Life-Ready SocietyEst. 2026
Camps · Money Camp · Day 3 of 3 · 3 hours

Day 3: Growing money and the future

Let time work for you, choose wisely and plan your next year.

Today's goal

By the end of today you can show how compound growth works, separate needs from wants under pressure and present a 12-month money plan.

Agenda

Finishes at 12:00.
  1. Warm-upLump sum or doubling fils?10 min
  2. LearnCompound interest, the Rule of 72 and inflation15 min
  3. ActivityCompound interest calculator30 min
  4. ActivityNeeds versus wants auction30 min
  5. BreakBreak15 min
  6. LearnGiving, sadaqa and zakat as concepts10 min
  7. LearnProtecting your future plan10 min
  8. CapstoneBuild your 12-month money plan30 min
  9. CapstonePresent or self-assess15 min
  10. ReflectLooking back, looking ahead10 min
  11. QuizDay 3 quiz5 min

The session

Warm-up · 10 min

Lump sum or doubling fils?

A classic puzzle that shows how growth on growth adds up.

  1. Choose: AED 1 million today, or 1 fils on day 1 that doubles every day for 30 days.
  2. Vote before calculating.
  3. Worked answer: on day 30 alone you receive 2 to the power 29 fils, which is AED 5,368,709.12. The doubling wins by far.
  4. Real savings do not double daily, but the same principle, growth on growth, drives compound interest.

Solo

Write your guess, then check day 10, day 20 and day 30 on a calculator.

Group

Show of hands, then each team calculates one checkpoint (day 10, 20, 30) and reports.

Related lessons: Compound interest: how money grows on itself

Learn · 15 min

Compound interest, the Rule of 72 and inflation

Three ideas that explain why starting early matters.

  1. Moneysmart (ASIC) explains that compound interest is interest earned on your original amount plus the interest already added, so it grows faster than simple interest. Its advice: start early.
  2. Moneysmart's worked example shows that interest added monthly grows more than interest paid only at the end of the term.
  3. The Rule of 72 estimates years to double: divide 72 by the annual rate. The Corporate Finance Institute says it is fairly accurate, more so at lower rates.
  4. Example: at 6 per cent a year, 72 / 6 = 12 years. The exact figure is about 11.9 years.
  5. The Bank of England defines inflation as prices rising; the UK target is 2 per cent. At an illustrative 2 per cent a year, a basket costing AED 100 today would cost about AED 121.90 in 10 years.
  6. Growth is never guaranteed. Investments can fall, and this camp is education, not advice.

Related lessons: Compound interest: how money grows on itself, Inflation: why cash slowly loses value, Risk and return: the main types of assets, Building a long-term plan: time in the market and avoiding emotional traps

Activity · 30 min

Compound interest calculator

Use a calculator or spreadsheet to see compounding for yourself. All rates are illustrative, not predictions.

  1. Formula for a lump sum compounding yearly: amount x (1 + rate) to the power of years.
  2. Task 1: AED 1,000 at 5 per cent a year. Worked answers: 10 years AED 1,628.89; 20 years AED 2,653.30; 30 years AED 4,321.94. With simple interest it would be AED 1,500, 2,000 and 2,500.
  3. Task 2: saving AED 200 a month at 5 per cent a year compounded monthly for 10 years. Worked answer: about AED 31,056.46, from AED 24,000 paid in.
  4. Task 3, early versus late: Sara saves AED 200 a month from 18 to 28 (AED 24,000 paid in), then stops and leaves it growing until 48. Omar saves AED 200 a month from 28 to 48 (AED 48,000 paid in). Same illustrative 5 per cent. Worked answers: Sara about AED 84,244.99; Omar about AED 82,206.73.
  5. Task 4: use the Rule of 72 to estimate doubling time at 3 per cent (24 years; exact about 23.4) and at 6 per cent (12 years; exact about 11.9).
  6. Write one sentence on what Task 3 tells you.

Solo

Do Tasks 1 and 4 by calculator; if you can, build Tasks 2 and 3 in a spreadsheet and check them against the worked answers.

Group

Each team takes one task, then teaches its result to the room in 1 minute. The facilitator shows the Sara and Omar comparison last.

Related lessons: Compound interest: how money grows on itself, Why save: emergency funds, goals and paying yourself first, What to do with your first income

Activity · 30 min

Needs versus wants auction

A fast, fun auction with pretend money that tests your priorities under pressure.

  1. Each team (or solo player) has 1,000 camp coins. The goal is to set up a first year living away from home.
  2. Items for auction: a room for the year; a monthly transport pass; a basic laptop; a grocery budget; an emergency fund pot; a phone plan; designer trainers; a premium gaming subscription; a weekend trip; concert tickets; a gift fund for family occasions; a gym membership.
  3. Before bidding, each team labels each item need, want or give, and sets a maximum bid for each.
  4. The facilitator auctions items in random order, starting at 50 coins and rising in steps of 25. Highest bid wins; coins are spent.
  5. After the auction, teams check: did you secure every need? Did a want push out a need?
  6. Scoring: 10 points for each need won, 5 for the gift fund, 3 for each want, minus 15 for each need you could not afford.

Solo

Set your maximum bids for all items within 1,000 coins, then roll a die for each item: on 1 to 3 you win at your maximum; on 4 to 6 someone outbids you. Score your result.

Group

Facilitator is auctioneer; one team member holds the coin tally. No real money and no physical rushing; teams bid by raising a card. 20 minutes of bidding, 10 minutes of scoring and discussion.

Related lessons: What money is for: needs, wants and values, Money mindset: comparison, social media and lifestyle creep, Cutting everyday costs: food, books, transport and subscriptions

Break · 15 min

Break

Rest before the capstone.

  1. Stretch and drink water.
  2. Glance back at your Day 1 budget.
Learn · 10 min

Giving, sadaqa and zakat as concepts

Generosity is part of a healthy money plan in many families and faiths.

  1. Gulf News explains that Zakat Al Mal is 2.5 per cent of qualifying wealth, due when wealth stays above a minimum threshold, the nisab, for a full lunar year.
  2. The nisab is linked to the value of 87.48 g of gold or 612.36 g of silver, so its value in dirhams changes with market prices (Gulf News).
  3. Illustration: qualifying savings of AED 20,000 held above the nisab for a full lunar year would mean zakat of AED 500.
  4. Zakat Al Fitr is a separate, smaller payment per person made before the Eid prayer (Gulf News).
  5. Sadaqa is voluntary giving. Whatever your background, a small giving line in a budget builds the habit of generosity.
  6. For rulings on your own situation, ask a qualified scholar or an official zakat body, and give through licensed channels.

Related lessons: Money, family and generosity

Learn · 10 min

Protecting your future plan

Before you plan, know the traps that wreck plans.

  1. The FTC's scam signs apply to 'opportunities' too: pressure to act now and requests to pay by crypto, gift cards or wire transfer are warnings. Treat any promise of easy, fast money with suspicion.
  2. Finfluencers and trading apps can make risk look easy. Check whether anyone giving financial services is licensed before trusting them.
  3. An emergency fund is usually kept somewhere easy to reach and not likely to fall in value just when you need it.
  4. Debt traps (overdrafts, BNPL, payday loans) can undo months of saving.

Related lessons: Crypto, trading apps, finfluencers and get-rich-quick schemes, Investment, crypto, romance and pyramid scams, Avoiding debt traps: overdrafts, BNPL, payday loans and loan sharks, Building a long-term plan: time in the market and avoiding emotional traps

Capstone · 30 min

Build your 12-month money plan

Bring everything together on one page.

  1. Use your Day 1 scenario card and its rebalanced budget, or a real allowance or part-time income if you are comfortable.
  2. Write your monthly budget so it totals your income exactly.
  3. Set one or two goals with an amount, deadline and monthly figure. Example: a AED 3,000 laptop in 10 months needs AED 300 a month; saving AED 300 a month for 12 months gives AED 3,600 before any interest.
  4. Set a starter emergency target based on your most likely surprise costs, and say where it will be kept.
  5. Add a giving line and one sentence on why.
  6. Write three money rules: one on credit, one on scams, one on spending.
  7. Check your plan against the rubric and fix one weakness.

Solo

Write the plan on one page, then do a timed three-minute voice note explaining it.

Group

Individuals write their own plans; teammates act as checkers for arithmetic. The facilitator circulates and asks each student one 'what if' question.

Related lessons: Money goals and your emergency fund, Why save: emergency funds, goals and paying yourself first, Building a long-term plan: time in the market and avoiding emotional traps, What to do with your first income

Capstone · 15 min

Present or self-assess

Share your plan clearly and calmly, or score it honestly.

  1. Present in three minutes: income, biggest need, goal, emergency target, giving line, three rules.
  2. Listeners give one 'strength' and one 'question'.
  3. Score yourself 1 to 4 on each rubric criterion and write one improvement.

Solo

Score yourself against the rubric and ask a family member for one strength and one question.

Group

In groups of 4 to 6, each student presents for 3 minutes with 1 minute of feedback. No one is required to share real family figures.

Reflect · 10 min

Looking back, looking ahead

Close the camp with a moment of honest reflection.

  1. Write the most useful thing you learned in each of the three days.
  2. Write one date in your calendar to review your 12-month plan.
  3. Write one person you could talk to about money questions.

Solo

Write for 8 minutes, then set a phone reminder for your review date.

Group

Silent writing, then a closing circle where each student says one word about how they now feel about money.

Related lessons: Talking to family about money and asking for help

Go to your journal

Quiz · 5 min

Day 3 quiz

Five final questions.

  1. Answer alone.
  2. Celebrate finishing the camp.

Go to the day quiz

Your journal

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Money Camp · Day 3: Growing money and the future · My journal

Day 3 quiz

Score 80% or more to complete Day 3.

1. Using the Rule of 72, roughly how long does money take to double at 6 per cent a year?

2. How does Moneysmart describe compound interest?

3. AED 1,000 grows at an illustrative 5 per cent a year, compounded yearly. What is it after 10 years?

4. What rate of Zakat Al Mal does Gulf News report on qualifying wealth?

5. What inflation target does the Bank of England work to?

Overnight challenge

Put your plan's review date in a calendar and take the first small action within 48 hours, such as setting up a separate savings pot with a parent, or cancelling one unused subscription.

Sources

  1. Moneysmart (ASIC, Australian Government): Compound interest
  2. Corporate Finance Institute: Rule of 72
  3. Bank of England: What is inflation?
  4. Gulf News: Zakat Al Mal and Zakat Al Fitr explained (updated March 2026)
  5. FTC (US Federal Trade Commission): How to avoid a scam
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