Buy Real Estate with Fake Money…
Of course the real estate is also fake. I have to say that this is far better than buying fake real estate with real money. I’m talking about the new version of Monopoly called Monopoly Here and Now. Hasbro updated the game to include new properties and new prices. Buying properties for less than a few hundred dollars and developing them for a few thousand dollars at the most is a thing of the past even in this fantasy world.
The new tokens include a plane, a Starbucks cup and an order of McDonald's Fries. I’m not sure I like buying a board game with product placements, but I’ll probably agree to trade in the thimble for a box of fries.
Of course my first question was what replaces Boardwalk? Times Square.
Why bring this up on a finance blog? Its fun. I also venture that most people my age spent more time playing Monopoly than taking any kind of class on finances.
Through Monopoly we learned that:
- Governments can be arbitrary and capricious
- People that charge rents win, people that pay rents loose (mostly true)
- You can’t charge rent when your property is mortgaged (where did this come from?)
What have you learned from Monopoly?