Money WondersPlay

Banks & Central BanksModern Money

Where Is Your Money?

Your balance is a number on a screen; only about one US dollar in ten exists as cash

Ask your bank for every dollar you own, in cash, today. Most branches couldn't hand it over. Here's why.

You'll find out

  • Where your deposit really goes
  • How much real cash exists
  • How a bank emptied in one day

Why it matters

It explains bank runs, deposit insurance, and why the money in your app is a promise, not paper.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 1 · Zone 1

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  1. 2What Money IsWhat Is Money, Really?Swap it, price with it, save it, and believe in it
  2. 3Time and MoneyWhat's Your Hour Really Worth?Your real hourly wage is lower than your paycheck says
  3. 4CoinsThe Four-Cent PennyMaking a cent cost the US Mint almost four, so in 2025 it stopped
  4. 5History of MoneyFrom Shells to CoinsCowrie shells, silver lumps and the first stamped coins
  5. 6History of MoneyThe Barter MythTextbooks say people bartered before money. Anthropologists can't find it
  6. 7History of MoneyPaper PromisesThe first paper money was an IOU you could pass on
  7. 8History of MoneyWhy It's Called a DollarThe name started in a silver mine in Bohemia
  8. 9OpportunityAcres of DiamondsIn a famous 1890 lecture, a farmer sells his land to hunt the world for diamonds; the next owner finds them in the backyard stream