Paychecks and Taxes
- Gross vs net pay
- Withholding
- Payroll taxes
- Tax day and refunds
- Side-gig and self-employment tax
Live a Whole Financial Life From 18 to Retirement
Rapunzl's Life Simulator puts students in charge of a whole life of money calls, from the first paycheck to the last day of work. They choose a path, pay the bills, face what life throws at them and see how every choice plays out over decades.
Age
Cash
Paying for college−$2,400Grandma's gift+$3,250Laptop died−$920Hospital stay−$3,550
Net worth
A Whole Life in Seven Chapters
Each chapter is a stage of life with its own big decisions. Time keeps moving, paydays land on the 1st and the 15th, and life does not wait for anyone to be ready.
Years 18–21Launch Pad
At 18, students choose where life starts: a four-year college, community college, a trade apprenticeship or a job right away. They see what each path really costs, open a checking account, pick a starter card and watch their credit score take shape as the first paychecks and bills roll in.
Years 22–29First Career
A job offer lands, and students learn to read it, from take-home pay to the 401(k) match. They split each paycheck into budget jars, weigh roommates against a place of their own and start paying down loans, then see exactly what is left over at the end of every month.
Years 30–39Building
Life gets bigger, and so do the choices. Students weigh renting against buying, get pre-approved and pick a down payment, then learn why insurance matters before something goes wrong. When a raise comes in, they decide whether it grows their savings or their lifestyle, and surprise cards keep testing the plan.
Years 40–49Peak Earning
These are the biggest paycheck years, and the goal is to keep that money working. Students compare index, target-date and managed funds, see how small fees add up over decades and decide whether to change jobs and roll over a 401(k). When the market drops, they choose to hold steady or sell.
Years 50–64Home Stretch
Retirement comes into view. Students use catch-up contributions to close any gap, plan for rising health costs and learn how Social Security fits in. Then comes the big call: retire early, right on time or a few years later, and what each choice means for the years after work.
Age 65Age 65
Everything comes together in the reveal. Students get a Life Scorecard and walk a Life Map of every decision they made, from that first paycheck to the last day of work. They see which choices carried the plan, which ones cost them and how the life held up when surprises hit.
Age 65What-If Lab
Then students get to ask “what if?” They replay the same life with one choice changed, like saving at 22 instead of 35, taking the 401(k) match or living with roommates. The luck stays exactly the same, so the difference they see comes from that one decision and nothing else.
Inside the Command Center
Every life runs from one screen. The Life Calendar ticks through each month with paydays on the 1st and the 15th, and the Life Feed logs every paycheck, bill and surprise as it happens.
Stats keep cash, credit, net worth, readiness and wellbeing in view, while Life Choices puts career, home, car, money, loans, the future and more one tap away. When something comes up, students decide what to do.
Life Calendar
Age 24- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
Life Feed
- Your Brakes Need Replacing−$1,050
- Paycheck+$2,100
- Student loan−$320
- Renters insurance−$20
- Transport−$120
- Food−$370
- Utilities−$160
- Health insurance−$160
- Rent−$740
- Paycheck+$2,100
- Paycheck+$2,100
- Student loan−$320
- Rent−$740
Stats
Cash
Net Worth$28,400
Credit822
Readiness
WellbeingLife Choices
Career
Home
Ride
Money$5,700
Loans$21,500
Future$18,100
Protection
Family and Giving
Side Quests
Your Brakes Need Replacing
Your brakes squeal, and the mechanic says the pads are worn out.
−$1,050
Use My Savings FirstPut It on My Card
Life Calendar
Age 24- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
Life Feed
- Your Brakes Need Replacing−$1,050
- Paycheck+$2,100
- Student loan−$320
- Renters insurance−$20
- Transport−$120
- Food−$370
- Utilities−$160
- Health insurance−$160
- Rent−$740
- Paycheck+$2,100
- Paycheck+$2,100
- Student loan−$320
- Rent−$740
Stats
CashNet Worth$28,400Credit822ReadinessWellbeingLife Choices
- Career
- Home
- Ride
- Money$5,700
- Loans$21,500
- Future$18,100
- Protection
- Family and Giving
- Side Quests
Your Brakes Need Replacing
Your brakes squeal, and the mechanic says the pads are worn out.
−$1,050
Use My Savings FirstPut It on My Card
Every Choice Is a Real Trade-Off
Each decision opens in two steps. First students learn what the choice means, then they make it. There is no single right answer, only trade-offs they get to live with.
Choose
Where will you live?
Take-home pay$4,150
Rent−$700
Left over each month$3,450
Four Ways to Start
Four-Year College
Four years of school and maybe loans, then a career with room to grow.
Career Paths
- Health and Care
- Tech
- Business
- Education
- Arts and Media
Community College
Two lower-cost years, then work or a transfer to finish a degree.
Career Paths
- Health Tech
- IT Support
- Office and Business
- Public Service
Trade Apprenticeship
Learn a skilled trade on the job and earn while you train.
Career Paths
- Electrician
- Construction
- Auto Repair
- Manufacturing
Start Working Now
Start earning at 18 and build skills on the job.
Career Paths
- Retail
- Shipping and Delivery
- Food and Hotels
- Front Desk and Office
Bring the Life Simulator to Your Students
What It Teaches
50+ decisions and 110 life events teach every part of a financial life, from a first paycheck and bank account to credit, a home, insurance, investing and retirement.
Banking
- Checking accounts
- Fees
- Overdraft choices
- Moving money between accounts
Credit
- Debit vs secured vs student cards
- Minimum payments
- Card use
- Credit scores from 300 to 850
- Payoff plans
- Co-signing
Saving and Budgeting
- Splitting each paycheck
- The 50/30/20 guide
- Emergency funds of 1, 3 or 6 months
- Month Sprint budget jars
- Lifestyle creep
School and Career
- College, community college, trades or work
- What college really costs
- Student loans
- Job offers
- Negotiating a raise
- Job changes
- Learning a new skill
Homes and Cars
- Rent vs buy
- Roommates
- Mortgage pre-approval
- Down payments and terms
- Closing costs
- Car loans
- New vs used
Insurance and Protection
- Health plans
- Renters insurance
- Car insurance deductibles
- Disability and term life insurance
- HSAs
Investing and Retirement
- The 401(k) match
- Roth vs traditional IRA
- Index, target-date and managed funds
- Fees
- Market drops
- Rollovers
- Social Security
- When to retire
Scams and Shocks
- 12 kinds of scams
- Job loss and severance
- Medical bills
- Disasters
- Inflation
A New Life Every Time, Shaped by Each Choice
Every life draws new luck, so the market and the surprises change each time. Roll the dice for new luck, pick a speed, then change one choice and watch the same life grow a different way. Every line comes from the game's own engine.
- 3–5hoursper life
- 50+decision points
- 110life events
- 85quiz questions
- 17career areas
- 9Reference Lives
Net worth at 65, in today's dollars
Start saving at
First place to live
Randomly Generated Life Events Ensure No Two Games Are The Same
As students play through Rapunzl's Life Simulator, they encounter unexpected bills, windfalls, work opportunities and scams. Each of these provides an opportunity to reinforce different learning standards while making the game more realistic.
Cash$31,800
Your Brakes Need Replacing
Your brakes squeal, and the mechanic says the pads are worn out.
−$1,050
Questions About Rapunzl's Life Simulator
Rapunzl's Life Simulator is a learning game where students live a whole financial life, from age 18 to retirement. They choose a path, earn paychecks, pay bills, face life events and see how each decision plays out over decades.
The Life Simulator is written for middle school readers and up, at about a 7th grade reading level. Students use it through Rapunzl, in class or at home.
One whole life in the Life Simulator takes 3 to 5 hours. Students can pause any time and pick up on any device, and five speed settings let them move faster when nothing is happening.
The Life Simulator teaches paychecks and taxes, banking, credit, saving and budgeting, school and career choices, housing, insurance, investing and retirement, and how to spot scams. It covers 63 glossary terms and 85 quiz questions along the way.
No, the Life Simulator uses only virtual money. Every bank in it is fictional, and nothing a student does touches a real account.
No, the Life Simulator is a learning game, not financial advice. It shows how choices tend to play out so students can practice making them.
If a student's plan in the Life Simulator starts missing bills, a Money Alert shows what went wrong and offers ways to fix the plan. After three missed months in a year it becomes a Last Chance, and at four the plan runs out of money, so the student can rewind to the start of the chapter or begin a new life. Twelve months of paid bills clear the warning.
Yes, students can play the Life Simulator again and again. Every new life draws new luck, and the What-If Lab replays a finished life with one choice changed.
Students use the Life Simulator through Rapunzl, where it sits alongside the stock market simulator, lessons and other games. Schools and districts can request a demo to see it in class, and families can learn how Rapunzl works at home.
Bring the Life Simulator to Your School
Tell us about your classroom or district and we'll set up a demo of the Life Simulator and the rest of Rapunzl.