You look to your left and you see your banker. That should tell you something." The computer programmer was also unimpressed by the game: "I can buy software to teach me this." The banker, however, was moved. "I studied this in school-the accounting part, that is-but I never knew how to apply it to real life. Now I know. I need to get my- self out of the 'Rat Race.'" But it was my daughter's comments that most touched me. "I had fun learning," she said. "I learned a lot about how money really works and how to invest." Then she added: "Now I know I can choose a profes- sion for the work I want to perform and not because of job security, benefits or how much I get paid. If I learn what this game teaches, I'm free to do and study what my heart wants to study. .. rather than study something because businesses are looking for certain job skills. If I learn this, I won't have to worry about job security and Social Secu- rity the way most of my classmates already do." I was not able to stay and talk with Robert after we had played the game, but we agreed to meet later to further discuss his project. I knew he wanted to use the game to help others become more financially sawy, and I was eager to hear more about his plans. My husband and I set up a dinner meeting with Robert and his wife within the next week. Although it was our first social get-together, we felt as if we had known each other for years. We found out we had a lot in common. We covered the gamut, from sports and plays to restaurants and socioeco- nomic issues. We talked about the changing world. We spent a lot of time discussing how most Americans have lit- tle or nothing saved for retirement, as well as the almost bankrupt state of Social Security and Medicare. Would my children be required to pay for the retirement of 75 million baby boomers? We wondered if people realize how risky it is to depend on a pension plan. Robert's primary concern was the growing gap between the haves and have nots, in America and around the world. A self-taught, self-made entrepreneur who traveled the world putting investments together, Robert was able to re- tire at the age of 47. He came out of retirement because he shares the same concern I have for my own children. He knows that the world has changed, but education has not changed with it. According to Robert, children spend years in an antiquated educational system, studying subjects they will never use, preparing for a world that no longer exists. "Today, the most dangerous advice you can give a child is 'Go to school, get good grades and look for a safe se- cure job,'" he likes to say. "That is old advice, and it's bad advice. If you could see what is happening in Asia, Europe, South America, you would be as concerned as I am." It's bad advice, he believes, "because if you want your child to have a financially secure future, they can't play by the old set of rules. It's just too risky.