Objective

The main objective of CASHFLOW is to get out of the "Rat Race" (the inner loop of the board) by increasing your passive income to surpass your total expenses. Once out of the Rat Race, you move to the "Fast Track" (the outer loop) where the goal is to achieve your dream or accumulate $50,000 in monthly cash flow.

Setup

1. Game Components:

   • Game Board: The board has two tracks: the Rat Race (inner loop) and the Fast Track (outer loop).

   • Player Tokens: Represent each player on the board.

   • Income Statement and Balance Sheet: Each player receives a sheet to track their financial status, including income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and cash flow.

   • Doodad Cards: Represent unexpected expenses.

   • Market Cards: Represent opportunities to buy, sell, or trade assets.

   • Small Deal and Big Deal Cards: Represent different investment opportunities.

   • Payday Spaces: Indicate when a player receives their monthly income.

   • Dice: Used to move around the board.

   • Cash Tokens: Represent money used in the game.

2. Initial Setup:

   • Distribute Sheets: Each player receives an Income Statement and Balance Sheet, which includes a starting profession, income, expenses, assets, and liabilities.

   • Starting Cash: Players start with a certain amount of cash based on their profession.

   • Place Tokens: Players place their tokens on the "Start" space of the Rat Race track.

   • Card Decks: Shuffle the Doodad, Market, Small Deal, and Big Deal cards and place them in their designated spots on the board.

   • Decide First Player: Determine who goes first, typically by rolling the dice.
     

Gameplay

CASHFLOW is played in turns, with each turn consisting of several phases:

1. Roll and Move

• Rolling Dice: On your turn, roll the dice and move your token the corresponding number of spaces on the Rat Race track.

• Landing on a Space: The space you land on determines what action you take. Possible spaces include:

  • Payday: Collect your income and update your financial statement.

  • Opportunity: Draw a Small Deal or Big Deal card and decide if you want to invest.

  • Doodad: Draw a Doodad card and pay for an unexpected expense.

  • Market: Draw a Market card that could allow you to buy or sell assets.

  • Charity: Donate money to charity for certain benefits, such as rolling more dice.

  • Baby: Increases your monthly expenses.

2. Financial Management

• Update Your Income Statement: Adjust your income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and cash flow based on the outcomes of your turn.

• Investing: If you land on an Opportunity space and draw a card, you can choose to invest in stocks, real estate, or businesses. Use cash or take out loans to make these investments.

• Passive Income: Focus on increasing your passive income through smart investments. Passive income reduces your reliance on your job income.

3. Getting Out of the Rat Race

• Achieve Financial Independence: You can leave the Rat Race and move to the Fast Track once your passive income exceeds your total expenses. This represents financial independence.

• Entering the Fast Track: On the Fast Track, you continue to roll the dice and land on opportunities to further increase your wealth, aiming to achieve your dream or a significant monthly cash flow.
  

Winning the Game

• Winning on the Fast Track: To win, you must either land on your dream space and afford the dream or achieve $50,000 in monthly passive income. The first player to do this wins the game.
  

Additional Rules

• Loans and Debt: You can take out loans to finance investments, but you must repay them with interest, which increases your monthly expenses.

• Downsizing: If you land on the Downsizing space, you lose two turns and must pay an expense that represents the cost of downsizing.

• Charity: If you choose to donate 10% of your income to charity, you may roll two dice instead of one on your next turn, potentially doubling your movement.
  

Tips for Playing

• Focus on Passive Income: Invest in opportunities that increase your passive income to escape the Rat Race quickly.

• Manage Debt Wisely: Use debt strategically, but be careful not to over-leverage yourself.

• Take Advantage of Market Conditions: Pay attention to Market cards, as they can create favorable conditions for buying or selling assets.
  

Example of a Turn

1. Roll Dice: You roll a 5 and move your token 5 spaces, landing on an Opportunity space.

2. Draw Card: You draw a Small Deal card that offers a chance to buy a rental property.

3. Invest: You decide to buy the property, using your available cash and taking out a small loan.

4. Update Statement: Increase your assets with the new property and add the mortgage to your liabilities. Update your passive income based on the rental income from the property.
   

End of Turn

After updating your financial statement, pass the dice to the next player. The game continues in this manner until one player wins.