Capital Valley

✓A teaching approach recommended by the OECD

Learn to invest, one decision at a time.

A simulation that shows you how the economy and the financial markets really work. See what each type of investment can earn you, what it can cost you, and how to make sense of the economic news. No jargon, no lectures, no real money.

Play Teachers: bring Capital Valley to your classroom

Five levels, 30 minutes eachFreeNo account required

The Capital Valley welcome screen: a cut-paper valley with hills, a river, a house, a little shop, and a city of paper buildings at the top.

How you play

One turn, one decision.

Each level runs 12 turns, about 30 minutes of play, and covers a year in the life of an investor. Every turn, you read, you decide, and you see what happens. Then you go again, a little wiser.

1. Read this turn's news

Whether it's an expert's take, an official announcement, or a rumor, learn to read the economic news and figure out what it's really worth.

2. Choose your investments

From a savings account to funds, stocks, bonds, and real estate, find out what each one can earn you and what it can cost you.

3. Watch, learn, improve

Every turn shows you what your decisions did, and why.

The journey

Travel the world, one market at a time.

You set out with virtual capital. Each level takes you to a new city with its own markets, its own stories, and its own surprises, and ends with a review of how you did.

The Valley: a farm, small shops, a river, and its little bank, all in cut paper.

Level 1

The Valley

Put your first €1,000 to work.

New York: the Statue of Liberty, a suspension bridge, ocean liners, and a bank with columns, all in cut paper.

Level 2

New York

Invest in companies from around the world.

Geneva: the Jet d'Eau fountain, the lake, a cuckoo clock, and a bank, all in cut paper.

Level 3

Geneva

Become a lender and a shareholder.

Tokyo: the red tower, a bullet train, a torii gate, and a pagoda, all in cut paper.

Level 4

Tokyo

Build a portfolio that can weather a storm.

London: Big Ben, Tower Bridge, a red bus, and the big wheel, all in cut paper.

Level 5

London

Make sense of the economy, and find out what kind of investor you are.

What you'll learn

A simulation that teaches you how the economy and investing work.

Every turn, you make a decision and see where it leads.

You find out what makes an investment gain or lose value, and you learn to weigh a piece of economic news before you act. Little by little, you come to understand the big forces that drive the world economy, and you know how to put together a balanced portfolio.

Learning by playing and making decisions works best, and it is exactly what the OECD recommendsSource: OECD, Recommendation of the Council on Financial Literacy, 2020: favor programs in which learners experience what they learn, and serious games for learning by doing in a safe environment. Read the official text for financial education.

By the end of the game, you'll be able to:

  • tell the main types of investment apart (savings account, funds, stocks, bonds, real estate, private equity), and know what each one can earn you and what it can cost you.
  • read a piece of economic news and act on it, without mistaking a rumor for an expert opinion or an official announcement.
  • choose a strategy that suits you, based on your investor profile.
  • talk about investing with the right vocabulary, whether you invest by yourself or want to hold your own with a financial advisor.

Luck plays no part: the same decisions always produce the same results. And a final review shows you what you've built.

  1. 1Put your first €1,000 to work. The savings account, your first funds, a first setback that stings, and diversification, so you never again put all your eggs in one basket.
  2. 2Invest in companies from around the world. Three regions, your first stocks, and the day interest rates shift the value of every investment at once.
  3. 3Become a lender and a shareholder. Lend to a government or a company and collect the coupon, own stock, and follow stories that unfold over several turns.
  4. 4Build a portfolio that can weather a storm. Real estate, private equity, a large sum to invest, then a crash: you find out what holds up when everything else falls.
  5. 5Make sense of the economy, and find out what kind of investor you are. Inflation rises, the central bank reacts, and the value of every investment moves. At the end, the final review tells you what kind of investor you've become.