MoneyViel Life Simulator: Live 10 Years in 10 Minutes
Pick a character, make real-life money choices from age 21 to 31, and see where your decisions take you. There are no wrong answers, only lessons.
1. Choose your character
Everyone starts in a different place. Each character is made up, just like the numbers.
How it works
Simple, open rules: investments grow at an assumed 8% a year (not guaranteed), card balances you don’t clear cost 36% a year (example rate), and living costs rise about 5% a year (assumed inflation). Full rules are on the results screen.
Where you ended up at 31
Your net worth, year by year
Net worth = cash + investments − debts. Tap or hover the dots.
Your top 3 money lessons
Play again
Share your result
Makes a picture of your badge. Nothing is uploaded: you choose if and where to share it.
Try it for real with MoneyViel tools
How the game calculates (open rules)
- Each year: take-home pay comes in; living costs, family support, insurance premiums, loan EMIs and regular investments go out. What’s left stays as cash.
- If cash runs out, the gap goes on a credit card. At year end you repay what you can (keeping half a month’s costs), and any balance left is charged 36% a year (example rate). With the “minimum due” habit you repay only about 30% a year.
- Loans are repaid with fixed monthly EMIs at example rates shown on each card.
- Investments grow at an assumed 8% a year on average (money added during the year gets half a year’s growth). Real returns go up and down and are not guaranteed.
- Things you buy (phones, bikes, cars) are not counted in net worth, because they lose value over time. Loans taken for them are counted as debt.
- Living costs rise about 5% a year (assumed inflation). Pay rises 3% to 10% a year depending on your skills. Kabir’s sales vary by up to 25% either way each year.
- Stress rises when cash is thin or debt is carried, and falls when you have 3+ months of costs saved. Happiness dips in years with no fun at all.
For decisions about your own money, consider speaking to a SEBI-registered investment adviser.
For education only. Not financial advice. Figures are estimates based on your assumptions.
How to play
- Pick a character: a new graduate, a skilled electrician or a small online seller. Each starts with a different income and situation.
- Every year from age 21 to 31, you face two or three real-life choices, such as a phone on EMI, a credit card offer or a friend asking for a loan.
- Each choice changes your cash, savings, debt, skills, happiness and stress. Life events like a medical bill or a bonus can also surprise you.
- After each choice, read the short money lesson.
- At 31, see your net worth, your money personality badge and your top three lessons. Then play again with a different character.
Why a game?
Most people learn money lessons the hard way, after making costly mistakes. The Life Simulator lets you make those mistakes safely, in ten minutes, and see where each path leads.
You will notice how small choices add up: an emergency fund that softens a bad year, a card balance that keeps growing, or a new skill that lifts your income for years.
How the game works out the numbers
The game uses simple, transparent rules. Long-term investments grow at an assumed 8% a year, which is an example and not a guarantee. Unpaid card balances cost an example 36% a year. Living costs rise 5% a year, and pay rises depend on your skills.
Real life is more complicated, and real returns can be higher, lower or negative. The aim is to show how habits shape outcomes, not to predict your future.
For parents and teachers
The game suits teens from 14 and young adults. It works well as a family or classroom activity: play two characters with different strategies and compare the endings. Talk about why the results differ.
Pair it with the 52-Week Money Challenge to turn the lessons into real weekly habits.
Questions people ask
Is the game free?
Yes. It is free to play as often as you like, with no sign-up. Your best result is saved only on your device.
Can I win by taking big risks?
Not reliably. Tips and “guaranteed return” schemes in the game always end badly, just as they often do in real life. Steady habits win over time.
Does it work outside India?
Yes. Use the currency switch to play in rupees, dollars, pounds, euros, dirhams or Singapore dollars.
This content is for general education only and is not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.