ASX Trader: The turning point when most people start losing the game of life

It sounds absurd, yet most people live their financial lives in one particular way. And there’s a critical crossroad when they make this mistake, writes ASX Trader.

Do you play life like Monopoly and just collect your $200 salary as you pass go?

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking to 150 Year 11 students at Emmanuel College about purpose, money, and the foundations of financial literacy and it became clear just how urgently these lessons are needed.

What began as a simple school visit quickly became a powerful reminder that young people are hungry for knowledge that connects to real life.

For me, the session was personal.

It felt as though my purpose had come full circle. At 17, I had no understanding of investing, assets, or the difference between working for money and having money work for me.

I wish someone had taught me then what I know now.

So, I started with a message I believe every young adult deserves to hear:

If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

To bring this to life, I asked the students whether they’d rather spend their 15,000 hours of schooling doing their favourite subject or their least favourite.

Naturally, they chose their favourite.

But when I asked if they’d do their least favourite subject for $100 a week, the answer was no. When I raised it to $1,000, the answer became yes.

It was the perfect illustration of a universal truth:

At some point, many people begin trading fulfilment for income.

And once school ends, this pattern rarely changes.

Adults spend an average of 85,000 hours in the workforce - five times longer than their time in school.

If they don’t pursue the work they love, those hours become a burden rather than a life’s investment.

This sparked a deeper conversation and one that sits at the heart of modern education:

Why aren’t schools teaching financial literacy?

The Monopoly Mindset: How most people play the game of life and lose

To make these concepts relatable, we explored one of the simplest financial metaphors available: Monopoly.

I asked the students to imagine playing Monopoly without ever buying any properties, houses, or investments.

They’d simply pass GO, collect $200, pay rent to other players, and hope to avoid penalties.

It sounds absurd yet it’s how most people live their financial lives.

This is exactly the lesson highlighted by Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad. According to Kiyosaki:

Poor and middle-class individuals work for money.

The wealthy make money work for them.

In his Cashflow Quadrant framework:

• Employees (E) and Self-Employed individuals (S) trade time for income — like collecting $200 each time they “pass GO.”

• Business Owners (B) and Investors (I) build systems and assets that generate income — the Monopoly players buying properties and collecting rent.

The message was clear:

If you only ever collect your $200 pay check, you cannot win the real game of life.

ASX Trader talking at the school.

The two principles every teenager should learn early

From the discussion, two principles stood out — simple ideas that can change a lifetime when learned young:

1. Live beneath your means — simple, but not easy.

Financial stability is created by discipline, not income.

Just because you earn more doesn’t mean you should spend more.

2. Invest early and often — easy, but not simple.

The earlier you start, the more time becomes your greatest financial ally.

We talked about the balance between extreme frugality and careless spending.

Young people shouldn’t be squirrels hoarding every dollar, nor should they be reckless consumers chasing trends.

You are only 17 once and as I told them:

Retirees would pay millions for a time machine.

But young people already have what they want: time.

The key is to enjoy today while still doing something that your future self will thank you for.

I encouraged them to ask questions like:

• Do I really need the newest phone every year?

• Does this designer item serve my future or just impress people who don’t matter?

As an example, if a student had invested the cost of a new iPhone each year into Apple stock over the past decade, they would now have hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Every purchase is a decision about the future you want.

Every dollar is a vote.

Spend consciously.

Invest intentionally.

Buy fewer liabilities and more assets.

As the proverb says:

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

An example of investing in Apple. Photo: Supplied

A powerful signal from the next generation

After the session, the teacher who invited me shared something remarkable:

“I’ve never seen anything like it. Usually you struggle to get one or two questions. Today, you had ten minutes of Q&A, and still 30 or 40 students waiting afterwards wanting to know more.”

That moment confirmed what I already believed:

Young people are eager, engaged, and ready to learn about money, purpose, and building meaningful futures.

The demand is there.

The appetite is there.

What’s missing is the education system to support it.

A call for change

If the curriculum won’t shift fast enough, then it’s up to parents, educators, professionals, and industry leaders to fill the gap.

Because so many adults look back and say:

“I wish I knew then what I know now.”

It’s time to give the next generation that knowledge today.

Financial literacy isn’t optional.

It’s foundational.

And if we teach it early, we can change the trajectory of countless lives.