Happiness
Spending can buy joy, but the same dollar goes further when you are young. Some experiences cannot be recovered later.
A LIFE SIMULATION FROM AGE 8 UNTIL NATURAL DEATHYou have one lifetime.
You have one lifetime.
How will you spend it?
Each month brings a limited amount of money. Spend it for happiness today, or save it for freedom tomorrow. MoneyLife lets you experience income, investing, retirement, and the cost of time.
Age 8starting ageNo age capnatural ending1 goallasting happiness
THERE IS NO SINGLE RIGHT ANSWER
Rich is not the same as winning.
You manage three scarce resources at once. They affect one another, and you cannot maximize them all.
Wealth
Cash is stable, stocks fluctuate, retirement accounts build long-term wealth, and annuities buy lifetime income.
Time
Every month used is gone. Compounding needs time—and so do travel, energy, and wonder.
YOUR JOURNEY
Read the full rules →Six stages of life
Childhood
A little allowance can make one toy feel extraordinary.
Starting Out
Earn your own money and meet required living costs.
Building
Spending, investing, and retirement choices begin to compound.
Tradeoffs
Time grows valuable and compounding shows its strength.
Retirement
Pensions, annuities, and old choices begin paying you.
Reflection
How much you leave matters less than what your money made possible.
YOUR TURN
Need help? Read the rules →Live This Life
Plan education, work, investments, and retirement income. After 85, natural mortality rises each month.
Path after age 18College fixes 8 study hours daily; remaining time may be paid work; the accumulated wage base is ×1.2 after graduation
MONTHLY DECISION
Where should the money go?
Left after allocation$12.00
Cash$0.00+Monthly allowance$100.00−Required living costs$0.00=Available$100.00
Daily time allocationStudy + play; adjustable every month
16 / 16h0 study hours · monthly base $0.000 work hours · monthly base $0.00Spending joy ×1.00 · no free joy
Automatic allocation of new moneyApplies only to this month's new net income and never changes existing balances below; any unallocated share stays in cash
Total 80.00% · remaining new money stays in cash
♥
Happiness baselineCurrent $0.00 · adapts 2.5% toward last month's spending
$40.00 / $0.00Expected joy +6.8
Above the baseline: more spending still adds happiness, but much more slowly.
Stable stock accountHalf of Growth's gains, but only a quarter of its losses
Growth stock account12% average annual target; shares the cash pool
Retirement & lifetime income
Retirement → cashWithdrawals are locked before 59½
MONEYLIFE HAPPINESS LEADERBOARD
Who lived happiest?
Natural death is checked every month after 85 with no forced age limit. The leaderboard compares lifetime happiness only.
1慢慢来85♥ 862
2小树85♥ 794
3星期天85♥ 731