RICH DAD, POOR DAD

What the Rich Teach Their Kids About MoneyThat the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!

Author: Robert T. Kiyosaki

Publisher: Warner Books Ed.
Date of Publication: 2000
No. of Pages: 207 pages

About the Author

Wisdom in a Nutshell
FINANCIAL LITERACY = FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

Robert T. Kiyosaki
Retiring at the age of 47, Robert
continued with his love of
investing. It was during his
"retirement", he wrote Rich Dad
Poor Dad, the #1 New York
Times bestseller. Robert followed
with Rich Dad's CASHFLOW
Quadrant and Rich Dad's Guide
to Investing - all 3 books have
been on the top 10 best-seller
lists simultaneously on The Wall
Street Journal, USA Today and
The New York Times. In January
2001 Robert launched Rich Kid
Smart Kid.

A true tale of two dads one a highly educated professor, the other, an eighth
grade dropout. Educated dad left his family with nothing, except maybe some
unpaid bills. The dropout later became one of Hawaii's richest men and left his
son an empire. One dad would say, I can't afford it while the other, asked,
How can I afford it?
Rich dad teaches two boys priceless lessons on money, by making them learn
through experience. The most important lesson of all is How to Use Your Mind
and Time to create personal wealth. Free yourself from the proverbial rat
race. Learn to spot opportunities, create solutions and mind your own
business. Learn to make money work for you, and not be its slave.
Rich Dad's Words of Wisdom:

You are what you Think.

A job is a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
A highly paid slave is still a slave.
Why climb the corporate ladder when you can own the ladder?

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RICH DAD, POOR DAD

By Robert T. Kiyosaki

people to be good employees, and not employers.

The obsolete school system also fails to provide
young people with basic financial skills rich people
use to grow their wealth. Know your options and use
this knowledge to build a formidable asset column.

Key Ideas
There is a Need
The rationale for teaching people financial literacy
comes from the fact there is no real job security these
days. Even after years of toil, the poor and middle
class may find they do not have sufficient funds for
their children's college education, or their own
retirement. Why work for a corporation, the
government, and the bank all your life? Awaken your
financial genius and gain financial independence and
freedom!

In an age of instant millionaires it really isn't about how

much money you make, it's about how much you
keep, and how many generations you can keep it.
Steps to get out of the proverbial rat race:
1. First, understand the difference between an asset
and a liability.
Asse ts

Lesson 1: The Rich Dont Work For Money

At age 9, Robert Kiyosaki and his best friend Mike
asked Mike's father (Rich Dad) to teach them how to
make money. After 3 weeks of dusting cans in one of
Rich Dad's convenience stores at 10 cents a week,
Kiyosaki was ready to quit. Rich Dad pointed out this is
exactly what his employees sounded like. Some
people quit a job because it doesn't pay well. Others
see it as an opportunity to learn something new.
Work to Learn.
Next Rich Dad put the two boys to work, this time for
nothing. Doing this forced them to think up a source of
income, a business scheme. The opportunity came to
them upon noticing discarded comic books in the
store. The first business plan was hatched. The boys
opened a comic book library and employed Mike's
sister at 1$ a week to mind it. Soon they were earning
$9.50 a week without having to physically run the
library, while kids read as much comics as they could
in two hours after school for only a few cents.

Lesson 2: Why Teach Financial Literacy?

They don't teach this at school.
The growing gap between rich and poor is rooted in
the antiquated educational system. The system trains

Copyright 2004

Liabilities

Real Estate

Mortgages

Stocks

Consumer Loans

Bonds

Credit Cards

Notes
Intellec tual Property

The poor have day-to-day expenses, the middle class

purchase liabilities that they think are assets (i.e., a
home or a car), and the rich build a solid base of
income-generating assets.
The middle class finds itself in a constant state of
financial struggle. Their primary income is wages, as
wages increase, so do their taxes. Expenses increase
as wages increase. Hence the phrase "the rat race."
They treat their home as their primary asset instead of
investing in income-generating assets.
The rich get richer because they keep acquiring more
assets and investments to generate more income,
which far exceeds their expenses.
Reasons why the home is not an asset but a liability:
1. People work almost all their lives to pay off a
home (30year loans)
2. Maintenance and utilities expenses.
3. Property tax
4. House values can depreciate.
5. Instead of investing in income-earning assets,
your money goes out to payments for the
house.

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Your losses:
1. Time that could have been used to grow
value in other
assets.
2. Capital which could have been invested
rather than
Paying home-related expenses
3. Education that makes you a Sophisticated
investor
If you want to buy a house, first generate the cash
flow by acquiring assets, which bring income to pay
for it.
Examples of real assets are:
!
Apartments for rent
!
Real estate
!
Businesses that do not require your
physical presence. You hire managers.

Keep your day job but start minding

your own business.

7 years
Real estate
Notes (IOUs)
Royalties on intellectual property
Valuables that produce income or
appreciate

In summary, the key steps to getting out of the rat

race are the ff:
1. Understand the difference between an
asset and a
liability.
2. Concentrate your efforts on buying incomeearning

Copyright 2004

Lesson 3: Mind Your Own Business

Kiyosaki sold photocopiers on commission at Xerox.
With his earnings he purchased real estate. In 3
years' time his real estate income was far greater than
his earnings at Xerox. He then left the company to
mind his own business full time. He knew that in order
to get out of the rat race fast, he needed to work
harder, sell more copiers and mind his own business.
Don't spend all your wages. Build a good portfolio of
assets and you can spend later when these assets
bring you greater income.

Lesson 4: The History of Taxes and the

Power of Corporations

Average time of holding on to an asset before selling

it for a higher value:
1 year
!
Stocks (Startups and small companies are
good investments)
!
Bonds
!
Mutual funds
!
!
!
!

assets.
3. Focus on keeping liabilities and expenses at
a
minimum.
4. Mind your own business.

Income tax has been levied on citizens in England

since 1874. In the United States it was introduced in
1913. Since then what was initially a plan to tax only
the rich eventually "trickled down" to the middle class
and the poor.
The rich have a secret weapon to shelter themselves
from heavy taxation. It's called the Corporation. It isn't
a building with the company name and logo in brass
signage out front. A corporation is simply a legal
document in your attorney's file cabinet duly
registered under a government state agency.
Corporations offer great tax advantages and
protection from lawsuits. It's the legal way to protect
your wealth, and the rich have been using it for
generations. Do your own research and find out what
tax laws will bring you the best advantages.
The Golden Rule: PAY YOURSELF FIRST.
Rich dad says paying yourself first forces you to
create more sources of income to cover your

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expenses. It's a simple rule that works like this:

The Rich with
Corporations

People who work

for corporations:

Earn

Earn

Spend

Pay taxes

Pay taxes

Spend

Key Financial IQ Components

It helps to take some courses to gain financial
literacy; rich dad stresses the importance of learning
1. Accounting. It pays to know how to
read financial statements. When acquiring
businesses or assets you need to quickly see the
financial standing of the company you are acquiring.
Many grown adults do not know how to balance a
balance sheet. In the long term, this knowledge will
pay off for you and your business.
2. Investment Strategy. This skill will
sharpen with experience. Talk to investors and
observe how they play the game. Kiyosaki and Mike
spent many boyhood hours sitting in on Rich Dad's
meetings with brokers, accountants, and attorneys.
3. Market Behavior. Know the laws of
Supply and Demand. No business owner can do
without understanding these basic principles of the
market. Bill Gates saw what people needed. Open
your eyes to opportunities. Look at what sells and
who buys.

Make good use of your time and find the best

deals.
An example: In the early 90's the Phoenix economy
was bad. Homes once valued at $100,000 sold for
$75,000. Kiyosaki shopped at bankruptcy courts and
bought the same houses at only $20,000. He resold
these properties for $60,000 making a cool $40,000
profit. After six more transactions of the same manner
he made a total $190,000 in profit and it only took 30
hours of work time.
Two Types of Investors:
1. Buyers of Packaged Investments. This is
when you call a retail outlet, real estate company,
stockbroker or financial planner and put your
money in ready-made investments. It's a simple,
clean way of investing.
2. The Professional Investor Design your
own investment. Assemble a deal and put
together different components of an
opportunity. Rich dad encourages this type. You
need to develop three main skills to be this type
of investor, namely how to:
!
Identify an opportunity everyone else
has missed.
!
Raise capital
!
Organize smart people
Identify an opportunity everyone else has
missed.
Learn to identify hidden Freebies in business deals.
For example: The real business of McDonald's isn't
hamburgers. It's the free real estate underneath each
franchise, on every important intersection, in cities all
over the world that is the real wealth of its owners.

4. Law Kiyosaki recommends doing

everything you can to grow your business
within legal boundaries. Know your corporate,
state, and accounting laws.

THERE IS ALWAYS RISK: You need to learn how to

manage risk and not avoid it.

Lesson 5: The Rich Invent Money

Lesson 6: Work to Learn -Don't Work for

Money

Self-confidence coupled with high financial IQ can

certainly earn more for you than merely saving a
little bit every month.

Copyright 2004

The Author's Odyssey

After college graduation Robert Kiyosaki joined the
Marine Corps. He learned to fly for the love of it. He
also learned to lead troops, an important part of
management training. His next move was to join

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Xerox where he learned to overcome his fear of

rejection. The thought of knocking on doors and
selling copiers terrified him. Soon he was among the
top 5 salespeople at the company. For a couple of
years he was No.1. Having achieved his objective overcoming his shyness and fear-he quit and began
minding his own business.
A Difference in Education
Schools train professionals. Professionals become
so specialized they cannot apply themselves in
other fields and need to form unions to protect their
jobs. Remember you can have a profession, say,
learn to be a pilot if you want to learn how to fly, but at
the same time mind your own business.
The rich "groom" the next generation by training the
heir in all aspects of running the business. They
move him from department to department so he
learns how each one relates to the other.
Specialization is not the key here, but picking up
important lessons from each area and seeing the
business as a whole.

Learn skills like PR, marketing, and

advertising. Take a second job if it
means learning more.

Rich Dad groomed Kiyosaki and Mike in the same

manner. Mike would later take over Rich Dad's
empire, which included restaurants, convenience
stores, and a construction company. Kiyosaki
created his own empire with real estate, new
products and educational materials.
Three Main Management Skills
1. Management of Cash Flow
2. Management of Systems (Includes Time
with family
and time for your self)
3. Management of People

Copyright 2004

Five Obstacles to Financial Independence

1. Fear. Don't play it safe and cling to what you
think is secure. If you don't go for it and think big
you won't be able to earn big.
2. Cynicism. Don't listen to advice of others
who are not doing what you intend to do. Listen to
your self and those who are doing what you aim to
do.
3. Laziness. Greed is good and fights laziness.
Think about the freedom and money you'll have
and you will put in those extra work hours.
Change your thinking. Instead of saying "I can't
afford it." Ask yourself "How can I afford it?"
Challenge your mind to create solutions.
4. Bad Habits. Spending habits should turn into
saving and investing habits.
5. Arrogance. Don't think you know everything
there is to know about money. Listen to others.
Enroll in useful seminars.
Ten Steps to Awaken Your Financial Genius:
1. Find a reason greater than reality, a big
dream. Think of the freedom, the lifestyle
wherein you control your own time. Think of what
you don't want, i.e. "I don't like being an
employee".
2. Use the power of choice, daily. You can
choose to watch MTV, or watch CNBC. It's how
you choose to use your time and energy
everyday that brings financial success in the long
run.
3. Choose your friends carefully. It pays to
have friends who are focused and achieving their
goals. Surround yourself with friends you can
learn from.
4. Master a formula. Learn a new one, and
learn fast.
5. Pay yourself first. Practice self-discipline by
keeping expenses low. Tenants can pay for your
expenses if you rent out apartments or ministorage, for instance. Savings are used for
investing and creating more money, not for
paying bills.
6. Pay your broker well. Attorneys,
accountants, stockbrokers, and real estate
brokers will have more incentive to work harder
for you. If they make more money, it means you
make more money as well. 3-7% is a good

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incentive.
7. Be an Indian giver. It's the concept behind
ROI. (Return on investment) Invest and then take
the initial money out after a time when the
investment has earned for you.
8. Buy luxuries last. Let the income from your
growing assets afford you the new car. Wait for
your asset base to grow first. Middle class people
buy luxuries first, on credit.
9. Find yourself a hero. When you play golf
you can imagine you are Tiger Woods. When you
do business, you can ask yourself, "What would
George Soros have done if he was in my place
right now?"
10. Teach and you shall receive. As in money,
love, or friendship. If you give without expecting
anything in return, you receive more.

the dating scene.

6. Take a walk through your neighborhood and
look for bargain real estate deals.
7. Buy the pie and cut it into pieces. People buy
only what they can afford so they think small.
Think big. This goes for land and other
investments.
8. Learn from history. Colonel Sanders lost
everything in his 60's and started from scratch
with a fried chicken recipe. Bill Gates became
Rich before he was 30.
ACTION ALWAYS BEATS INACTION.

According to Kiyosaki, the Japanese have a belief in

three great powers:
1. The Sword (weapons)
2. The Jewel (money)
3. The Mirror (self-awareness)
The most valuable of the three is the mirror, or
knowing your self. Without this knowledge of self you
will have no direction in life and in your business.

To-Do List
1. Stop what you're doing. Take a step back to
assess your situation. Stop doing what is not
working and look for a new option.
2. Look for new ideas.
3. Take action. Find someone who has done
what you want to do. Take them to lunch. Ask
for tips.
4. Take classes and buy tapes.
5. Make lots of offers. Finding a good business
deal is a lot like dating. You must go to the
market and talk to a lot of people, make offers,
counteroffers, negotiate, accept and reject.
Many single people sit at home waiting for the
phone to ring instead of going out and hitting
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