or even my decision-making frameworks. Those recreated childhood memories might be an animated movie. Or a book. Or, in this case, a board game.
With the benefit of a decade’s worth of maturity and having taken MBA-level finance courses, I realized how many real-world financial decisions correlate to a winning strategy in Monopoly. The game is an exemplary case study for smart financial and investing decisions.
So, here are three money lessons that will not only help you win Monopoly the next time you play. They’ll also help you develop a better understanding of essential money principles.
1. The importance of a reliable income.
As a Gen Z baby, I’ve noticed a sense of contempt for regular 9–5 jobs among my peers. My generation’s narrative deems employment a sin — akin to selling your soul to the devil.
If you peruse any financial/career-related content on social media, you will find motivational…
