Act Your Wage! is © 2010 by Lampo Licensing LLC.
Original board game design by Randy Working and based on Dave Ramsey’s financial principles.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked “NKJV™” are taken from the New King
James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
GAME CONTENTS
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Game board
Game pieces (4)
Die
Money ($100, $500 and $1,000 bills)
6 card decks (GIVE, SAVE, SPEND, DAVE SAYS, LIFE, DEBT)
OBJECT OF THE GAME
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Be the first player to pay off all his debts and yell,
“I’m debt free!”
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GETTING STARTED
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1.
The cards labeled GIVE, SAVE, SPEND, and DAVE SAYS should
be shuffled and placed on their matching rectangles around
the center of the board. The LIFE and DEBT cards should be
shuffled and set aside.
2. Each player chooses a token and places it on either PAY DAY corner.
3. Each player draws one LIFE card and three DEBT cards. These
cards are placed face up in front of each player. Players should
order DEBT cards according to amount owed, from smallest to
largest. Each player should consult his LIFE card to learn whether
he is married, has children, and pays rent or a mortgage.
4. Choose a player to serve as the BANKER. (This should be
someone who is good at making change.)
5. The BANKER gives each player $1,000 for his baby Emergency
Fund and his initial Paycheck according to the amount printed
on each player’s LIFE card.
6. Each player chooses one side of the game board and divides all
the money he obtains during the game under the Emergency
Fund, appropriate Envelope and Piggy Bank icons printed on
his side of the game board.
7. Each player must choose how best to distribute his money
between his Envelopes based on the expenses listed on his LIFE
card. It is not unusual for Envelopes to be underfunded at the
beginning of the game.
8. Each player rolls the die to determine who goes first. Highest
number begins. Pieces move clockwise around the board. At the
end of a turn, the player passes the die to the player to his left.
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PLAYING THE GAME
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Each turn follows these steps.
1.
A player rolls the die, moves his game piece and follows the
instructions printed on the space on which he lands.
2. GIVE, SAVE, SPEND or DAVE SAYS
2a.When a player lands on one of these spaces, the player
should draw a card from that stack. Cards should be read
aloud, obeyed and returned, facedown, to the bottom of the
matching deck.
2b.Should a player land on a GIVE space, that player pays the
amount listed on the card to every other player.
2c.Amounts listed on SAVE cards are paid from the bank, NOT
put aside from income. This also applies to save amounts
on DAVE SAYS cards.
3. STUPID TAX
Mixed into two of the card categories are STUPID TAX cards.
3a.If a player draws a STUPID TAX card, he may give the card
to another player immediately or during any future turn.
(The player who draws a STUPID TAX card does NOT pay
the Stupid Tax.)
3b.STUPID TAX cards represent additional debt. Players who
receive a STUPID TAX card should put it face up alongside
their other DEBT cards in debt snowball order from lowest
to highest. STUPID TAX cards must be eliminated like any
other DEBT card.
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4. BILL PAY
When a player lands on or passes over a BILL PAY corner, play
proceeds as follows:
4a.The player pays the bills listed on the BILL PAY corner from
his corresponding Envelopes. If there is not enough money
in an Envelope, that bill must be paid from the player’s
Emergency Fund.
In addition to paying his bills, each player pays the full Food
amount listed on his LIFE card each time he lands on or
passes over a BILL PAY corner.
Where a BILL PAY corner lists credit card debt, the player
pays $100 for each of his DEBT cards that is a credit card
debt. Where a BILL PAY corner lists loan debt, the player pays a
flat $100 no matter how many of his DEBT cards is a loan.
4b.If the player passed over the BILL PAY corner, he now follows
the instructions printed on the space on which he landed.
5. PAY DAY
A player passing over or landing on a PAY DAY corner is paid his
Paycheck by the BANKER according to the amount listed on the
player’s LIFE card. If the player passed over the PAY DAY corner,
he is paid first before following the instructions printed on the space
on which he landed.
6. PAYING OFF DEBT
6a.A player may pay off debts only at the end of his turn.
6b.Debts are paid off from smallest to largest—debt snowball
style! A player may pay off debts only when his Emergency
Fund and Envelopes are fully funded.
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6c.DEBT cards are turned over as they are paid off. If a player does
not have enough money saved to pay off a debt, he should
save his extra money under his Piggybank.
7. When the player’s turn is over, play passes to the left.
The first player to pay off all his debts and yell “I’m debt free!” wins
the game.
EMERGENCY FUND
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Each player begins the game with an Emergency Fund of $1,000—
just like Dave recommends in Baby Step 1. The BANKER gives each
player this amount at the beginning of the game. Emergency Fund
money is kept under the Safe icon.
Should a player land on the “Add $1,000 to Your Emergency Fund”
space, his Emergency Fund level goes up $1,000. The bank does
not pay this amount. Instead, the player must put aside enough
money during the course of the game to bring his Emergency Fund
amount up to the new level. He must maintain it at this new level for
the remainder of the game. Remember, debts cannot be paid unless
a player’s Emergency Fund level and his Envelopes are fully funded.
PIGGYBANK
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Money earned above and beyond a player’s Emergency Fund level
and expense Envelopes is saved under the Piggybank icon on his
side of the board. Save as much as you can and pay off those debts!
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GIVE cards
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Real wealth is about giving. As Dave says, “If you live like no one
else, later you can give like no one else.” Therefore, players pay the
amount listed on a GIVE card to every other player on the board. Not
to worry! As in life, players will find themselves on both the giving
and receiving sides during the course of the game. (This money will
usually be paid from Savings, though in real-life, giving should have a
line-item in your budget so that every dollar has a name.)
SPEND, SAVE and DAVE SAYS cards
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Money has a life of its own. It comes in. It goes out. And it pays
to use a little wisdom here and there. That’s where these cards
come in. Players draw these cards when they land on these spaces.
Cards should be read aloud, obeyed and returned, facedown, to
the bottom of the matching deck. Finally, for purposes of game
play, SAVE card amounts are paid to players by the bank, NOT put
aside from income. This also applies to save amounts on DAVE
SAYS cards.
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STUPID TAX cards
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Stupid Tax is what we call any expense caused by pure stupidity. There
are dozens of stupid tax stories on our website, DaveRamsey.com. When
a player draws a STUPID TAX card, they get the fun of handing
out Stupid Tax by giving that debt to someone else. A player who
receives a STUPID TAX card should put it face up alongside their
other DEBT cards in debt snowball order from lowest to highest. He
will have to pay off that amount, just as with his other DEBT cards.
OUT OF MONEY
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Should a player run out of money, he is out of the game. Please
note, however, that in real-life, we have seen people in the worst
of financial circumstances take stock of their situation, commit to
Dave’s Baby Steps, get gazelle intense, start working their debt
snowball and come out on the other side screaming, “I’m debt free!”
for real! Listen to the radio show every Friday and hear them do it.
Their stories are amazing!
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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What age range is the game suitable for?
Act Your Wage! is designed for kids ages 10 to 110.
What is the goal of the game?
The goal of Act Your Wage! is to live within your means, pay off
debt and be the first player to scream, “I’m debt free!”
How many people can play the game?
Act Your Wage! can be played by 2–4 players.
Is there anything I can do to shorten game play?
During setup, have each player draw two (or even one) DEBT
cards instead of three.
In real life, why would someone put more than $1,000 in their
baby Emergency Fund?
Baby Step 1 of Dave’s program says to put $1,000 in an
Emergency Fund. Nevertheless, there are circumstances, such
as a pregnancy or possible layoffs at your company, that merit
putting aside a larger amount.
Why does Food appear on each Bill Pay space?
We designed each cycle around the board to resemble a month.
And, since most of us buy groceries intermittently, we devoted
both spaces to it.
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Which of Dave’s principles are reflected in the game?
Act Your Wage! is built around Baby Step 2—getting out of debt
by paying off everything but the mortgage. But there are other
principles in play as well, such as habitually saving, avoiding
credit, setting financial goals, budgeting, and of course, acting
your wage.
Why do I have to fully fund my Emergency Fund and my
expense Envelopes before I can pay off any of my debts?
Because that’s what Grandma would do.
How do I pay off debt if I can’t keep money in my Envelopes or
Emergency Fund?
You should call The Dave Ramsey Show at (888) 825-5225.
What if I deplete my Emergency Fund? Can I borrow from
another player?
The Bible says “the borrower is the slave of the lender” (Prov. 22:7).
So, no, you may not borrow from another player.
What should I do if I draw a GIVE card?
No game can ever replicate the deep satisfaction that comes when
you’ve lived like no one else and can give like no one else. Nevertheless,
we tried to make the point as best we could by turning GIVE cards
into opportunities for players to give and receive.
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When I draw a SAVE card and it tells me to save an amount of
money, where does that money come from?
It comes from the bank. For example, if you draw a card that reads,
“You sell your collection of 1980s-era baseball cards. Save $200.”
You will receive $200 from the bank. Think of it this way: Amounts
obtained from SAVE cards represent an additional source of
income. Regular income is paid out by the bank, so, for purposes of
game play, secondary income is paid from the bank as well.
Is it okay to make up house rules?
As long as Grandma would approve. We’d love to hear what you’ve
come up with. So tell us about it. Send an email to actyourwage@
daveramsey.com.
This game would be so much better if . . . I love this game because . . .
Finish your sentence in an email and send it to:
[email protected].
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Dave Ramsey’s Act Your Wage! is © 2010 by Lampo Licensing LLC.