Cashflow board games, Cashflow 101, Cashflow 202 and Cashflow For Kids, were designed by Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book series.
Robert is a fourth-generation Japanese American who grew up in Hawaii in the 1950s. His father, the poor dad of the title, was head of the Hawaii Department of Education during Robert’s childhood. His rich father, the father of his best friend Mike, was a wealthy businessman who began teaching Robert and Mike about building wealth when the boys were nine years old.
The Cashflow game teaches accounting, finance, and investing, and outlines the wealth-building principles that Robert learned from his rich dad. The purpose of it is to teach players how to recognize wealth opportunities in everyday life. It’s also a lot of fun. Many players have replicated the strategies of the game in their lives and achieved financial freedom.
The best way to play the Cashflow game is to find a group of like-minded players who are committed to pursuing their own wealth-building dreams. Playing Cashflow with friends and family can be less satisfying if they don’t share your financial ambitions.
If there isn’t a Cashflow 101 club in your area, it’s a fairly simple process to start one.
1. Place an ad in your local newspaper. Community announcements are usually free.
2. You can offer your home as a venue for the first time or reserve a meeting room at your local library. You can also meet up at a local coffee shop, as long as they have a less crowded area where you can play without disturbing other bosses.
3. You need 3-6 players per game, so you can start with a very small group. If no one in the group owns a game, you can agree to buy your first Cashflow 101 game together. Or you can choose to buy your own game.
4. As the club grows, you may need to find a larger venue. Your local council should have a list of meeting rooms in your area. Find out where local community groups meet. The cost of these venues will vary and you should not pay more than $30 for room rental. Players can contribute a small sum to cover venue costs, photocopies and refreshments.
5. Continue to place your free monthly ads in the newspaper. You can also collect players’ email addresses and send a monthly reminder about the date and location of the next game.
6. Usually multiple members will have their own Cashflow games, so there will be enough per meeting to accommodate the players in attendance.
7. You can choose to keep the club informal or establish a more formal structure with a committee and paid membership.
8. Once you have mastered Cashflow 101, you may want to move on to the Cashflow 202 challenge. Less experienced members and beginners can continue to play the 101 game.
9. When your club is up and running, you can add it to the list of worldwide clubs on the Rich Dad website. You’ll be surprised how many local people will find you through this list.
Playing Cashflow is a great way to network with people who have similar goals and a variety of backgrounds that will often dovetail with your own projects.
