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 115 Chapter Six LESSO Chapter Six: Lesson 6 116 She stiffened. “Are you saying I should go to school to learn to sell?” I nodded. “You aren’t serious, are you?” Again, I nodded. “What is wrong with that?” I was now backpedaling. She was offended by something, and now I was wishing I had not said anything. In my attempt to be helpful, I found myself defending my suggestion. “I have a master’s degree in English Literature. Why would I go to school to learn to be a salesperson? I am a professional. I went to school to be trained in a profession so I would not have to be a sales person. I hate salespeople. All they want is money. So tell me why I should study sales?” She was packing her briefcase. The interview was over. On the coffee table sat a copy of an earlier best-selling book I wrote. I picked it up as well as the notes she had jotted down on her legal pad. “Do you see this?” I said pointing to her notes. She looked down at her notes. “What?” she said, confused. Again, I pointed deliberately to her notes. On her pad she had written: “Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author.” “It says best-selling author, not best-writing author,” I said quietly. Her eyes widened. “I am a terrible writer,” I said. “You are a great writer. I went to sales school. You have a master’s degree. Put them together and you get a ‘best-selling author’ and a ‘best-writing author.’” Anger flared from her eyes. “I’ll never stoop so low as to learn how to sell. People like you have no business writing. I am a professionally trained writer and you are a salesman. It is not fair,” she fumed. She put the rest of her notes away and hurried out through the large glass doors into the humid Singapore morning. At least she gave me a fair and favorable write-up the next morning. The world is filled with smart, talented, educated, and gifted people. We meet them every day. They are all around us. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled into a garage, and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed. Rich Dad Poor Dad 117 I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I have met brilliant, highly educated people who earn less than $20,000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade was telling me how many doctors, dentists, and chiropractors struggle financially. All this time, I thought that when they graduated, the dollars would pour in. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase: “They are one skill away from great wealth.” What this phrase means is that most people need only to learn and master one more skill and their income would jump exponentially. I have mentioned before that financial intelligence is a synergy of accounting, investing, marketing, and law. Combine those four technical skills and making money with money is easier than most people would believe. When it comes to money, the only skill most people know is to work hard. The classic example of a synergy of skills was that young writer for the newspaper. If she diligently learned the skills of sales and marketing, her income would jump dramatically. If I were her, I would take some courses in advertising copywriting as well as sales. Then, instead of working at the newspaper, I would seek a job at an advertising agency. Even if it were a cut in pay, she would learn how to communicate in short-cuts that are used in successful advertising. She also would spend time learning public relations, an important skill. She would learn how to get millions in free publicity. Then, at night and on weekends, she could be writing her great novel. When it was finished, she would be better able to sell her book. Then, in a short while, she could be a “bestselling author.” When I came out with my first book, If You Want To Be Rich and Happy, Don’t Go to School, a publisher suggested I change the title to The Economics of Education. I told the publisher that, with a title like that, I would sell two books: one to my family, and one to my best friend. The problem is that they would expect it for free. The obnoxious title, If You Want To Be Rich and Happy, Don’t Go to School, was chosen because we knew it would get tons of publicity. I am pro-education and believe in education reform. If I were not pro-education, why would Chapter Six: Lesson 6 118 I continue to press for changing our antiquated educational system? So I chose a title that would get me on more TV and radio shows, simply because I was willing to be controversial. Many people thought I was a fruitcake, but the book sold and sold. When I graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1969, my educated dad was happy. Standard Oil of California had hired me for its oil-tanker fleet as a third mate. The pay was low compared with my classmates, but it was okay for a first real job after college. My starting pay was about $42,000 a year, including overtime, and I only had to work for seven months. I had five months of vacation. If I had wanted to, I could have taken the run to Vietnam with a subsidiary shipping company and easily doubled my pay instead of taking five months of vacation. I had a great career ahead of me, yet I resigned after six months with the company and joined the Marine Corps to learn how to fly. My educated dad was devastated. Rich dad congratulated me. In school and in the workplace, the popular opinion is the idea of specialization: that is, in order to make more money or get promoted, you need to specialize. That is why medical doctors immediately begin to seek a specialty such as orthopedics or pediatrics. The same is true for accountants, architects, lawyers, pilots, and others. My educated dad believed in the same dogma. That is why he was thrilled when he eventually achieved his doctorate. He often admitted that schools reward people who study more and more about less and less. Rich dad encouraged me to do exactly the opposite. “You want to know a little about a lot” was his suggestion. That is why for years I worked in different areas of his companies. For a while, I worked in his accounting department. Although I would probably never have been an accountant, he wanted me to learn via osmosis. Rich dad knew I would pick up jargon and a sense of what is important and what is not. I also worked as a bus boy and construction worker as “You want to know a little about a lot” was rich dad’s suggestion. Rich Dad Poor Dad 119 well as in sales, reservations, and marketing. He was grooming Mike and me. That is why he insisted we sit in on the meetings with his bankers, lawyers, accountants, and brokers. He wanted us to know a little about every aspect of his empire. When I quit my high-paying job with Standard Oil, my educated dad had a heart-to-heart talk with me. He was bewildered. He could not understand my decision to resign from a career that offered high pay, great benefits, lots of time off, and opportunity for promotion. When he asked me one evening, “Why did you quit?” I could not explain it to him, though I tried hard to. My logic did not fit his logic. The big problem was that my logic was my rich dad’s logic. Job security meant everything to my educated dad. Learning meant everything to my rich dad. Educated dad thought I went to school to learn to be a ship’s officer. Rich dad knew that I went to school to study international trade. So as a student, I made cargo runs, navigating large freighters, oil tankers, and passenger ships to the Far East and the South Pacific. Rich dad emphasized that I should stay in the Pacific instead of taking ships to Europe because he knew that the emerging nations were in Asia, not Europe. While most of my classmates, including Mike, were partying at their fraternity houses, I was studying trade, people, business styles, and cultures in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Korea, Tahiti, Samoa, and the Philippines. I was partying also, but it was not in any frat house. I grew up rapidly. Educated dad just could not understand why I decided to quit and join the Marine Corps. I told him I wanted to learn to fly, but really I wanted to learn to lead troops. Rich dad explained to me that the hardest part of running a company is managing people. He had spent three years in the Army; my educated dad was draft-exempt. Rich dad valued learning to lead men into dangerous situations. “Leadership is what you need to learn next,” he said. “If you’re not a good leader, you’ll get shot in the back, just like they do in business.” Returning from Vietnam in 1973, I resigned my commission, even though I loved flying. I found a job with Xerox Corp. I joined it for Chapter Six: Lesson 6 120 one reason, and it was not for the benefits. I was a shy person, and the thought of selling was the most frightening subject in the world. Xerox has one of the best sales-training programs in America. Rich dad was proud of me. My educated dad was ashamed. Being an intellectual, he thought that salespeople were below him. I worked with Xerox for four years until I overcame my fear of knocking on doors and being rejected. Once I could consistently be in the top five in sales, I again resigned and moved on, leaving behind another great career with an excellent company. In 1977, I formed my first company. Rich dad had groomed Mike and me to take over companies. So I now had to learn to form them and put them together. My first product, the nylon-and-Velcro wallet, was manufactured in the Far East and shipped to a warehouse in New York, near where I had gone to school. My formal education was complete, and it was time to test my wings. If I failed, I would go broke. Rich dad thought it best to go broke before 30. “You still have time to recover” was his advice. On the eve of my 30th birthday, my first shipment left Korea for New York. Today, I still do business internationally. And as my rich dad encouraged me to do, I keep seeking the emerging nations. Today my investment company invests in South American countries and Asian countries, as well as in Norway and Russia. There is an old cliché that goes: “Job is an acronym for ‘Just Over Broke.’” Unfortunately, I would say that applies to millions of people. Because school does not think financial intelligence is an intelligence, most workers live within their means. They work and they pay the bills. There is another horrible management theory that goes, “Workers work hard enough to not be fired, and owners pay just enough so that workers won’t quit.” And if you look at the pay scales of most companies, again I would say there is a degree of truth to that statement. The net result is that most workers never get ahead. They do what they’ve been taught to do: Get a secure job. Most workers focus on Job is an acronym for “Just Over Broke.” Rich Dad Poor Dad 121 working for pay and benefits that reward them in the short term, but are often disastrous in the long run. Instead, I recommend to young people to seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn. Look down the road at what skills they want to acquire before choosing a specific profession and before getting trapped in the Rat Race. Once people are trapped in the lifelong process of bill-paying, they become like those little hamsters running around in those metal wheels. Their little furry legs are spinning furiously, the wheel is turning furiously, but come tomorrow morning, they’ll still be in the same cage. Great job. In the movie Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise, there are many great one-liners. Probably the most memorable is: “Show me the money.” But there is one line I thought most truthful. It comes from the scene where Tom Cruise is leaving the firm. He has just been fired, and he is asking the entire company, “Who wants to come with me?” And the whole place is silent and frozen. Only one woman speaks up and says, “I’d like to, but I’m due for a promotion in three months.” That statement is probably the most truthful statement in the whole movie. It is the type of statement that people use to keep themselves busy, working away to pay bills. I know my educated dad looked forward to his pay raise every year, and every year he was disappointed. So he would go back to school to earn more qualifications so he could get another raise. Then, once again, there would be another disappointment. The question I often ask people is, “Where is this daily activity taking you?” Just like the little hamster, I wonder if people look at where their hard work is taking them. What does the future hold? In his book The Retirement Myth, Craig S. Karpel writes: “I visited the headquarters of a major national pension consulting firm and met with a managing director who specializes in designing lush retirement plans for top management. When I asked her what people who don’t have corner offices will be able to expect in the way of pension income, she said with a confident smile, ‘The Silver Bullet’. Chapter Six: Lesson 6 122 “What, I asked, is ‘The Silver Bullet?’” “She shrugged and said, ‘If baby boomers discover they don’t have enough money to live on when they’re older, they can always blow their brains out.’” Karpel goes on to explain the difference between the old definedbenefit retirement plans and the new 401(k) plans that are riskier. It is not a pretty picture for most people working today. And that is just for retirement. Add medical fees and long-term nursing-home care and the picture is frightening. Already, many hospitals in countries with socialized medicine need to make tough decisions such as, “Who will live, and who will die?” They make those decisions purely on how much money they have and how old the patients are. If the patient is old, they often will give the medical care to someone younger. The older poor patient gets put to the back of the line. Just as the rich can afford better education, the rich will be able to keep themselves alive, while those who have little wealth will die. So I wonder: Are workers looking into the future or just until their next paycheck, never questioning where they are headed? When I speak to adults who want to earn more money, I always recommend the same thing. I suggest taking a long view of their life. Instead of simply working for the money and security, which I admit are important, I suggest they take a second job that will teach them a second skill. Often I recommend joining a network-marketing company, also called multilevel marketing, if they want to learn sales skills. Some of these companies have excellent training programs that help people get over their fear of failure and rejection, which are the main reasons people are unsuccessful. Education is more valuable than money, in the long run. When I offer this suggestion, I often hear in response, “Oh that is too much hassle,” or “I only want to do what I am interested in.” If they say, “It’s too much of a hassle,” I ask, “So you would rather work all your life giving 50 percent of what you earn to the government?” If they tell me, “I only do what I am interested in,” Rich Dad Poor Dad 123 I say, “I’m not interested in going to the gym, but I go because I want to feel better and live longer.” Unfortunately, there is some truth to the old statement, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Unless a person is used to changing, it’s hard to change. But for those of you who might be on the fence when it comes to the idea of working to learn something new, I offer this word of encouragement: Life is much like going to the gym. The most painful part is deciding to go. Once you get past that, it’s easy. There have been many days I have dreaded going to the gym, but once I am there and in motion, it is a pleasure. After the workout is over, I am always glad I talked myself into going. If you are unwilling to work to learn something new and instead insist on becoming highly specialized within your field, make sure the company you work for is unionized. Labor unions are designed to protect specialists. My educated dad, after falling from grace with the governor, became the head of the teachers union in Hawaii. He told me that it was the hardest job he ever held. My rich dad, on the other hand, spent his life doing his best to keep his companies from becoming unionized. He was successful. Although the unions came close, rich dad was always able to fight them off. Personally, I take no sides because I can see the need for and the benefits of both sides. If you do as school recommends, become highly specialized. Then seek union protection. For example, had I continued with my flying career, I would have sought a company that had a strong pilots union. Why? Because my life would be dedicated to learning a skill that was valuable in only one industry. If I were pushed out of that industry, my life’s skills would not be as valuable to another industry. A displaced senior pilot—with 100,000 hours of heavy airline transport time, earning $150,000 a year—would have a hard time finding an equivalent high-paying job teaching in school. Skills do not necessarily transfer from industry to industry. Skills the pilots are paid for in the airline industry are not as important in, say, the school system. Chapter Six: Lesson 6 124 The same is true even for doctors today. With all the changes in medicine, many medical specialists are needing to conform to medical organizations such as HMOs. Schoolteachers definitely need to be union members. Today in America, the teachers union is the largest and the richest labor union of all. The NEA, the National Education Association, has tremendous political clout. Teachers need the protection of their union because their skills are also of limited value to an industry outside of education. So the rule of thumb is: “Highly specialized; then unionize.” It’s the smart thing to do. When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s?” almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonald’s is excellent at business systems. The reason so many talented people are poor is because they focus on building a better hamburger and know little to nothing about business systems. A friend of mine in Hawaii is a great artist. He makes a sizable amount of money. One day his mother’s attorney called to tell him that she had left him $35,000. That is what was left of her estate after the attorney and the government took their shares. Immediately, he saw an opportunity to increase his business by using some of this money to advertise. Two months later, his first four-color, full-page ad appeared in an expensive magazine that targeted the very rich. The ad ran for three months. He received no replies from the ad, and all of his inheritance is now gone. He now wants to sue the magazine for misrepresentation. This is a common case of someone who can build a beautiful hamburger, but knows little about business. When I asked him what he learned, his only reply was, “Advertising salespeople are crooks.” I then asked him if he would be willing to take a course in sales and a course in direct marketing. His reply, “I don’t have the time, and I don’t want to waste my money.” The world is filled with talented poor people. All too often, they’re poor or struggle financially or earn less than they are capable of, not Rich Dad Poor Dad 125 because of what they know, but because of what they do not know. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger. Maybe McDonald’s does not make the best hamburger, but they are the best at selling and delivering a basic average burger. Poor dad wanted me to specialize. That was his view on how to be paid more. Even after being told by the governor of Hawaii that he could no longer work in state government, my educated dad continued to encourage me to get specialized. Educated dad then took up the cause of the teachers’ union, campaigning for further protection and benefits for these highly skilled and educated professionals. We argued often, but I know he never agreed that overspecialization is what caused the need for union protection. He never understood that the more specialized you become, the more you are trapped and dependent on that specialty. Rich dad advised that Mike and I groom ourselves. Many corporations do the same thing. They find a young bright student just out of business school and begin grooming that person to someday take over the company. So these bright young employees do not specialize in one department. They are moved from department to department to learn all the aspects of business systems. The rich often groom their children or the children of others. By doing so, their children gain an overall knowledge of the operations of the business and how the various departments interrelate. For the World War II generation, it was considered bad to skip from company to company. Today, it is considered smart. Since people will skip from company to company rather than seek greater specialization in skills, why not seek to learn more than to earn? In the short term, it may earn you less, but it will pay dividends in the long term. Chapter Six: Lesson 6 126 The main management skills needed for success are: 1. Management of cash flow 2. Management of systems 3. Management of people The most important specialized skills are sales and marketing. The ability to sell—to communicate to another human being, be it a customer, employee, boss, spouse, or child—is the base skill of personal success. Communication skills such as writing, speaking, and negotiating are crucial to a life of success. These are skills I work on constantly, attending courses or buying educational resources to expand my knowledge. As I have mentioned, my educated dad worked harder and harder the more competent he became. He also became more trapped the more specialized he got. Although his salary went up, his choices diminished. Soon after he was locked out of government work, he found out how vulnerable he really was professionally. It is like professional athletes who suddenly are injured or are too old to play. Their once high-paying position is gone, and they have limited skills to fall back on. I think that is why my educated dad sided so much with the unions after that. He realized how much a union would have benefited him. Rich dad encouraged Mike and me to know a little about a lot. He encouraged us to work with people smarter than we were and to bring smart people together to work as a team. Today it would be called a synergy of professional specialities. Today, I meet ex-schoolteachers earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. They earn that much because they have specialized skills in their field as well as other skills. They can teach, as well as sell and market. I know of no other skills to be more important than selling and marketing. The skills of selling and marketing are difficult for most people, primarily due to their fear of rejection. The better Rich Dad Poor Dad 127 you are at communicating, negotiating, and handling your fear of rejection, the easier life is. Just as I advised that newspaper writer who wanted to become a best-selling author, I advise anyone else today. Being technically specialized has its strengths as well as its weaknesses. I have friends who are geniuses, but they cannot communicate effectively with other human beings and, as a result, their earnings are pitiful. I advise them to just spend a year learning to sell. Even if they earn nothing, their communication skills will improve. And that is priceless. In addition to being good learners, sellers, and marketers, we need to be good teachers as well as good students. To be truly rich, we need to be able to give as well as to receive. In cases of financial or professional struggle, there is often a lack of giving and receiving. I know many people who are poor because they are neither good students nor good teachers. Both of my dads were generous men. Both made it a practice to give first. Teaching was one of their ways of giving. The more they gave, the more they received. One glaring difference was in the giving of money. My rich dad gave lots of money away. He gave to his church, to charities, and to his foundation. He knew that to receive money, you had to give money. Giving money is the secret to most great wealthy families. That is why there are organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation. These are organizations designed to take their wealth and increase it, as well as give it away in perpetuity. My educated dad always said, “When I have some extra money, I’ll give it.” The problem was that there was never any extra. So he worked harder to draw more money in, rather than focus on the most important law of money: “Give, and you shall receive.” Instead, he believed in: “Receive, and then you give.” In conclusion, I became both dads. One part of me is a hard-core capitalist who loves the game of money making money. The other part is a socially responsible teacher who is deeply concerned with this everwidening gap between the haves and have-nots. I personally hold the archaic educational system primarily responsible for this growing gap. Chapter Seven OVERCOMING OBSTACLES 129 The primary difference between a rich person and a poor person is how they manage fear. Once people have studied and become financially literate, they may still face roadblocks to becoming financially independent. There are five main reasons why financially literate people may still not develop abundant asset columns that could produce a large cash flow. The five reasons are: 1. Fear 2. Cynicism 3. Laziness 4. Bad habits 5. Arrogance Overcoming Fear I have never met anyone who really likes losing money. And in all my years, I have never met a rich person who has never lost money. But I have met a lot of poor people who have never lost a dime— investing, that is. The fear of losing money is real. Everyone has it. Even the rich. But it’s not having fear that is the problem. It’s how you handle fear. It’s how you handle losing. It’s how you handle failure that makes the Chapter Seven: Overcoming Obstacles 130 difference in one’s life. The primary difference between a rich person and a poor person is how they manage that fear. It’s okay to be fearful. It’s okay to be a coward when it comes to money. You can still be rich. We’re all heroes at something, and cowards at something else. My friend’s wife is an emergency-room nurse. When she sees blood, she flies into action. When I mention investing, she runs away. When I see blood, I don’t run. I pass out. My rich dad understood phobias about money. “Some people are terrified of snakes. Some people are terrified about losing money. Both are phobias,” he would say. So his solution to the phobia of losing money was this little rhyme: “If you hate risk and worry, start early.” If you start young, it’s easier to be rich. I won’t go into it here, but there is a staggering difference between a person who starts investing at age 20 versus age 30. The purchase of Manhattan Island is said to be one of the greatest bargains of all time. New York was purchased for $24 in trinkets and beads. Yet if that $24 had been invested at 8 percent annually, that $24 would have been worth more than $28 trillion by 1995. Manhattan could be repurchased with money left over to buy much of Los Angeles. But what if you don’t have much time left or would like to retire early? How do you handle the fear of losing money? My poor dad did nothing. He simply avoided the issue, refusing to discuss the subject. My rich dad, on the other hand, recommended that I think like a Texan. “I like Texas and Texans,” he used to say. “In Texas, everything is bigger. When Texans win, they win big. And when they lose, it’s spectacular.” “They like losing?” I asked. “That’s not what I’m saying. Nobody likes losing. Show me a happy loser, and I’ll show you a loser,” said rich dad. “It’s a Texan’s attitude toward risk, reward, and failure I’m talking about. It’s how they handle life. They live it big. Not like most of the people around here, living like roaches when it comes to money, terrified that someone will shine a light on them, and whimpering when the grocery clerk shortchanges them a quarter.” Rich Dad Poor Dad 131 Rich dad went on. “What I like best is the Texas attitude. They’re proud when they win, and they brag when they lose. Texans have a saying, ‘If you’re going to go broke, go big.’ You don’t want to admit you went broke over a duplex.” He constantly told Mike and me that the greatest reason for lack of financial success was because most people played it too safe. “People are so afraid of losing that they lose” were his words. Fran Tarkenton, a one-time great NFL quarterback, says it still another way: “Winning means being unafraid to lose.” In my own life, I’ve noticed that winning usually follows losing. Before I finally learned to ride a bike, I first fell down many times. I’ve never met a golfer who has never lost a golf ball. I’ve never met people who have fallen in love who have never had their heart broken. And I’ve never met someone rich who has never lost money. So for most people, the reason they don’t win financially is because the pain of losing money is far greater than the joy of being rich. Another saying in Texas is, “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.” Most people dream of being rich, but are terrified of losing money. So they never get to heaven. Rich dad used to tell Mike and me stories about his trips to Texas. “If you really want to learn the attitude of how to handle risk, losing, and failure, go to San Antonio and visit the Alamo. The Alamo is a great story of brave people who chose to fight, knowing there was no hope of success. They chose to die instead of surrendering. It’s an inspiring story worthy of study. Nonetheless, it’s still a tragic military defeat. They got their butts kicked. So how do Texans handle failure? They still shout, ‘Remember the Alamo!’” Mike and I heard this story a lot. He always told us this story when he was about to go into a big deal, and he was nervous. After he had done all his due diligence and it was time to put up or shut up, he told us this story. Every time he was afraid of making a mistake or losing For most people, the reason they don’t win financially is because the pain of losing money is far greater than the joy of being rich. Chapter Seven: Overcoming Obstacles 132 money, he told us this story. It gave him strength, for it reminded him that he could always turn a financial loss into a financial win. Rich dad knew that failure would only make him stronger and smarter. It’s not that he wanted to lose. He just knew who he was and how he would take a loss. He would take a loss and make it a win. That’s what made him a winner and others losers. It gave him the courage to cross the line when others backed out. “That’s why I like Texans so much,” he would say. “They took a great failure and turned it into inspiration… as well a tourist destination that makes them millions.” But probably his words that mean the most to me today are these: “Texans don’t bury their failures. They get inspired by them. They take their failures and turn them into rallying cries. Failure inspires Texans to become winners. But that formula is not just the formula for Texans. It is the formula for all winners.” I’ve said that falling off my bike was part of learning to ride. I remember falling off only made me more determined to learn to ride, not less. I also said that I have never met a golfer who has never lost a ball. For top professional golfers, losing a ball or a tournament provides the inspiration to be better, to practice harder, to study more. That’s what makes them better. For winners, losing inspires them. For losers, losing defeats them. I like to quote John D. Rockefeller, who said, “I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity.” And being Japanese-American, I can say this. Many people say that Pearl Harbor was an American mistake. I say it was a Japanese mistake. From the movie, Tora, Tora, Tora, a somber Japanese admiral says to his cheering subordinates, “I am afraid we have awakened a sleeping giant.” “Remember Pearl Harbor” became a rallying cry. It turned one of America’s greatest losses into the reason to win. This great defeat gave America strength, and America soon emerged as a world power. Failure inspires winners. And failure defeats losers. It is the biggest secret of winners. It’s the secret that losers do not know. The greatest Failure inspires winners. Failure defeats losers. Rich Dad Poor Dad 133 secret of winners is that failure inspires winning; thus, they’re not afraid of losing. Repeating Fran Tarkenton’s quote, “Winning means being unafraid to lose.” People like Fran Tarkenton are not afraid of losing, because they know who they are. They hate losing, so they know that losing will only inspire them to become better. There is a big difference between hating losing and being afraid to lose. Most people are so afraid of losing money that they lose. They go broke over a duplex. Financially, they play life too safe and too small. They buy big houses and big cars, but not big investments. The main reason that over 90 percent of the American public struggles financially is because they play not to lose. They don’t play to win. They go to their financial planners or accountants or stockbrokers and buy a balanced portfolio. Most have lots of cash in CDs, low-yield bonds, mutual funds that can be traded within a mutual-fund family, and a few individual stocks. It is a safe and sensible portfolio. But it is not a winning portfolio. It is a portfolio of someone playing not to lose. Don’t get me wrong. It’s probably a better portfolio than more than 70 percent of the population has, and that’s frightening. It’s a great portfolio for someone who loves safety. But playing it safe and balanced on your investment portfolio is not the way successful investors play the game. If you have little money and you want to be rich, you must first be focused, not balanced. If you look at any successful person, at the start they were not balanced. Balanced people go nowhere. They stay in one spot. To make progress, you must first go unbalanced. Just look at how you make progress walking. Thomas Edison was not balanced. He was focused. Bill Gates was not balanced. He was focused. Donald Trump is focused. George Soros is focused. George Patton did not take his tanks wide. He focused them and blew through the weak spots in the German line. The French went wide with the Maginot Line, and you know what happened to them. If you have any desire to be rich, you must focus. Do not do what poor and middle-class people do: put their few eggs in many baskets. Put a lot of your eggs in a few baskets and FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful. Chapter Seven: Overcoming Obstacles 134 If you hate losing, play it safe. If losing makes you weak, play it safe. Go with balanced investments. If you’re over 25 years old and are terrified of taking risks, don’t change. Play it safe, but start early. Start accumulating your nest egg early because it will take time. But if you have dreams of freedom—of getting out of the Rat Race—the first question to ask yourself is, “How do I respond to failure?” If failure inspires you to win, maybe you should go for it—but only maybe. If failure makes you weak or causes you to throw temper tantrums—like spoiled brats who call attorneys to file lawsuits every time something doesn’t go their way—then play it safe. Keep your daytime job. Or buy bonds or mutual funds. But remember, there is risk in those financial instruments also, even though they may appear safe. I say all this, mentioning Texas and Fran Tarkenton, because stacking the asset column is easy. It’s really a low-aptitude game. It doesn’t take much education. Fifth-grade math will do. But building your asset column is a game in which attitude plays a major role. It takes guts, patience, and a great attitude toward failure. Losers avoid failing. And failure turns losers into winners. Just remember the Alamo. Overcoming Cynicism “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Most of us know the story of Chicken Little who ran around warning the barnyard of impending doom. We all know people who are that way. There’s a Chicken Little inside each of us. As I stated earlier, the cynic is really a little chicken. We all get a little chicken when fear and doubt cloud our thoughts. All of us have doubts: “I’m not smart.” “I’m not good enough.” “So-and-so is better than me.” Our doubts often paralyze us. We play the “What if?” game. “What if the economy crashes right after I invest?” “What if I lose control and I can’t pay the money back?” “What if things don’t go as I planned?” Or we have friends or loved ones who will remind us of our shortcomings. They often say, “What makes you think you can do that?” “If it’s such a good idea, how come someone else hasn’t done it?” “That will never work. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” These words of doubt often get so loud Rich Dad Poor Dad 135 that we fail to act. A horrible feeling builds in our stomach. Sometimes we can’t sleep. We fail to move forward. So we stay with what is safe, and opportunities pass us by. We watch life passing by as we sit immobilized with a cold knot in our body. We have all felt this at one time in our lives, some more than others. Peter Lynch of Fidelity Magellan mutual-fund fame refers to warnings about the sky falling as “noise,” and we all hear it. Noise is either created inside our heads or comes from outside, often from friends, family, co-workers, and the media. Lynch recalls the time during the 1950s when the threat of nuclear war was so prevalent in the news that people began building fallout shelters and storing food and water. If they had invested that money wisely in the market, instead of building a fallout shelter, they’d probably be financially independent today. When violence breaks out in a city, gun sales go up all over the country. A person dies from rare hamburger meat in the state of Washington, and the Arizona Health Department orders restaurants to have all beef cooked well-done. A drug company runs a TV commercial in February showing people catching the flu. Colds go up as well as sales of cold medicine. Most people are poor because, when it comes to investing, the world is filled with Chicken Littles running around yelling, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” And Chicken Littles are effective, because every one of us is a little chicken. It often takes great courage to not let rumors and talk of doom and gloom affect your doubts and fears. But a savvy investor knows that the seemingly worst of times is actually the best of times to make money. When everyone else is too afraid to act, they pull the trigger and are rewarded. Some time ago, a friend named Richard came from Boston to visit Kim and me in Phoenix. He was impressed with what we had done through stocks and real estate. The Phoenix real estate prices were depressed. We spent two days showing him what we thought were excellent opportunities for cash flow and capital appreciation. Chapter Seven: Overcoming Obstacles 136 Kim and I are not real estate agents. We are strictly investors. After identifying a unit in a resort community, we called an agent who sold it to him that afternoon. The price was a mere $42,000 for a two-bedroom townhome. Similar units were going for $65,000. He had found a bargain. Excited, he bought it and returned to Boston. Two weeks later, the agent called to say that our friend had backed out. I called immediately to find out why. All he said was that he talked to his neighbor, and his neighbor told him it was a bad deal. He was paying too much. I asked Richard if his neighbor was an investor. Richard said he was not. When I asked why he listened to him, Richard got defensive and simply said he wanted to keep looking. The real estate market in Phoenix turned, and a few years later, that little unit was renting for $1,000 a month—$2,500 in the peak winter months. The unit was worth $95,000. All Richard had to put down was $5,000 and he would have had a start at getting out of the Rat Race. Today, he still has done nothing. Richard’s backing out did not surprise me. It’s called buyer’s remorse, and it affects all of us. The little chicken won, and a chance at freedom was lost. In another example, I hold a small portion of my assets in tax-lien certificates instead of CDs. I earn 16 percent per year on my money, which certainly beats the interest rates banks offer on CDs. The certificates are secured by real estate and enforced by state law, which is also better than most banks. The formula they’re bought on makes them safe. They just lack liquidity. So I look at them as 2- to 7-year CDs. Almost every time I tell someone that I hold my money this way, especially if they have money in CDs, they will tell me it’s risky. They tell me why I should not do it. When I ask them where they get their information, they say from a friend or an investment magazine. They’ve never done it, and they’re telling someone who’s doing it why they shouldn’t. The lowest yield I look for is 16 percent, but people who are filled with doubt are willing to accept a far lower return. Doubt is expensive. Rich Dad Poor Dad 137 My point is that it’s those doubts and cynicism that keep most people poor and playing it safe. The real world is simply waiting for you to get rich. Only a person’s doubts keep them poor. As I said, getting out of the Rat Race is technically easy. It doesn’t take much education, but those doubts are cripplers for most people. “Cynics never win,” said rich dad. “Unchecked doubt and fear creates a cynic.” “Cynics criticize, and winners analyze” was another of his favorite sayings. Rich dad explained that criticism blinded while analysis opened eyes. Analysis allowed winners to see that critics were blind, and to see opportunities that everyone else missed. And finding what people miss is key to any success. Real estate is a powerful investment tool for anyone seeking financial independence or freedom. It is a unique investment tool. Yet every time I mention real estate as a vehicle, I often hear, “I don’t want to fix toilets.” That’s what Peter Lynch calls noise. That’s what my rich dad would say is the cynic talking, someone who criticizes and does not analyze, someone who lets their doubts and fears close their mind instead of open their eyes. So when someone says, “I don’t want to fix toilets,” I want to fire back, “What makes you think I want to?” They’re saying a toilet is more important than what they want. I talk about freedom from the Rat Race, and they focus on toilets. That is the thought pattern that keeps most people poor. They criticize instead of analyze. “I-don’t-wants hold the key to your success,” rich dad would say. Because I, too, do not want to fix toilets, I shop hard for a property manager who does fix toilets. And by finding a great property manager who runs houses or apartments, well, my cash flow goes up. But, more importantly, a great property manager allows me to buy a lot more real estate since I don’t have to fix toilets. A great property manager is key to success in real estate. Finding a good manager is more important to me than the real estate. A great property manager often hears of great deals before real estate agents do, which makes them even more valuable. That is what rich dad meant by “I-don’t-wants hold the key to your success.” Because I do not want to fix toilets either, I figured out Chapter Seven: Overcoming Obstacles 138 how to buy more real estate and expedite my getting out of the Rat Race. The people who continue to say “I don’t want to fix toilets” often deny themselves the use of this powerful investment vehicle. Toilets are more important than their freedom. In the stock market, I often hear people say, “I don’t want to lose money.” Well, what makes them think I or anyone else likes losing money? They don’t make money because they choose to not lose money. Instead of analyzing, they close their minds to another powerful investment vehicle, the stock market. I was riding with a friend past our neighborhood gas station. He looked up and saw that the price of gas was going up and thus the price of oil. My friend is a worry wart or a Chicken Little. To him, the sky is always going to fall, and it usually does, on him. When we got home, he showed me all the stats as to why the price of oil was going to go up over the next few years, statistics I had never seen before, even though I already owned substantial shares of an existing oil company. With that information, I immediately began looking for and found a new, undervalued oil company that was about to find some oil deposits. My broker was excited about this new company, and I bought 15,000 shares for 65 cents per share. Three months later, this same friend and I drove by the same gas station, and sure enough, the price per gallon had gone up nearly 15 percent. Again, the Chicken Little worried and complained. I smiled because, a month earlier, that little oil company hit oil and those 15,000 shares went up to more than $3 per share since he had first given me the tip. And the price of gas will continue to go up if what my friend says is true. If most people understood how a “stop” worked in stock-market investing, there would be more people investing to win instead of investing not to lose. A stop is simply a computer command that sells your stock automatically if the price begins to drop, helping to minimize your losses and maximize some gains. It’s a great tool for those who are terrified of losing. So whenever I hear people focusing on their I-don’t-wants, rather than what they do want, I know the noise in their head must be loud. Chicken Little has taken over their brain and is yelling, “The sky is Rich Dad Poor Dad 139 falling, and toilets are breaking!” So they avoid their don’t-wants, but they pay a huge price. They may never get what they want in life. Instead of analyzing, their inner Chicken Little closes their mind. Rich dad gave me a way of looking at Chicken Little. “Just do what Colonel Sanders did.” At the age of 66, he lost his business and began to live on his Social Security check. It wasn’t enough. He went around the country selling his recipe for fried chicken. He was turned down 1,009 times before someone said yes. And he went on to become a multimillionaire at an age when most people are quitting. “He was a brave and tenacious man,” rich dad said of Harlan Sanders. So when you’re in doubt and feeling a little afraid, just do what Colonel Sanders did to his little chicken. He fried it. Overcoming Laziness Busy people are often the most lazy. We have all heard stories of a businessman who works hard to earn money. He works hard to be a good provider for his wife and children. He spends long hours at the office and brings work home on weekends. One day he comes home to an empty house. His wife has left with the kids. He knew he and his wife had problems, but rather than work to make the relationship strong, he stayed busy at work. Dismayed, his performance at work slips and he loses his job. Today, I often meet people who are too busy to take care of their wealth. And there are people too busy to take care of their health. The cause is the same. They’re busy, and they stay busy as a way of avoiding something they do not want to face. Nobody has to tell them. Deep down they know. In fact, if you remind them, they often respond with anger or irritation. If they aren’t busy at work or with the kids, they’re often busy watching TV, fishing, playing golf, or shopping. Yet deep down they know they are avoiding something important. That’s the most common form of laziness: laziness by staying busy. So what is the cure for laziness? The answer is—a little greed. For many of us, we were raised thinking of greed or desire as bad. “Greedy people are bad people,” my mom used to say. Yet we all have inside of us this yearning to have nice, new, or exciting things. Chapter Seven: Overcoming Obstacles 140 So to keep that emotion of desire under control, often parents find ways of suppressing that desire with guilt. “You only think about yourself. Don’t you know you have brothers and sisters?” was one of my mom’s favorites. “You want me to buy you what?” was a favorite of my dad. “Do you think we’re made of money? Do you think money grows on trees? We’re not rich people, you know.” It wasn’t so much the words, but the angry guilt trip that went with the words that got to me. Or the reverse guilt trip was the “I’m sacrificing my life to buy this for you. I’m buying this for you because I never had this advantage when I was a kid.” I have a neighbor who is stone-broke but can’t park his car in his garage. The garage is filled with toys for his kids. Those spoiled brats get everything they ask for. “I don’t want them to know the feeling of want” are his everyday words. He has nothing set aside for their college or his retirement, but his kids have every toy ever made. He recently got a new credit card in the mail and took his kids to visit Las Vegas. “I’m doing it for the kids,” he said with great sacrifice. Rich dad forbade the words, “I can’t afford it.” In my real home, that’s all I heard. Instead, rich dad required his children to say, “How can I afford it?” He believed that the words “I can’t afford it” shut down your brain. It didn’t have to think anymore. “How can I afford it?” opened up the brain and forced it to think and search for answers. But most importantly, he felt the words, “I can’t afford it,” were a lie. And the human spirit knows it. “The human spirit is very, very powerful,” he would say. “It knows it can do anything.” By having a lazy mind that says, “I can’t afford it,” a war breaks out inside you. Your spirit is angry, and your lazy mind must defend its lie. The spirit is screaming, “Come on. Let’s go to the gym and work out.” And the lazy mind says, “But I’m tired. I worked really hard today.” Or the human Rich dad believed that the words “I can’t afford it” shut down your brain. “How can I afford it?” opens up possibilities, excitement, and dreams. Rich Dad Poor Dad 141 spirit says, “I’m sick and tired of being poor. Let’s get out there and get rich.” To which the lazy mind says, “Rich people are greedy. Besides it’s too much bother. It’s not safe. I might lose money. I’m working hard enough as it is. I’ve got too much to do at work anyway. Look at what I have to do tonight. My boss wants it finished by morning.” “I can’t afford it” also causes sadness, a helplessness that leads to despondency and often depression. “How can I afford it?” opens up possibilities, excitement, and dreams. So rich dad was not so concerned about what we wanted to buy as long as we understood that “How can I afford it?” creates a stronger mind and a dynamic spirit. Thus he rarely gave Mike or me anything. He would instead ask, “How can you afford it?” and that included college, which we paid for ourselves. It was not the goal, but the process of attaining the goal that he wanted us to learn. The problem I see today is that there are millions of people who feel guilty about their desire or their “greed.” It’s old conditioning from their childhood. While they desire to have the finer things that life offers, most have been conditioned subconsciously to say, “I can’t have that,” or “I’ll never be able to afford that.” When I decided to exit the Rat Race, it was simply a question of “How can I afford to never work again?” And my mind began to kick out answers and solutions. The hardest part was fighting my real parents’ dogma: “We can’t afford that.” “Stop thinking only about yourself.” “Why don’t you think about others?” and other similar sentiments designed to instill guilt to suppress my “greed.” So how do you beat laziness? Once again, the answer is a little greed. It’s that radio station WII-FM, which stands for “What’s In It For Me?” A person needs to sit down and ask, “What would my life be like if I never had to work again?” “What would I do if I had all the money I needed?” Without that little greed, the desire to have something better, progress is not made. Our world progresses because we all desire a better life. New inventions are made because we desire something better. We go to school and study hard because we want something better. So whenever you find yourself avoiding something Chapter Seven: Overcoming Obstacles 142 you know you should be doing, then the only thing to ask yourself is, “What’s in it for me?” Be a little greedy. It’s the best cure for laziness. Too much greed, however, as anything in excess can be, is not good. But just remember what Michael Douglas said in the movie Wall Street: “Greed is good.” Rich dad said it differently: “Guilt is worse than greed, for guilt robs the body of its soul.” I think Eleanor Roosevelt said it best: “Do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.” Overcoming Bad Habits Our lives are a reflection of our habits more than our education. After seeing the movie Conan the Barbarian, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, a friend said, “I’d love to have a body like Schwarzenegger.” Most of the guys nodded in agreement. “I even heard he was really puny and skinny at one time,” another friend added. “Yeah, I heard that too,” another one said. “I heard he has a habit of working out almost every day in the gym.” “Yeah, I’ll bet he has to.” “Nah,” said the group cynic. “I’ll bet he was born that way. Besides, let’s stop talking about Arnold and get some beers.” This is an example of habits controlling behavior. I remember asking my rich dad about the habits of the rich. Instead of answering me outright, he wanted me to learn through example, as usual. “When does your dad pay his bills?” rich dad asked. “The first of the month,” I said. “Does he have anything left over?” he asked. “Very little,” I said. “That’s the main reason he struggles,” said rich dad. “He has bad habits. Your dad pays everyone else first. He pays himself last, but only if he has anything left over.” “Which he usually doesn’t,” I said. “But he has to pay his bills, doesn’t he? You’re saying he shouldn’t pay his bills?” Rich Dad Poor Dad 143 “Of course not,” said rich dad. “I firmly believe in paying my bills on time. I just pay myself first. Before I pay even the government.” “But what happens if you don’t have enough money?” I asked. “What do you do then?” “The same,” said rich dad. “I still pay myself first. Even if I’m short of money. My asset column is far more important to me than the government.” “But,” I said. “Don’t they come after you?” “Yes, if you don’t pay,” said rich dad. “Look, I did not say not to pay. I just said I pay myself first, even if I’m short of money.” “But,” I replied. “How do you do that?” “It’s not how. The question is ‘Why?’” rich dad said. “Okay, why?” “Motivation,” said rich dad. “Who do you think will complain louder if I don’t pay them—me, or my creditors?” “Your creditors will definitely scream louder than you,” I said, responding to the obvious. “You wouldn’t say anything if you didn’t pay yourself.” “So you see, after paying myself, the pressure to pay my taxes and the other creditors is so great that it forces me to seek other forms of income. The pressure to pay becomes my motivation. I’ve worked extra jobs, started other companies, traded in the stock market, anything just to make sure those guys don’t start yelling at me. That pressure made me work harder, forced me to think, and all in all, made me smarter and more active when it comes to money. If I had paid myself last, I would have felt no pressure, but I’d be broke.” “So it is the fear of the government or other people you owe money to that motivates you?” “That’s right,” said rich dad. “You see, government bill collectors are big bullies. So are bill collectors in general. Most people give into these bullies. They pay them and never pay themselves. You know the story of the 98-pound weakling who gets sand kicked in his face?” I nodded. “I see that ad for weightlifting and bodybuilding lessons in the comic books all the time.” Chapter Seven: Overcoming Obstacles 144 “Well, most people let the bullies kick sand in their faces. I decided to use the fear of the bully to make me stronger. Others get weaker. Forcing myself to think about how to make extra money is like going to the gym and working out with weights. The more I work my mental money muscles out, the stronger I get. Now I’m not afraid of those bullies.” I liked what rich dad was saying. “So if I pay myself first, I get financially stronger, mentally and fiscally.” Rich dad nodded. “And if I pay myself last, or not at all, I get weaker. So people like bosses, managers, tax collectors, bill collectors, and landlords push me around all my life—just because I don’t have good money habits.” Rich dad nodded. “Just like the 98-pound weakling.” Overcoming Arrogance “What I know makes me money. What I don’t know loses me money. Every time I have been arrogant, I have lost money. Because when I’m arrogant, I truly believe that what I don’t know is not important,” rich dad would often tell me. I have found that many people use arrogance to try to hide their own ignorance. It often happens when I am discussing financial statements with accountants or even other investors. They try to bluster their way through the discussion. It is clear to me that they don’t know what they’re talking about. They’re not lying, but they are not telling the truth. There are many people in the world of money, finances, and investments who have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. Most people in the money industry are just spouting off sales pitches like used-car salesmen. When you know you are ignorant in a subject, start educating yourself by finding an expert in the field or a book on the subject. If I pay myself first, I get financially stronger, mentally and fiscally. Chapter Eight GETTING STARTED 145 There is gold everywhere. Most people are not trained to see it. I wish I could say acquiring wealth was easy for me, but it wasn’t. So in response to the question “How do I start?” I offer the thought process I go through on a day-to-day basis. It really is easy to find great deals. I promise you that. It’s just like riding a bike. After a little wobbling, it’s a piece of cake. But when it comes to money, it takes determination to get through the wobbling. That’s a personal thing. To find million-dollar “deals of a lifetime” requires us to call on our financial genius. I believe that each of us has a financial genius within us. The problem is that our financial genius lies asleep, waiting to be called upon. It lies asleep because our culture has educated us into believing that the love of money is the root of all evil. It has encouraged us to learn a profession so we can work for money, but failed to teach us how to have money work for us. It taught us not to worry about our financial future because our company or the government would take care of us when our working days are over. However, it is our children, educated in the same school system, who will end up paying for this absence of financial education. The message is still to work hard, earn money, and spend it, and when we run short, we can always borrow more. Unfortunately, 90 percent of the Western world subscribes to the above dogma, simply because it’s easier to find a job and work for money. If you are not one of the masses, I offer you the following 10 steps to awaken your financial genius. I simply offer you the steps Chapter Eight: Getting Started 146 I have personally followed. If you want to follow some of them, great. If you don’t, make up your own. Your financial genius is smart enough to develop its own list. While in Peru, I asked a gold miner of 45 years how he was so confident about finding a gold mine. He replied, “There is gold everywhere. Most people are not trained to see it.” And I would say that is true. In real estate, I can go out and in a day come up with four or five great potential deals, while the average person will go out and find nothing, even looking in the same neighborhood. The reason is that they have not taken the time to develop their financial genius. I offer you the following 10 steps as a process to develop your God-given powers, powers over which only you have control. 1. Find a reason greater than reality: the power of spirit If you ask most people if they would like to be rich or financially free, they would say yes. But then reality sets in. The road seems too long with too many hills to climb. It’s easier to just work for money and hand the excess over to your broker. I once met a young woman who had dreams of swimming for the U.S. Olympic team. The reality was that she had to get up every morning at four o’clock to swim for three hours before going to school. She did not party with her friends on Saturday night. She had to study and keep her grades up, just like everyone else. When I asked her what fueled her super-human ambition and sacrifice, she simply said, “I do it for myself and the people I love. It’s love that gets me over the hurdles and sacrifices.” A reason or a purpose is a combination of “wants” and “don’t wants.” When people ask me what my reason for wanting to be rich is, I tell them that it is a combination of deep emotional “wants” and “don’t wants.” I will list a few: first, the “don’t wants,” for they create the “wants.” I don’t want to work all my life. I don’t want what my parents aspired for, which was job security and a house in the suburbs. I don’t like being an employee. I hated that my dad always missed my football games because Rich Dad Poor Dad 147 he was so busy working on his career. I hated it when my dad worked hard all his life and the government took most of what he worked for at his death. He could not even pass on what he worked so hard for when he died. The rich don’t do that. They work hard and pass it on to their children. Now the “wants.” I want to be free to travel the world and live in the lifestyle I love. I want to be young when I do this. I want to simply be free. I want control over my time and my life. I want money to work for me. Those are my deep-seated emotional reasons. What are yours? If they are not strong enough, then the reality of the road ahead may be greater than your reasons. I have lost money and been set back many times, but it was the deep emotional reasons that kept me standing up and going forward. I wanted to be free by age 40, but it took me until I was 47, with many learning experiences along the way. As I said, I wish I could say it was easy. It wasn’t. But it wasn’t that hard either. I’ve learned that, without a strong reason or purpose, anything in life is hard. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A STRONG REASON, THERE IS NO SENSE READING FURTHER. IT WILL SOUND LIKE TOO MUCH WORK. 2. Make daily choices: the power of choice Choice is the main reason people want to live in a free country. We want the power to choose. Financially, with every dollar we get in our hands, we hold the power to choose our future: to be rich, poor, or middle class. Our spending habits reflect who we are. Poor people simply have poor spending habits. The benefit I had as a boy was that I loved playing Monopoly constantly. Nobody told me Monopoly was only for kids, so I just kept playing the game as an adult. I also had a rich dad who pointed out to me the difference between an asset and a liability. So a long time ago, as a little boy, I chose to be rich, and I knew that all I had to do was learn to acquire assets, real assets. My best friend, Mike, had an asset column handed to him, but he still had to choose Chapter Eight: Getting Started 148 to learn to keep it. Many rich families lose their assets in the next generation simply because there was no one trained to be a good steward over their assets. Most people choose not to be rich. For 90 percent of the population, being rich is too much of a hassle. So they invent sayings that go: “I’m not interested in money.” “I’ll never be rich.” “I don’t have to worry. I’m still young.” “When I make some money, then I’ll think about my future.” “My husband/wife handles the finances.” The problem with those statements is that they rob the person who chooses to think such thoughts of two things: One is time, which is your most precious asset. The second is learning. Having no money should not be an excuse to not learn. But that is a choice we all make daily: the choice of what we do with our time, our money, and what we put in our heads. That is the power of choice. All of us have choice. I just choose to be rich, and I make that choice every day. Invest first in education. In reality, the only real asset you have is your mind, the most powerful tool we have dominion over. Each of us has the choice of what we put in our brain once we’re old enough. You can watch TV, read golf magazines, or go to ceramics class or a class on financial planning. You choose. Most people simply buy investments rather than first investing in learning about investing. A friend of mine recently had her apartment burglarized. The thieves took her electronics and left all the books. And we all have that same choice. 90 percent of the population buys TV sets, and only about 10 percent buy business books. So what do I do? I go to seminars. I like it when they are at least two days long because I like to immerse myself in a subject. In 1973, I was watching this guy on TV who was advertising a three-day seminar on how to buy real estate for nothing down. I spent $385 and that course has made me at least $2 million, if not more. But more importantly, it bought me life. I don’t have to work for the rest of my life because of that one course. I go to at least two such courses every year. I love CDs and audio books. The reason: I can easily review what I just heard. I was listening to an investor say something I completely disagreed with. Instead of becoming arrogant and critical, I simply Rich Dad Poor Dad 149 listened to that five-minute stretch at least 20 times, maybe more. But suddenly, by keeping my mind open, I understood why he said what he said. It was like magic. I felt like I had a window into the mind of one of the greatest investors of our time. I gained tremendous insight into the vast resources of his education and experience. The net result: I still have the old way I used to think, and I now have a new way of looking at the same problem or situation. I have two ways to analyze a problem or trend, and that is priceless. Today, I often say, “How would Donald Trump do this, or Warren Buffett or George Soros?” The only way I can access their vast mental power is to be humble enough to read or listen to what they have to say. Arrogant or critical people are often people with low self-esteem who are afraid of taking risks. That’s because, if you learn something new, you are then required to make mistakes in order to fully understand what you have learned. If you have read this far, arrogance is not one of your problems. Arrogant people rarely read or listen to experts. Why should they? They are the center of the universe. There are so many “intelligent” people who argue or defend when a new idea clashes with the way they think. In this case, their so-called intelligence combined with arrogance equals ignorance. Each of us knows people who are highly educated, or believe they are smart, but their balance sheet paints a different picture. A truly intelligent person welcomes new ideas, for new ideas can add to the synergy of other accumulated ideas. Listening is more important than talking. If that were not true, God would not have given us two ears and only one mouth. Too many people think with their mouth instead of listening in order to absorb new ideas and possibilities. They argue instead of asking questions. I take a long view on my wealth. I do not subscribe to the get-rich-quick mentality most lottery players or casino gamblers have. I may go in and out of stocks, but I am long on education. If you want to fly an airplane, I advise taking lessons first. I am always shocked at people who buy stocks or real estate, but never invest in their greatest asset, their mind. Just because you bought a house or two does not make you an expert at real estate. Chapter Eight: Getting Started 150 3. Choose friends carefully: the power of association First of all, I do not choose my friends by their financial statements. I have friends who have actually taken a vow of poverty as well as friends who earn millions every year. The point is that I learn from all of them. Now, I will admit that there are people I have actually sought out because they had money. But I was not after their money; I was seeking their knowledge. In some cases, these people who had money have become dear friends. I’ve noticed that my friends with money talk about money. They don’t do it to brag. They’re interested in the subject. So I learn from them, and they learn from me. My friends who are in dire financial straits do not like talking about money, business, or investing. They often think it rude or unintellectual. So I also learn from my friends who struggle financially. I find out what not to do. I have several friends who have generated over a billion dollars in their short lifetimes. The three of them report the same phenomenon: Their friends who have no money have never come to them to ask them how they did it. But they do come asking for one of two things, or both: a loan, or a job. WARNING: Don’t listen to poor or frightened people. I have such friends, and while I love them dearly, they are the Chicken Littles of life. To them, when it comes to money, especially investments, it’s always, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” They can always tell you why something won’t work. The problem is that people listen to them. But people who blindly accept doom-and-gloom information are also Chicken Littles. As that old saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” If you watch business channels on TV, they often have a panel of so-called experts. One expert will say the market is going to crash, and the other will say it’s going to boom. If you’re smart, you listen to both. Keep your mind open, because both have valid points. Unfortunately, most poor people listen to Chicken Little. I have had many close friends try to talk me out of a deal or an investment. Not long ago, a friend told me he was excited because he found a 6 percent certificate of deposit. I told him I earn 16 percent Rich Dad Poor Dad 151 from the state government. The next day he sent me an article about why my investment was dangerous. I have received 16 percent for years now, and he still receives 6 percent. I would say that one of the hardest things about wealth-building is to be true to yourself and to be willing to not go along with the crowd. This is because, in the market, it is usually the crowd that shows up late that is slaughtered. If a great deal is on the front page, it’s too late in most instances. Look for a new deal. As we used to say as surfers: “There is always another wave.” People who hurry and catch a wave late usually are the ones who wipe out. Smart investors don’t time the markets. If they miss a wave, they search for the next one and get themselves in position. This is hard for most investors because buying what is not popular is frightening. Timid investors are like sheep going along with the crowd. Or their greed gets them in when wise investors have already taken their profits and moved on. Wise investors buy an investment when it’s not popular. They know their profits are made when they buy, not when they sell. They wait patiently. As I said, they do not time the market. Just like a surfer, they get in position for the next big swell. It’s all “insider trading.” There are forms of insider trading that are illegal, and there are forms of insider trading that are legal. But either way, it’s insider trading. The only distinction is: How far away from the inside are you? The reason you want to have rich friends is because that is where the money is made. It’s made on information. You want to hear about the next boom, get in, and get out before the next bust. I’m not saying do it illegally, but the sooner you know, the better your chances are for profits with minimal risk. That is what friends are for. And that is financial intelligence. 4. Master a formula and then learn a new one: the power of learning quickly In order to make bread, every baker follows a recipe, even if it’s only held in their head. The same is true for making money. Most of us have heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” I have a different slant. I say, “You become what you study.” In other words, Chapter Eight: Getting Started 152 be careful what you learn, because your mind is so powerful that you become what you put in your head. For example, if you study cooking, you then tend to cook. If you don’t want to be a cook anymore, then you need to study something else. When it comes to money, the masses generally have one basic formula they learned in school and it’s this: Work for money. The predominant formula I see in the world is that every day millions of people get up, go to work, earn money, pay bills, balance checkbooks, buy some mutual funds, and go back to work. That is the basic formula, or recipe. If you’re tired of what you’re doing, or you’re not making enough, it’s simply a case of changing the formula via which you make money. Years ago, when I was 26, I took a weekend class called “How to Buy Real Estate Foreclosures.” I learned a formula. The next trick was to have the discipline to actually put into action what I had learned. That is where most people stop. For three years, while working for Xerox, I spent my spare time learning to master the art of buying foreclosures. I’ve made several million dollars using that formula. So after I mastered that formula, I went in search of other formulas. For many of the classes, I did not directly use the information I learned, but I always learned something new. I have attended classes designed for derivative traders, commodity option traders, and chaologists. I was way out of my league, being in a room full of people with doctorates in nuclear physics and space science. Yet, I learned a lot that made my stock and real estate investing more meaningful and lucrative. Most junior colleges and community colleges have classes on financial planning and buying traditional investments. They are good places to start, but I always search for a faster formula. That is why, on a fairly regular basis, I make more in a day than many people will make in their lifetime. Another side note: In today’s fast-changing world, it’s not so much what you know anymore that counts, because often what you know is old. It is how fast you learn. That skill is priceless. It’s priceless in finding faster formulas—recipes, if you will—for making dough. Working hard for money is an old formula born in the day of cavemen. Rich Dad Poor Dad 153 5. Pay yourself first: the power of self-discipline If you cannot get control of yourself, do not try to get rich. It makes no sense to invest, make money, and blow it. It is the lack of self-discipline that causes most lottery winners to go broke soon after winning millions. It is the lack of self-discipline that causes people who get a raise to immediately go out and buy a new car or take a cruise. It is difficult to say which of the 10 steps is the most important. But of all the steps, this step is probably the most difficult to master if it is not already a part of your makeup. I would venture to say that personal self-discipline is the number-one delineating factor between the rich, the poor, and the middle class. Simply put, people who have low self-esteem and low tolerance for financial pressure can never be rich. As I have said, a lesson learned from my rich dad was that the world will push you around. The world pushes people around, not because other people are bullies, but because the individual lacks internal control and discipline. People who lack internal fortitude often become victims of those who have self-discipline. In the entrepreneur classes I teach, I constantly remind people to not focus on their product, service, or widget, but to focus on developing management skills. The three most important management skills necessary to start your own business are management of: 1. Cash flow 2. People 3. Personal time I would say the skills to manage these three apply to anything, not just entrepreneurs. The three matter in the way you live your life as an individual, or as part of a family, a business, a charitable organization, a city, or a nation. Each of these skills is enhanced by the mastery of self-discipline. I do not take the saying, “Pay yourself first,” lightly. The statement, “Pay yourself first,” comes from George Clason’s book, The Richest Man in Babylon. Millions of copies have been sold. But while millions of people freely repeat that powerful statement, Chapter Eight: Getting Started 154 few follow the advice. As I said, financial literacy allows one to read numbers, and numbers tell the story. By looking at a person’s income statement and balance sheet, I can readily see if people who spout the words, “Pay yourself first,” actually practice what they preach. A picture is worth a thousand words. So let’s review the financial statements of people who pay themselves first against someone who doesn’t. Study the diagrams and see if you can pick up some distinctions. Again, it has to do with understanding cash flow, which tells the story. Most people look at the numbers and miss the story. INCOME STATEMENT BALANCE SHEET Job Assets Income Expenses Liabilities Salary Taxes Rent Food Save Invest People Who Pay Themselves First Rich Dad Poor Dad 155 Do you see it? The diagram reflects the actions of individuals who choose to pay themselves first. Each month, they allocate money to their asset column before they pay their monthly expenses. Although millions of people have read Clason’s book and understand the words, “Pay yourself first,” in reality they pay themselves last. Now I can hear the howls from those of you who sincerely believe in paying your bills first. And I can hear all the responsible people who pay their bills on time. I am not saying be irresponsible and not pay your bills. All I am saying is do what the book says, which is: Pay yourself first. And the previous diagram is the correct accounting picture of that action. Job Assets Income INCOME STATEMENT BALANCE SHEET Expenses Liabilities Salary Taxes Rent Food People Who Pay Everyone Else First Chapter Eight: Getting Started 156 If you can truly begin to understand the power of cash flow, you will soon realize what is wrong with the previous diagram, or why 90 percent of people work hard all their lives and need government support like Social Security when they are no longer able to work. Kim and I have had many bookkeepers, accountants, and bankers who have had a major problem with this way of looking at, “Pay yourself first.” The reason is that these financial professionals actually do what the masses do: They pay themselves last. There have been times in my life when, for whatever reason, cash flow was far less than my bills. I still paid myself first. My accountant and bookkeeper screamed in panic, “They’re going to come after you. The IRS is going to put you in jail.” “You’re going to ruin your credit rating.” “They’ll cut off the electricity.” I still paid myself first. “Why?” you ask. Because that’s what the story, The Richest Man In Babylon, was all about: the power of self-discipline and the power of internal fortitude. As my rich dad taught me the first month I worked for him, most people allow the world to push them around. A bill collector calls and you “pay or else.” A sales clerk says, “Oh, just put it on your charge card.” Your real estate agent tells you, “Go ahead. The government allows you a tax deduction on your home.” That is what the book is really about—having the guts to go against the tide and get rich. You may not be weak, but when it comes to money, many people get wimpy. I am not saying be irresponsible. The reason I don’t have high credit-card debt, and doodad debt, is because I pay myself first. The reason I minimize my income is because I don’t want to pay it to the government. That is why my income comes from my asset column, through a Nevada corporation. If I work for money, the government takes it. Although I pay my bills last, I am financially astute enough to not get into a tough financial situation. I don’t like consumer debt. I actually have liabilities that are higher than 99 percent of the population, but I don’t pay for them. Other people pay for my liabilities. They’re called tenants. So rule number one in paying yourself first is: Don’t get into consumer debt in the first place. Although I pay my bills last, I set it up to have only small unimportant bills that are due. Rich Dad Poor Dad 157 When I occasionally come up short, I still pay myself first. I let the creditors and even the government scream. I like it when they get tough. Why? Because those guys do me a favor. They inspire me to go out and create more money. So I pay myself first, invest the money, and let the creditors yell. I generally pay them right away anyway. Kim and I have excellent credit. We just don’t cave in to pressure and spend our savings or liquidate stocks to pay for consumer debt. That is not too financially intelligent. To successfully pay yourself first, keep the following in mind: 1. Don’t get into large debt positions that you have to pay for. Keep your expenses low. Build up assets first. Then buy the big house or nice car. Being stuck in the Rat Race is not intelligent. 2. When you come up short, let the pressure build and don’t dip into your savings or investments. Use the pressure to inspire your financial genius to come up with new ways of making more money, and then pay your bills. You will have increased your ability to make more money as well as your financial intelligence. So many times I have gotten into financial hot water and used my brain to create more income while staunchly defending the assets in my asset column. My bookkeeper has screamed and dived for cover, but I was like a good soldier defending the fort—Fort Assets. Poor people have poor habits. A common bad habit is innocently called “dipping into savings.” The rich know that savings are only used to create more money, not to pay bills. I know that sounds tough, but as I said, if you’re not tough inside, the world will always push you around anyway. If you do not like financial pressure, then find a formula that works for you. A good one is to cut expenses, put your money in the bank, pay more than your fair share of income tax, buy safe mutual funds, and take the vow of the average. But this violates the pay-yourself-first rule. Chapter Eight: Getting Started 158 This rule does not encourage self-sacrifice or financial abstinence. It doesn’t mean pay yourself first and starve. Life was meant to be enjoyed. If you call on your financial genius, you can have all the goodies of life, get rich, and pay bills. And that is financial intelligence. 6. Pay your brokers well: the power of good advice Sometimes I see people posting a sign in front of their house that says, “For Sale by Owner.” Or I see people on TV claiming to be “Discount Brokers.” My rich dad taught me to take the opposite approach. He believed in paying professionals well, and I have adopted that policy also. Today, I have expensive attorneys, accountants, real estate brokers, and stockbrokers. Why? Because if, and I do mean if, the people are professionals, their services should make you money. And the more money they make, the more money I make. We live in the Information Age. Information is priceless. A good broker should provide you with information, as well as take the time to educate you. I have several brokers who do that for me. Some taught me when I had little or no money, and I am still with them today. What I pay a broker is tiny in comparison with what kind of money I can make because of the information they provide. I love it when my real estate broker or stockbroker makes a lot of money because that usually means I made a lot of money. A good broker saves me time, in addition to making me money— like when I bought the vacant land for $9,000 and sold it immediately for over $25,000 so I could buy my Porsche quicker. A broker is my eyes and ears in the market. They’re there every day so I do not have to be. I’d rather play golf. People who sell their house on their own must not value their time much. Why would I want to save a few bucks when I could use that time to make more money or spend it with those I love? What I find funny is that so many poor and middle-class people insist on tipping restaurant help 15 to 20 percent, even for bad service, but complain about paying a broker three to seven percent. They enjoy tipping people in the expense column and stiffing people in the asset column. That is not financially intelligent. Rich Dad Poor Dad 159 Keep in mind that not all brokers are created equal. Unfortunately, most brokers are only salespeople. They sell, but they themselves own little or no real estate. There is a tremendous difference between a broker who sells houses and a broker who sells investments. The same is true for stock, bond, mutual fund, and insurance, brokers who call themselves financial planners. When I interview any paid professional, I first find out how much property or stocks they personally own and what percentage they pay in taxes. And that applies to my tax attorney as well as my accountant. I have an accountant who minds his own business. His profession is accounting, but his business is real estate. I used to have an accountant who was a small-business accountant, but he had no real estate. I switched because we did not love the same business. Find a broker who has your best interests at heart. Many brokers will spend the time educating you, and they could be the best asset you find. Just be fair, and most of them will be fair to you. If all you can think about is cutting their commissions, then why should they want to help you? It’s just simple logic. As I said earlier, one of the management skills is the management of people. Many people only manage people they feel smarter than and they have power over. Many middle managers remain middle managers, failing to get promoted, because they know how to work with people below them, but not with people above them. The real skill is to manage and reward the people who are smarter than you in some technical area. That is why companies have a board of directors. You should have one too. That is financial intelligence. 7. Be an Indian giver: the power of getting something for nothing When the first European settlers came to America, they were taken aback by a cultural practice some American Indians had. For example, if a settler was cold, the Indian would give the person a blanket. Mistaking it for a gift, the settler was often offended when the Indian asked for it back. The Indians also got upset when they realized the settlers did not want to give it back. That is where the term “Indian giver” came from, a simple cultural misunderstanding. Chapter Eight: Getting Started 160 In the world of the asset column, being an Indian giver is vital to wealth. The sophisticated investor’s first question is: “How fast do I get my money back?” They also want to know what they get for free, also called a “piece of the action.” That is why the ROI, or return on investment, is so important. For example, I found a small condominium that was in foreclosure a few blocks from where I lived. The bank wanted $60,000, and I submitted a bid for $50,000, which they took, simply because, along with my bid, was a cashier’s check for $50,000. They realized I was serious. Most investors would say, “Aren’t you tying up a lot of cash? Would it not be better to get a loan on it?” The answer is, “Not in this case.” My investment company uses this condominium as a vacation rental in the winter months when the “snowbirds” come to Arizona. It rents for $2,500 a month for four months out of the year. For rental during the off-season, it rents for only $1,000 a month. I had my money back in about three years. Now I own this asset, which pumps money out for me, month in and month out. The same is done with stocks. Frequently, my broker calls and recommends I move a sizable amount of money into the stock of a company that he feels is just about to make a move that will add value to the stock, like announcing a new product. I will move my money in for a week to a month while the stock moves up. Then I pull my initial dollar amount out, and stop worrying about the fluctuations of the market, because my initial money is back and ready to work on another asset. So my money goes in, and then it comes out, and I own an asset that was technically free. True, I have lost money on many occasions, but I only play with money I can afford to lose. I would say, on an average 10 investments, I hit home runs on two or three, while five or six do nothing, and I lose on two or three. But I limit my losses to only the money I have in at that time. The sophisticated investor’s first question is: “How fast do I get my money back?” Rich Dad Poor Dad 161 People who hate risk put their money in the bank. In the long run, safe savings are better than no savings. But it takes a long time to get your money back and, in most instances, you don’t get anything for free with it. On every one of my investments, there must be an upside, something for free—like a condominium, a mini-storage, a piece of free land, a house, stock shares, or an office building. And there must be limited risk, or a low-risk idea. There are books devoted entirely to this subject, so I will not talk about it here. Ray Kroc, of McDonald’s fame, sold hamburger franchises, not because he loved hamburgers, but because he wanted the real estate under the franchise for free. So wise investors must look at more than ROI. They look at the assets they get for free once they get their money back. That is financial intelligence. 8. Use assets to buy luxuries: the power of focus A friend’s child has been developing a nasty habit of burning a hole in his pocket. Just 16, he wanted his own car. The excuse: “All his friends’ parents gave their kids cars.” The child wanted to go into his savings and use it for a down payment. That was when his father called me and then came to see me. “Do you think I should let him do it, or should I just buy him a car?” I answered, “It might relieve the pressure in the short term, but what have you taught him in the long term? Can you use this desire to own a car and inspire your son to learn something?” Suddenly the lights went on, and he hurried home. Two months later I ran into my friend again. “Does your son have his new car?” I asked. “No, he doesn’t. But I gave him $3,000 for the car. I told him to use my money instead of his college money.” “Well, that’s generous of you,” I said. “Not really. The money came with a hitch.” Chapter Eight: Getting Started 162 “So what was the hitch?” I asked. “Well, first we played your CASHFLOW game. We then had a long discussion about the wise use of money. After that, I gave him a subscription to the Wall Street Journal and a few books on the stock market.” “Then what?” I asked. “What was the catch?” “I told him the $3,000 was his, but he could not directly buy a car with it. He could use it to find a stockbroker and buy and sell stocks. Once he had made $6,000 with the $3,000, the money would be his for the car, and the $3,000 would go into his college fund.” “And what are the results?” I asked. “Well, he got lucky early in his trading, but lost everything a few days later. Then he really got interested. Today, I would say he is down $2,000, but his interest is up. He has read all the books I bought him, and he’s gone to the library to get more. He reads the Wall Street Journal voraciously, watching for indicators. He’s got only $1,000 left, but his interest and learning are sky-high. He knows that if he loses that money, he walks for two more years. But he does not seem to care. He even seems uninterested in getting a car, because he’s found a game that is more fun.” “What happens if he loses all the money?” I asked. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. I’d rather have him lose everything now than wait till he’s our age to risk losing everything. And besides, that is the best $3,000 I’ve ever spent on his education. What he is learning will serve him for life, and he seems to have gained a new respect for the power of money.” As I said earlier, if a person cannot master the power of selfdiscipline, it is best not to try to get rich. I say this because, although the process of developing cash flow from an asset column is easy in theory, what’s hard is the mental fortitude to direct money to the correct use. Due to external temptations, it is much easier in today’s consumer world to simply blow money out the expense column. With weak mental fortitude, that money flows into the paths of least resistance. That is the cause of poverty and financial struggle. The following example illustrates the financial intelligence needed to direct money to make more money. Rich Dad Poor Dad 163 If we give 100 people $10,000 at the start of the year, I believe that at the end of the year: • 80 would have nothing left. In fact, many would have created greater debt by making a down payment on a new car, refrigerator, electronics, or a holiday. • 16 would have increased that $10,000 by 5-10 percent. • Four would have increased it to $20,000 or into the millions. We go to school to learn a profession so we can work for money. It is my opinion that it’s just as important to learn how to have money work for you. I love my luxuries as much as anyone else. The difference is I don’t buy them on credit. It’s the keep-up-with-the-Joneses trap. When I wanted to buy a Porsche, the easy road would have been to call my banker and get a loan. Instead of choosing to focus in the liability column, I chose to focus in the asset column. As a habit, I use my desire to consume to inspire and motivate my financial genius to invest. Too often today, we focus on borrowing money to get the things we want instead of focusing on creating money. One is easier in the short term, but harder in the long term. It’s a bad habit that we as individuals, and as a nation, have gotten into. Remember, the easy road often becomes hard, and the hard road often becomes easy. The earlier you can train yourself and those you love to be masters of money, the better. Money is a powerful force. Unfortunately, people use the power of money against themselves. If your financial intelligence is low, money will run all over you. It will be smarter than you. If money is smarter than you, you will work for it all your life. To be the master of money, you need to be smarter than it. Then money will do as it is told. It will obey you. Instead of being a slave to it, you will be the master of it. That is financial intelligence. Chapter Eight: Getting Started 164 9. Choose heroes: the power of myth When I was a kid, I greatly admired Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Yogi Berra. They were my heroes, and I wanted to be just like them. I treasured their baseball cards, I knew their stats, the RBIs, the ERAs, their batting averages, how much they got paid, and how they came up from the minor leagues. As a nine-year-old kid, when I stepped up to bat or played first base or catcher, I wasn’t me. I pretended I was a famous baseball player. It’s one of the most powerful ways we learn, and we often lose that as adults. We lose our heroes. Today, I watch young kids playing basketball near my home. On the court they’re not little Johnny. They’re pretending to be their favorite basketball hero. Copying or emulating heroes is true power learning. I have new heroes as I grow older. I have golf heroes and I copy their swings and do my best to read everything I can about them. I also have heroes such as Donald Trump, Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, George Soros, and Jim Rogers. I know their stats just like I knew the ERAs and RBIs of my childhood baseball heroes. I follow what Warren Buffett invests in, and I read anything I can about his point of view on the market and how he chooses stocks. And I read about Donald Trump, trying to find out how he negotiates and puts deals together. Just as I was not me when I was up to bat, when I’m in the market or I’m negotiating a deal, I am subconsciously acting with the bravado of Trump. Or when analyzing a trend, I look at it as though Warren Buffet were doing it. By having heroes, we tap into a tremendous source of raw genius. But heroes do more than simply inspire us. Heroes make things look easy. Making it look easy convinces us to want to be just like them. “If they can do it, so can I.” When it comes to investing, too many people make it sound hard. Instead, find heroes who make it look easy. Rich Dad Poor Dad 165 10. Teach and you shall receive: the power of giving Both of my dads were teachers. My rich dad taught me a lesson I have carried all my life: the necessity of being charitable or giving. My educated dad gave a lot of his time and knowledge, but almost never gave away money. He usually said that he would give when he had some extra money, but of course there was rarely any extra. My rich dad gave money as well as education. He believed firmly in tithing. “If you want something, you first need to give,” he would always say. When he was short of money, he gave money to his church or to his favorite charity. If I could leave one single idea with you, it is that idea. Whenever you feel short or in need of something, give what you want first and it will come back in buckets. That is true for money, a smile, love, or friendship. I know it is often the last thing a person may want to do, but it has always worked for me. I trust that the principle of reciprocity is true, and I give what I want. I want money, so I give money, and it comes back in multiples. I want sales, so I help someone else sell something, and sales come to me. I want contacts, and I help someone else get contacts. Like magic, contacts come to me. I heard a saying years ago that went: “God does not need to receive, but humans need to give.” My rich dad would often say, “Poor people are more greedy than rich people.” He would explain that if a person was rich, that person was providing something that other people wanted. In my life, whenever I have felt needy or short of money or short of help, I simply went out or found in my heart what I wanted, and decided to give it first. And when I gave, it always came back. It reminds me of the story of the guy sitting with firewood in his arms on a cold, freezing night. He is yelling at the pot-bellied stove, “When you give me some heat, then I’ll put some wood in you!” And when it comes to money, love, happiness, sales, and contacts, all one needs to remember is to give first. Chapter Eight: Getting Started 166 Often just the process of thinking of what I want, and how I could give that to someone else, breaks free a torrent of bounty. Whenever I feel that people aren’t smiling at me, I simply begin smiling and saying hello. Like magic, the next thing I know I’m surrounded by smiling people. It is true that your world is only a mirror of you. So that’s why I say, “Teach, and you shall receive.” I have found that the more I teach those who want to learn, the more I learn. If you want to learn about money, teach it to someone else. A torrent of new ideas and finer distinctions will come in. There are times when I have given and nothing has come back, or what I have received is not what I wanted. But upon closer inspection and soul searching, I was often giving to receive in those instances, instead of giving for the joy that giving itself brings. My dad taught teachers, and he became a master teacher. My rich dad always taught young people his way of doing business. In retrospect, it was their generosity with what they knew that made them smarter. There are powers in this world that are much smarter than we are. You can get there on your own, but it’s easier with the help of the powers that be. You only need to be generous with what you have. Chapter Nine STILL WANT MORE? HERE ARE SOME TO DO'S 167 Many people may not be satisfied with my 10 steps. They see them more as philosophies than actions. I think understanding the philosophy is just as important as the action. There are many people who want to do instead of think, and then there are people who think but do not do. I would say that I am both. I love new ideas, and I love action. So for those who want a to-do list on how to get started, I will share with you some of the things I do, in abbreviated form. • Stop doing what you’re doing. In other words, take a break and assess what is working and what is not working. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Stop doing what is not working, and look for something new. • Look for new ideas. For new investing ideas, I go to bookstores and search for books on different and unique subjects. I call them formulas. I buy how-to books on formulas I know nothing about. For example, in the bookstore I found the book The 16 Percent Solution by Joel Moskowitz. I bought the book and read it and the next Thursday, I did exactly as the book said. Most people do not take action, or they let someone talk them out of whatever new formula they are studying. My neighbor told me why 16 percent would not work. I did not listen to him because he’s never done it. Chapter Nine: Here Are Some To Do’s 168 • Find someone who has done what you want to do. Take them to lunch and ask them for tips and tricks of the trade. As for 16 percent tax-lien certificates, I went to the county tax office and found the government employee who worked in that office. I found out that she, too, invested in the tax liens. Immediately, I invited her to lunch. She was thrilled to tell me everything she knew and how to do it. After lunch, she spent all afternoon showing me everything. By the next day, I found two great properties with her help that have been accruing interest at 16 percent ever since. It took a day to read the book, a day to take action, an hour for lunch, and a day to acquire two great deals. • Take classes, read, and attend seminars. I search newspapers and the Internet for new and interesting classes, many of which are free or inexpensive. I also attend and pay for expensive seminars on what I want to learn. I am wealthy and free from needing a job simply because of the courses I took. I have friends who did not take those classes who told me I was wasting my money, and yet they’re still at the same job. • Make lots of offers. When I want a piece of real estate, I look at many properties and generally write an offer. If you don’t know what the right offer is, neither do I. That is the job of the real estate agent. They make the offers. I do as little work as possible. A friend wanted me to show her how to buy apartment houses. So one Saturday she, her agent, and I went and looked at six apartment houses. Four were dogs, but two were good. I said to write offers on all six, offering half of what the owners asked for. She and the agent nearly had heart attacks. They thought it was rude, and would offend the sellers, but I really don’t think the agent wanted to work that hard. So they did nothing and went on looking for a better deal. No offers were ever made, and that person is still looking for the right deal at the right price. Well, you don’t know what the right price is until Rich Dad Poor Dad 169 you have a second party who wants to deal. Most sellers ask too much. It is rare that a seller asks a price that is less than something is worth. Moral of the story: Make offers. People who are not investors have no idea what it feels like to try to sell something. I have had a piece of real estate that I wanted to sell for months. I would have welcomed any offer. They could have offered me 10 pigs, and I would have been happy— not at the offer, but just because someone was interested. I would have countered, maybe for a pig farm in exchange. But that’s how the game works. The game of buying and selling is fun. Keep that in mind. It’s fun and only a game. Make offers. Someone might say yes. I always make offers with escape clauses. In real estate, I make an offer with language that details “subject-to” contingencies, such as the approval of a business partner. Never specify who the business partner is. Most people don’t know that my partner is my cat. If they accept the offer, and I don’t want the deal, I call home and speak to my cat. I make this ridiculous statement to illustrate how absurdly easy and simple the game is. So many people make things too difficult and take it too seriously. • Finding a good deal, the right business, the right people, the right investors, or whatever is just like dating. You must go to the market and talk to a lot of people, make a lot of offers, counteroffers, negotiate, reject, and accept. I know single people who sit at home and wait for the phone to ring, but it’s better to go to the market, even if it’s only the supermarket. Search, offer, reject, negotiate, and accept are all parts of the process of almost everything in life. • Jog, walk, or drive a certain area once a month for 10 minutes. I have found some of my best real estate investments doing this. I will jog a certain neighborhood for a year and look for change. For there to be profit in a deal, there must be two elements: a bargain and change. There are lots of bargains, but it’s change that turns a bargain into a profitable opportunity. So when I jog, I jog a neighborhood I might like to invest in. It is the repetition that causes me to notice slight differences. Chapter Nine: Here Are Some To Do’s 170 I notice real estate signs that are up for a long time. That means the seller might be more agreeable to deal. I watch for moving trucks going in or out. I stop and talk to the drivers. I talk to the postal carriers. It’s amazing how much information they acquire about an area. I find a bad area, especially an area that the news has scared everyone away from. I drive it for sometimes a year waiting for signs of some thing changing for the better. I talk to retailers, especially new ones, and find out why they’re moving in. It takes only a few minutes a month, and I do it while doing something else, like exercising, or going to and from the store. • Shop for bargains in all markets. Consumers will always be poor. When the supermarket has a sale, say on toilet paper, the consumer runs in and stocks up. But when the housing or stock market has a sale, most often called a crash or correction, the same consumer often runs away from it. When the supermarket raises its prices, the consumer shops somewhere else. But when housing or the stock market raise their prices, the same consumer often rushes in and starts buying. Always remember: Profits are made in the buying, not in the selling. • Look in the right places. A neighbor bought a condominium for $100,000. I bought the identical condo next door for $50,000. He told me he’s waiting for the price to go up. I told him that profit is made when you buy, not when you sell. He shopped with a real estate broker who owns no property of her own. I shopped at the foreclosure auction. I paid $500 for a class on how to do this. My neighbor thought that the $500 for a real estate investment class was too expensive. He said he could not afford the money, or the time. So he waits for the price to go up. Rich Dad Poor Dad 171 • Look for people who want to buy first. Then look for someone who wants to sell. A friend was looking for a certain piece of land. He had the money but did not have the time. I found a large piece of land, larger than what my friend wanted to buy, tied it up with an option, called my friend, and he said he wanted a piece of it. So I sold the piece to him and then bought the land. I kept the remaining land as mine for free. Moral of the story: Buy the pie, and cut it in pieces. Most people look for what they can afford, so they look too small. They buy only a piece of the pie, so they end up paying more for less. Small thinkers don’t get the big breaks. If you want to get richer, think big. • Think big. Retailers love giving volume discounts, simply because most business people love big spenders. So even if you’re small, you can always think big. When my company was in the market for computers, I called several friends and asked them if they were ready to buy also. We then went to different dealers and negotiated a great deal because we wanted to buy so many. I have done the same with stocks. Small people remain small because they think small, act alone, or don’t act all. • Learn from history. All the big companies on the stock exchange started out as small companies. Colonel Sanders did not get rich until after he lost everything in his 60s. Bill Gates was one of the richest men in the world before he was thirty. • Action always beats inaction. These are just a few of the things I have done and continue to do to recognize opportunities. The important words are “have done” and “do.” As repeated many times throughout the book, you must take action before you can receive the financial rewards. Act now! 173 FINAL THOUGHTS I would like to share some final thoughts with you. The main reason I wrote this book, and the reason it has remained a bestseller since 2000, was to share insights into how increased financial intelligence can be used to solve many of life’s common problems. Without financial training, we all too often use the standard formulas to get through life: Work hard, save, borrow, and pay excessive taxes. Today, more than ever, we need better information. I use the following story as an example of a financial problem that confronts many young families today. How do you afford a good education for your children and provide for your own retirement? It requires using financial intelligence instead of hard work. A friend of mine was griping one day about how hard it was to save money for his four children’s college educations. He was putting $300 away in a college fund each month and had so far accumulated only about $12,000. He had about 12 more years to save for college since his oldest child was then six years old. At the time, the real estate market in Phoenix was terrible. People were giving houses away. I suggested to my friend that he buy a house with some of the money in his college fund. The idea intrigued him, and we began to discuss the possibility. His primary concern was that he did not have credit with the bank to buy another house since he was so over-extended. I assured him that there were other ways to finance a property rather than through the bank. We looked for a house for two weeks, a house that would fit all our criteria. There were plenty to choose from so shopping was fun. Finally, we found a three-bedroom, two-bath home in a prime neighborhood. The owner had been downsized and needed to sell that day because he Final Thoughts: Using Financial Intelligence 174 and his family were moving to California where another job waited. The owner wanted $102,000, but we offered only $79,000. He took it immediately and agreed to carry back the loan with a 10 percent down payment. All my friend had to come up with was $7,900. As soon as the owner moved, my friend put the house up for rent. After all expenses were paid, including the mortgage, he put about $125 in his pocket each month. His plan was to keep the house for 12 years and let the mortgage get paid down faster by applying the extra $125 to the principal each month. We figured that in 12 years, a large portion of the mortgage would be paid off and he could possibly be clearing $800 a month by the time his first child went to college. He could also sell the house if it had appreciated in value. Three years later, the real estate market greatly improved in Phoenix and he was offered $156,000 for the same house by the tenant who lived in it. Again, he asked me what I thought. I advised that he sell it, using a 1031 tax-deferred exchange. Suddenly, he had nearly $80,000 to operate with. I called another friend in Austin, Texas, who then moved this tax-deferred capital gain into a mini-storage facility. Within three months, he began receiving checks for a little less than a $1,000 a month which he then poured back into the college fund. A couple of years later, the mini-warehouse sold, and he received a check for nearly $330,000 as proceeds from the sale. He rolled those funds into a new project that would now generate over $3,000 a month in income, again, going into the college fund. He is now very confident that his goal will be met easily. It only took $7,900 to start and a little financial intelligence. His children will be able to afford the education they want, and he will then use the underlying asset, wrapped in his legal entity, to pay for his retirement. As a result of this successful investment strategy, he will be able to retire early. Thank you for reading this book. I hope it has provided some insights into utilizing the power of money to work for you. Today, we Rich Dad Poor Dad 175 need greater financial intelligence to simply survive. The idea that “it takes money to make money” is the thinking of financially unsophisticated people. It does not mean that they’re not intelligent. They have simply not learned the science of money making money. Money is only an idea. If you want more money, simply change your thinking. Every self-made person started small with an idea, and then turned it into something big. The same applies to investing. It takes only a few dollars to start and grow it into something big. I meet so many people who spend their lives chasing the big deal, or trying to amass a lot of money to get into a big deal, but to me that is foolish. Too often I have seen unsophisticated investors put their large nest egg into one deal and lose most of it rapidly. They may have been good workers, but they were not good investors. Education and wisdom about money are important. Start early. Buy a book. Go to a seminar. Practice. Start small. I turned $5,000 cash into a one-million-dollar asset producing $5,000 a month cash flow in less than six years. But I started learning as a kid. I encourage you to learn, because it’s not that hard. In fact, it’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I think I have made my message clear. It’s what is in your head that determines what is in your hands. Money is only an idea. There is a great book called Think and Grow Rich. The title is not Work Hard and Grow Rich. Learn to have money work hard for you, and your life will be easier and happier. Today, don’t play it safe. Play it smart. The Three Incomes In the world of accounting, there are three different types of income: 1. Ordinary earned 2. Portfolio 3. Passive Final Thoughts: Using Financial Intelligence 176 When my poor dad said to me, “Go to school, get good grades, and find a safe secure job,” he was recommending I work for earned income. When my rich dad said, “The rich don’t work for money. They have their money work for them,” he was talking about passive income and portfolio income. Passive income, in most cases, is income derived from real estate investments. Portfolio income is income derived from paper assets such as stocks and bonds. Portfolio income is the income that makes Bill Gates the richest man in the world, not earned income. Rich dad used to say, “The key to becoming wealthy is the ability to convert earned income into passive income or portfolio income as quickly as possible.” He would say, “Taxes are highest on earned income. The least-taxed income is passive income. That is another reason why you want your money working hard for you. The government taxes the income you work hard for more than the income your money works hard for.” In my second book, Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant, I explain the four different types of people who make up the world of business. They are E (Employee), S (Self-employed), B (Business Owner), and I (Investor). Most people go to school to learn to be an E or an S. The CASHFLOW Quadrant is written about the core differences of these four types and how people can change their quadrant. In fact, most of our products are created for people in the B and I quadrants. In Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing, book number three in the Rich Dad series, I go into more detail on the importance of converting earned income into passive and portfolio income. Rich dad used to say, “All a real investor does is convert earned income into passive and portfolio income. If you know what you’re doing, investing is not risky. It’s just common sense.” The Key to Financial Freedom The key to financial freedom and great wealth is a person’s ability to convert earned income into passive and/or portfolio income. My rich dad spent a lot of time teaching Mike and me this skill. Having this ability is Rich Dad Poor Dad 177 the reason my wife Kim and I are financially free, never needing to work again. We continue to work because we choose to. Today we own a real estate investment company for passive income and participate in private placements and initial public offerings of stock for portfolio income. We also went back to work to build a financial-education company so that we can continue to create and publish books and games. All of our educational products are created to teach the same skills my rich dad taught me, the skills of converting earned income into passive and portfolio income. The games we create are important because they teach what books cannot teach. For example, you could never learn to ride a bicycle by only reading a book. Our CASHFLOW games for adults and CASHFLOW for Kids game are designed to teach players the basic investment skills of converting earned income into passive and portfolio income. They also teach the principles of accounting and financial literacy. These games are the only educational products in the world that teach people all of these skills simultaneously. CASHFLOW 202 is the advanced version of CASHFLOW 101 and requires the game board from 101, as well as a full understanding of 101, before it can be played. CASHFLOW 101 and CASHFLOW for Kids teach the principles of fundamental investing. CASHFLOW 202 teaches the principles of technical investing. Technical investing involves advanced trading techniques such as short selling, call options, put options, and straddles. A person who understands these advanced techniques is able to make money when the market goes up, as well as when the market comes down. As my rich dad would say, “A real investor makes money in an up market and a down market. That is why they make so much money.” One of the reasons they make more money is simply because they have more self-confidence. Rich dad would say, “They have more You can play CASHFLOW Classic on the web at www.richdad.com and learn to convert earned income into passive and/or portfolio income Final Thoughts: Using Financial Intelligence 178 self-confidence because they are less afraid of losing.” In other words, the average investor does not make as much money because they are so afraid of losing money. The average investor does not know how to protect themselves from losses, and that is what CASHFLOW 202 teaches. Average investors think investing is risky because they have not been formally trained to be professional investors. As Warren Buffett, America’s richest investor says, “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” My board games teach the simple basics of fundamental investing and technical investing while people are having fun. I occasionally hear someone say, “Your educational games are expensive,” which poses the question of ROI, the return on investment, or the value returned for the price paid. I nod my head and reply, “Yes, they may be expensive, especially when compared to entertainment board games. But my games are not as expensive as a college education, working hard all your life for earned income, paying excessive taxes, and then living in terror of losing all of your money in the investment markets.” When someone walks away mumbling about the price, I can hear my rich dad saying, “If you want to be rich, you must know what kind of income to work hard for, how to keep it, and how to protect it from loss. That is the key to great wealth.” Rich dad would also say, “If you do not understand the differences in those three incomes and do not learn the skills on how to acquire and protect those incomes, you will probably spend your life earning less than you could and working harder than you should.” My poor dad thought a good education, a good job, and years of hard work were all you needed to be successful. My rich dad also thought a good education was important. But to him it was also important that Mike and I know the differences in the three incomes and what kind of income to work hard for. To him, that was basic financial education. Knowing the differences in the three incomes and learning the investment skills of how to acquire the different incomes is basic education for anyone who strives to acquire great wealth and achieve financial freedom—a special kind of freedom that only a few will ever know. As rich dad states in lesson number one, “The rich do not work for money. They know how to have money work hard for them.” Rich Dad Poor Dad 179 Rich dad said, “Ordinary earned income is money you work for, and passive and portfolio income is money working for you.” Knowing that little difference has been significant in my life. Or, as Robert Frost ends his poem, “And that has made all the difference.” Take Action! All of you were given two great gifts: your mind and your time. It is up to you to do what you please with both. With each dollar bill that enters your hand, you, and only you, have the power to determine your destiny. Spend it foolishly, and you choose to be poor. Spend it on liabilities, and you join the middle class. Invest it in your mind and learn how to acquire assets, and you will be choosing wealth as your goal and your future. The choice is yours, and only yours. Every day with every dollar, you decide to be rich, poor, or middle class. Choose to share this knowledge with your children, and you choose to prepare them for the world that awaits. No one else will. You and your children’s future will be determined by choices you make today, not tomorrow. I wish you great wealth and much happiness with this fabulous gift called life. – Robert Kiyosaki Best known as the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad—the #1 personal finance book of all time—Robert Kiyosaki has challenged and changed the way tens of millions of people around the world think about money. He is an entrepreneur, educator, and investor who believes the world needs more entrepreneurs who will create jobs. With perspectives on money and investing that often contradict conventional wisdom, Robert has earned an international reputation for straight talk, irreverence, and courage and has become a passionate and outspoken advocate for financial education. Robert and Kim Kiyosaki are founders of The Rich Dad Company, a financial education company, and creators of the CASHFLOW® games. In 2014, the company will leverage the global success of the Rich Dad games in the launch of a new and breakthrough offering in mobile and online gaming. Robert has been heralded as a visionary who has a gift for simplifying complex concepts— ideas related to money, investing, finance, and economics—and has shared his personal journey to financial freedom in ways that resonate with audiences of all ages and backgrounds. His core principles and messages—like “your house is not an asset” and “invest for cash flow” and “savers are losers”—have ignited a firestorm of criticism and ridicule…only to have played out on the world economic stage over the past decade in ways that were both unsettling and prophetic. His point of view is that “old” advice—go to college, get a good job, save money, get out of debt, invest for the long term, and diversify—has become obsolete advice in today’s fast-paced Information Age. His Rich Dad philosophies and messages challenge the status quo. His teachings encourage people to become financially educated and to take an active role in investing for their future. The author of 19 books, including the international blockbuster Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert has been a featured guest with media outlets in every corner of the world—from CNN, the BBC, Fox News, Al Jazeera, GBTV and PBS, to Larry King Live, Oprah, Peoples Daily, Sydney Morning Herald, The Doctors, Straits Times, Bloomberg, NPR, USA TODAY, and hundreds of others—and his books have topped international bestsellers lists for more than a decade. He continues to teach and inspire audiences around the world. His most recent books include Unfair Advantage: The Power of Financial Education, Midas Touch, the second book he has co-authored with Donald Trump, and Why “A” Students Work for “C” Students. To learn more, visit RichDad.com About The Author Robert Kiyosaki Visit richdad.com and order your copy today! “In these uncertain economic times, these two titans of business have joined forces on a book that underscores the pressing need for financial literacy.” - Steve Forbes, President & CEO, Forbes Inc. In Why We Want You To Be Rich — Two Men, One Message, Trump and Kiyosaki take an alternative approach to the standard personalfinance book, writing a book on how they think, not a conventional how-to book. • Gain insight into how Trump and Kiyosaki think. • Learn why they win financially. • See the world of money, business, and investing through their eyes. Change your way of thinking about money and life with Why We Want You To Be Rich – Two Men, One Message. New York Times Best-selling Authors Unmatched Financial Insight from Financial Titans Trump and Kiyosaki Read the ground-breaking interactive book, Robert Kiyosaki’s best-selling Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich, and learn how the ultra-rich steal your wealth through taxes, debt, inflation, and retirement—and what you can do about it. Spanning history, current events, and future trends, Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich was written and published online during the worst economic crises since the Great Depression, and includes reader comments and a bonus Q&A chapter. • Learn about the conspiracy against financial education. • Discover why the dollar is doomed. • Gain the power to take charge of your own destiny. Don’t miss one of the most talked-about Rich Dad books of all time. Is There A Conspiracy Against Your Wealth? Robert Kiyosaki Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator, and Author Order your copy at richdad.com today! Order your copy of Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich today! True financial education is the path to creating the life you want for yourself and your family. Robert encourages and inspires you to change the one thing that is within your control: yourself. In Unfair Advantage, Robert challenges people around the world to stop blindly accepting that they are destined to struggle financially all their lives. This book is about the power of financial education and the five Unfair Advantages that real financial education offers: The Unfair Advantage of Knowledge The Unfair Advantage of Taxes The Unfair Advantage of Debt The Unfair Advantage of Risk The Unfair Advantage of Compensation In true Rich Dad style, Unfair Advantage challenges readers to appreciate two points of view and experience how the power of real financial education is their unfair advantage. www.richdad.com Visit richdad.com and order your copy today! In Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant, the sequel to Robert Kiyosaki’s smash hit, Rich Dad Poor Dad, you learn how the role you play in the world of money affects your ability to become financially free. Learn the four types of people who make up the world of business: • Employees • Self-employed • Business owners • Investors Learn how you can move from being an employee or self-employed to capture the power of being a business owner and investor. Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant is the perfect guide to getting out of the Rat Race and onto the Fast Track. Tired of Living Paycheck to Paycheck? A Wall Street Journal Bestseller, Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant Visit richdad.com for more information on coaching opportunities and education classes near you. Starting on an adventure to financial independence can be daunting. Boost your confidence and accelerate your progress with the guidance of one of Rich Dad’s highly trained and motivating coaches. • Discover your mission, passion, and purpose • Build a personalized investment strategy • Set your plan to financial freedom in motion Whether you are a seasoned investor or beginning the process, partner with a Rich Dad Coach to achieve your goals. Set your tomorrow in motion today with Rich Dad Coaching. The path to wealth is the knowledge learned along the way. Join the thousands who have studied the art and science of investing with Robert and Kim Kiyosaki’s trainers and advisors. • Learn in a hands-on environment and accelerate your learning curve • Maximize your potential by learning from those who practice what they preach • Gain exclusive access to top-tier experts Begin your training with a free preview in a town near you. Or, participate in advanced classes in the investment category of your choice. Get a Head Start with a Rich Dad Coach Knowledge Is the New Money Visit richdad.com and order your copy today! When was the last time your child came home from school talking about what they learned about money? Chances are that your answer is never. Rich Dad’s Rich Kid Smart Kid and Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens introduce parents and teens to the financial world, filling the gap in their education, giving them the right context in which to view money, and placing them on the right financial footing for a secure future. They will learn: • How money works • The difference between assets and liabilities • To think like an entrepreneur • How to make wise financial choices • How to jump-start their financial success Take the first step to ensure your child has a secure financial future with Rich Dad’s Rich Kid Smart Kid and Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens. If you are concerned about your child’s financial future, you can’t afford to pass over these essential books! Start Your Child Off on the Right Financial Footing Bring Out the Rich Woman in You Order at richwoman.com Get your copy of Rich Woman today! Let’s face it. When it comes to money, men and women are different. There are unique issues that women face when it comes to money and investing. And now there is a book on money uniquely for women. Now is the time for women to get smarter with their money. Kim Kiyosaki’s passion is to educate and encourage women to create financial security and peace of mind. That’s why she wrote Rich Woman. • Stop losing sleep over money. • Take control of your financial future. • Forget about looking for a rich Prince Charming. • Demand true independence. Start your journey to financial independence today. “This book is a must-read for all women. Today, more than ever, women need to be financially savvy.” – Donald Trump It’s Rising Time! A new title, now available, from Kim. Jump-start the financial education of your entire family! Leading researchers say that we only retain 10% of what we read, but 90% of what we experience. The CASHFLOW for Kids game was created by Robert and Kim Kiyosaki, best-selling authors of Rich Dad Poor Dad and Rich Woman, to teach kids valuable financial lessons in a fun, experiential way. CASHFLOW for Kids teaches you the difference between an asset and a liability and the principal of cash flow versus capital gains. Kids get to practice real-world investing scenarios with play money. Play CASHFLOW for Kids at home with your kids and friends today! Teach your kids financial lessons they’ll keep for a lifetime! Play CASHFLOW ® for Kids Kim and Robert Kiyosaki Investors, Entrepreneurs, Educators, and Authors Visit richdad.com today and join the FREE Rich Dad Community! You can expand your world and network in one single step. Join the Rich Dad Community FREE at www.richdad.com and globally expand your access to Robert, Kim and the Rich Dad Advisors. Connect, collaborate and play games with like-minded people who are committed to increasing their financial IQ—just like you! Just for registering, you will enjoy • Inspiring discussion forums • Listening to live web chats with Robert and Kim • Exchanging ideas and information with others • Challenging game play with others all around the world • Learning first-hand about new releases from Robert and Kim Rich Dad is committed to communicating with you through social media channels. Follow the inspiration threads on Twitter, connect and participate in Rich Dad Facebook commentary and enjoy the benefits of the financially literate! Get Connected to the Rich Dad Global Community! Join for FREE! Visit www.facebook.com/ RobertKiyosaki for what’s on Robert’s mind. Bonus Book Excerpt Guide to Financial Freedom By Robert T. Kiyosaki Cashflow® quadrant Rich Dad's ® Editor’s Note The Times They Are A-Changin’ There have been many changes in our economy and the investing landscape since Rich Dad Poor Dad was first published in 1997. Fourteen years ago, Robert Kiyosaki challenged conventional wisdom with his bold statement that “your house is not an asset.” His contrarian views on money and investing were met with skepticism, criticism, and outrage. In 2002, Robert’s book, Rich Dad’s Prophecy, advised that we prepare for an upcoming financial market crash. In 2006, Robert joined forces with Donald Trump to write Why We Want You To Be Rich, a book inspired by their concern for the shrinking middle class in America. Robert continues to be a passionate advocate for the importance and power of financial education. Today, in the wake of the subprime fiasco, record home foreclosures, and a global economic meltdown that is still raging, his words seem not only prophetic, but enlightened. Many skeptics have become believers. In preparing the 2011 edition of Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant, Robert realized two things: that his message and teachings have withstood the test of time, and that the investment landscape, the world in which investors operate, has changed dramatically. These changes have affected, and will continue to affect, those in the I (Investor) quadrant and have fueled Robert’s decision to update an important section in this book— Chapter Five: The Five Levels of Investors. ix INTRODUCTION Which Quadrant Are You In? ................................................. 1 Part One The CASHFLOW Quadrant Chapter One Why Don’t You Get a Job?.................................................... 11 Chapter Two Different Quadrants, Different People.................................. 23 Chapter Three Why People Choose Security over Freedom.......................... 57 Chapter Four The Three Kinds of Business Systems.................................... 81 Chapter Five The Five Levels of Investors .................................................. 95 Chapter Six You Cannot See Money with Your Eyes .............................. 119 Part Two Bringing Out the Best in You Chapter Seven Becoming Who You Are..................................................... 149 Chapter Eight How Do I Get Rich?........................................................... 165 Chapter Nine Be the Bank, Not the Banker.............................................. 187 Part Three How To Become a Successful B and I Chapter Ten Take Baby Steps.................................................................. 217 The Seven Steps to Finding Your Financial Fast Track Chapter Eleven Step 1: It’s Time to Mind Your Own Business..................... 233 Chapter Twelve Step 2: Take Control of Your Cash Flow............................. 239 Chapter Thirteen Step 3: Know the Difference Between Risk and Risky......... 247 Chapter Fourteen Step 4: Decide What Kind of Investor You Want to Be.......251 Chapter Fifteen Step 5: Seek Mentors.......................................................... 259 Chapter Sixteen Step 6: Make Disappointment Your Strength….................. 269 Chapter Seventeen Step 7: The Power of Faith.................................................. 275 Chapter Eighteen In Summary........................................................................ 281 Contents “What do you want to be when you grow up?” That is a question most of us have been asked. I had many interests as a kid, and it was easy to choose. If it sounded exciting and glamorous, I wanted to do it. I wanted to be a marine biologist, an astronaut, a Marine, a ship’s officer, a pilot, and a professional football player. I was fortunate enough to achieve three of those goals: a Marine Corps officer, a ship’s officer, and a pilot. I knew I did not want to become a teacher, a writer, or an accountant. I did not want to be a teacher because I did not like school. I did not want to be a writer because I failed English twice. And I dropped out of my MBA program because I could not stand accounting. Ironically, now that I have grown up, I have become everything I never wanted to become. Although I disliked school, today I own an education company. I personally teach around the world because I love teaching. Although I failed English twice because I could not write, today I am best known as an author. My book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, was on the New York Times best-sellers list for over seven years and is one of the top three best-selling books in the United States. The only books ahead of it are The Joy of Sex and The Road Less Traveled. Adding one more irony, Rich Dad Poor Dad and my CASHFLOW® board game are a book and a game about accounting, another subject I struggled with. So what does this have to do with the question: “What is your goal in life?” Preface WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S GOAL? xv The answer is found in the simple, yet profound, statement by a Vietnamese monk, Thich Naht Hahn: “The path is the goal.” In other words, finding your path in life is your goal in life. Your path is not your profession, how much money you make, your title, or your successes and failures. Finding your path means finding out what you were put here on this earth to do. What is your life’s purpose? Why were you given this gift called life? And what is the gift you give back to life? Looking back, I know going to school was not about finding my life’s path. I spent four years in military school, studying and training to be a ship’s officer. If I had made a career sailing for Standard Oil on their oil tankers, I would never have found my life’s path. If I had stayed in the Marines or had gone to fly for the airlines, I would never have found my life’s path. Had I continued on as a ship’s officer or become an airline pilot, I would never have become an international best-selling author, been a guest on the Oprah show, written a book with Donald Trump, or started an international education company that teaches entrepreneurship and investing throughout the world. Finding Your Path This CASHFLOW Quadrant book is important because it is about finding your path in life. As you know, most people are programmed early in life to “Go to school and get a job.” School is about finding a job in the E or S quadrant. It is not about finding your life’s path. I realize there are people who know exactly what they are going to do early in life. They grow up knowing they are going to be a doctor, lawyer, musician, golfer or actor. We have all heard about child prodigies, kids with exceptional talents. Yet you may notice, these are professions, not necessarily a life’s path. Preface xvi So How Does One Find Their Path in Life? My answer is: I wish I knew. If I could wave my magic wand and your life’s path would magically appear, I would. Since I do not have a magic wand nor can I tell you what to do, the best thing I can do is tell you what I did. And what I did was trust my intuition, my heart, and my guts. For example, in 1973, returning from the war, when my poor dad suggested I go back to school, get my higher degrees, and work for the government, my brain went numb, my heart went heavy and my gut said, “No way.” When he suggested I get my old job back with Standard Oil or fly for the airlines, again my mind, heart, and gut said no. I knew I was through sailing and flying, although they were great professions and the pay was pretty good. In 1973 at the age of 26, I was growing up. I had followed my parent’s advice and gone to school, received my college degree, and had two professions: a license to be a ship’s officer and a license to fly. The problem was, they were professions and the dreams of a child. At the age of 26, I was old enough to know that education is a process. For example, when I wanted to be a ship’s officer, I went to a school that turned out ships’ officers. And when I wanted to learn to fly, I went to Navy flight school, a two-year process that turns non-pilots into pilots. I was cautious about my next educational process. I wanted to know what I was going to become before I started my next educational process. Traditional schools had been good to me. I had achieved my childhood professions. Reaching adulthood was confusing because there were no signs saying, “This is the way.” I knew what I didn’t want to do, but I did not know what I wanted to do. It would have been simple if all I wanted was a new profession. If I had wanted to be a medical doctor, I would have gone to medical school. If I had wanted to be a lawyer, I would have gone to law school. But I knew there was more to life than just going to school to gain another professional credential. I did not realize it at the time, but at 26 years of age, I was now looking for my path in life, not my next profession. CASHFLOW Quadrant xvii A Different Education In 1973, in my last year of active duty flying for the Marine Corps when I was stationed near home in Hawaii, I knew I wanted to follow in my rich dad’s footsteps. While in the Marines, I signed up for real estate courses and business courses on the weekends, preparing to become an entrepreneur in the B and I quadrants. At the same time, upon a friend’s recommendation of a friend, I signed up for a personal-development course, hoping to find out who I really was. A personal-development course is non-traditional education because I was not taking it for credits or grades. I did not know what I was going to learn, as I did when I signed up for real estate courses. All I knew was that it was time to take courses to find out about me. In my first weekend course, the instructor drew this simple diagram on the flip chart: SPIRITUAL EMOTIONAL MENTAL PHYSICAL Preface xviii With the diagram complete, the instructor turned and said, “To develop into a whole human being, we need mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual education.” Listening to her explanation, it was clear to me that traditional schools were primarily about developing students mentally. That is why so many students who do well in school, do not do well in real life, especially in the world of money. As the course progressed over the weekend, I discovered why I disliked school. I realized that I loved learning, but hated school. Traditional education was a great environment for the “A” students, but it was not the environment for me. Traditional education was crushing my spirit, trying to motivate me with the emotion of fear: the fear of making mistakes, the fear of failing, and the fear of not getting a job. They were programming me to be an employee in the E or S quadrant. I realized that traditional education is not the place for a person who wants to be an entrepreneur in the B and I quadrants. This may be why so many entrepreneurs never finish school— entrepreneurs like Thomas Edison, founder of General Electric; Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company; Steve Jobs, founder of Apple; Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft; Walt Disney, founder of Disneyland; and Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook. As the day went on and the instructor went deeper and deeper into these four types of personal development, I realized I had spent most of my life in very harsh educational environments. After four years at an all-male military academy and five years as a Marine pilot, I was pretty strong mentally and physically. As a Marine pilot, I was strong emotionally and spiritually, but all on the macho-male development side. I had no gentle side, no female energy. After all, I was trained to be Marine Corps officer, emotionally calm under pressure, prepared to kill, and spiritually prepared to die for my country. If you ever saw the movie Top Gun starring Tom Cruise, you get a glimpse into the masculine world and bravado of military pilots. I loved that world. I was good in that world. It was a modern-day world of knights and warriors. It was not a world for wimps. CASHFLOW Quadrant xix In the seminar, I went into my emotions and briefly touched my spirit. I cried a lot because I had a lot to cry about. I had done and seen things no one should ever be asked to do. During the seminar, I hugged a man, something I had never done before, not even with my father. On Sunday night, it was difficult leaving this self-development workshop. The seminar had been a gentle, loving, honest environment. Monday morning was a shock to once again be surrounded by young egotistical pilots, dedicated to flying, killing and dying for country. After that weekend seminar, I knew it was time to change. I knew developing myself emotionally and spiritually to become a kinder, gentler, and more compassionate person would be the hardest thing I could do. It went against all my years at the military academy and flight school. I never returned to traditional education again. I had no desire to study for grades, degrees, promotions, or credentials again. From then on, if I did attend a course or school, I went to learn, to become a better person. I was no longer in the paper chase of grades, degrees, and credentials. Growing up in a family of teachers, your grades, the high school and college you graduated from, and your advanced degrees were everything. Like the medals and ribbons on a Marine pilot’s chest, advanced degrees and brand-name schools were the status and the stripes that educators wore on their sleeves. In their minds, people who did not finish high school were the unwashed, the lost souls of life. Those with master’s degrees looked down on those with only bachelor degrees. Those with a PhD were held in reverence. At the age of 26, I knew I would never return to that world. Editor’s Note: In 2009, Robert received an honorary PhD in entrepreneurship from prestigious San Ignacio de Loyola in Lima, Peru. The few other recipients of this award are political leaders, such as the former President of Spain. Preface xx Finding My Path I know some of you are now asking: Why is he spending so much time talking about non-traditional education courses? The reason is, that first personal-development seminar rekindled my love of learning, but not the type of learning that is taught in school. Once that seminar was over, I became a seminar junkie, going from seminar to seminar, finding out more about the connection between my body, my mind, my emotions, and my spirit. The more I studied, the more curious about traditional education I became. I began to ask questions such as: • Why do so many kids hate school? • Why do so few kids like school? • Why are many highly educated people not successful in the real world? • Does school prepare you for the real world? • Why did I hate school but love learning? • Why are most schoolteachers poor? • Why do schools teach us little about money? Those questions led me to become a student of education outside the hallowed walls of the school system. The more I studied, the more I understood why I did not like school and why schools failed to serve most of its students, even the “A” students. My curiosity touched my spirit, and I became an entrepreneur in education. If not for this curiosity, I might never have become an author and a developer of financial-education games. My spiritual education led me to my path in life. It seems that our paths in life are not found in our minds. Our path in life is to find out what is in our hearts. This does not mean a person cannot find their path in traditional education. I am sure many do. I am just saying that I doubt I would have found my path in traditional school. CASHFLOW Quadrant xxi Why Is a Path Important? We all know people who make a lot of money, but hate their work. We also know people who do not make a lot of money and hate their work. And we all know people who just work for money. A classmate of mine from the Merchant Marine Academy also realized he did not want to spend his life at sea. Rather than sail for the rest of his life, he went to law school after graduation, spending three more years becoming a lawyer and entering private practice in the S quadrant. He died in his early fifties. He had become a very successful, unhappy lawyer. Like me, he had two professions by the time he was 26. Although he hated being a lawyer, he continued being a lawyer because he had a family, kids, a mortgage, and bills to pay. A year before he died, I met him at a class reunion in New York. He was a bitter man. “All I do is sweep up behind rich guys like you. They pay me nothing. I hate what I do and who I work for.” “Why don’t you do something else?” I asked. “I can’t afford to stop working. My first child is entering college.” He died of a heart attack before she graduated. He made a lot of money via his professional training, but he was emotionally angry, spiritually dead, and soon his body followed. I realize this is an extreme example. Most people do not hate what they do as much as my friend did. Yet it illustrates the problem when a person is trapped in a profession and unable to find their path. To me, this is the shortcoming of traditional education. Millions of people leave school, only to be trapped in jobs they do not like. They know something is missing in life. Many people are also trapped financially, earning just enough to survive, wanting to earn more but not knowing what to do. Without awareness of the other quadrants, many people go back to school and look for new professions or pay raises in the E or S quadrant, unaware of the world of the B and I quadrants. Preface xxii My Reason for Becoming a Teacher My primary reason for becoming a teacher in the B quadrant was a desire to provide financial education. I wanted to make this education available to anyone who wanted to learn, regardless of how much money they had or what their grade-point averages were. That is why The Rich Dad Company started with the CASHFLOW game. This game can teach in places I could never go. The beauty of the game is that it was designed to have people teach people. There is no need for an expensive teacher or classroom. The CASHFLOW game is now translated into over sixteen languages, reaching millions of people all over the world. Today, The Rich Dad Company offers financial-education courses as well as the services of coaches and mentors to support a person’s financial education. Our programs are especially important for anyone wanting to evolve out of the E and S quadrants into the B and I quadrants. There is no guarantee that everyone will make it to the B and I quadrants, yet they will know how to access those quadrants if they want to. Change Is Not Easy For me, changing quadrants was not easy. It was hard work mentally, but more so emotionally and spiritually. Growing up in a family of highly educated employees in the E quadrant, I carried their values of education, job security, benefits, and a government pension. In many ways, my family values made my transition difficult. I had to shut out their warnings, concerns, and criticisms about becoming an entrepreneur and investor. Some of their values I had to discount were: • “But you have to have a job.” • “You’re taking too many risks.” • “What if you fail?” • “Just go back to school and get your masters degree.” • “Become a doctor. They make a lot of money.” • “The rich are greedy.” CASHFLOW Quadrant xxiii • “Why is money so important to you?” • “Money won’t make you happy.” • “Just live below your means.” • “Play it safe. Don’t go for your dreams.” Diet and Exercise I mention emotional and spiritual development because that is what it takes to make a permanent change in life. For example, it rarely works to tell an overweight person, “Just eat less and exercise more.” Diet and exercise may make sense mentally, but most people who are overweight do not eat because they are hungry. They eat to feed an emptiness in their emotions and their soul. When a person goes on a diet-and-exercise program, they are only working on their mind and their body. Without emotional development and spiritual strength, the overweight person may go on a diet for six months and lose a ton of weight, only to put even more weight back on later. The same is true for changing quadrants. Saying to yourself, “I’m going to become an entrepreneur in the B quadrant,” is as futile as a chain smoker saying, “Tomorrow I’m going to quit smoking.” Smoking is a physical addiction caused by emotional and spiritual challenges. Without emotional and spiritual support, the smoker will always be a smoker. The same is true for an alcoholic, a sex addict, or a chronic shopper. Most addictions are attempts to find happiness in people’s souls. This is why my company offers courses for the mind and body, but also coaches and mentors to support the emotional and spiritual transitions. A few people are able to make the journey alone, but I was not one of them. If not for a coach like my rich dad and the support of my wife Kim, I would not have made it. There were so many times I wanted to quit and give up. If not for Kim and my rich dad, I would have quit. Preface xxiv Why “A” Students Fail Looking at the diagram again, it is easy to see why so many “A” students fail in the world of money. A person may be highly educated mentally, but if they are not educated emotionally, their fear will often stop their body from doing what it must do. That is why so many “A” students get stuck in “analysis paralysis,” studying every little detail, but failing to do anything. This “analysis paralysis” is caused by our educational system punishing students for making mistakes. If you think about it, “A” students are “A” students simply because they made the fewest mistakes. The problem with that emotional psychosis is that, in the real world, people who take action are the ones who make the most mistakes and learn from them to win in the game of life. Just look at Presidents Clinton and Bush. Clinton could not admit he had sex and Bush could not recall any mistakes he made during his presidency. Making mistakes is human, but lying about your mistakes is criminal, a criminal act known as perjury. SPIRIT EMOTION MIND BODY CASHFLOW Quadrant xxv When criticized for making 1,014 mistakes before creating the electric light bulb, Thomas Edison said, “I did not fail 1,014 times. I successfully found out what did not work 1,014 times.” In other words, the reason so many people fail to achieve success is because they fail to fail enough times. Looking at the diagram again, one of the reasons so many people cling to job security is because they lack emotional education. They let fear stop them. One of the best things about military school and the Marine Corps is that these organizations spend a lot of time developing young men and women spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Although it was a tough education, it was a complete education, preparing us to do a nasty job. The reason I created the CASHFLOW game is because the game educates the whole person. The game is a better teaching tool than reading or lecture, simply because the game involves the body, mind, emotions, and spirit of the player. The game is designed for players to make as many mistakes as possible with play money, and then learn from those mistakes. To me, this is a more humane way to learn about money. Preface SPIRIT EMOTION MIND BODY xxvi The Path Is the Goal Today, there are thousands of CASHFLOW clubs all over the world. One reason why CASHFLOW clubs are important is because they are a shelter from the storm, a way station on the path of life. By joining a CASHFLOW club, you get to meet people like you, people who are committed to making changes, not just talking about change. Unlike school, there is not a requirement of past academic success. All that is asked is a sincere desire to learn and make changes. In the game, you will make a lot of mistakes in different financial situations and will learn from your mistakes, using play money. CASHFLOW clubs are not for those who want to get rich quick. CASHFLOW clubs are there to support the long-term mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and financial changes a person needs to go through. We all change and evolve at different rates of speed so you are encouraged to go at your own speed. After playing the game with others a few times, you will have a better idea of what your next step should be and which of the four asset classes (business, real estate, paper assets, or commodities) is best for you. In Conclusion Finding one’s path is not necessarily easy. Even today, I do not really know if I am on my path or not. As you know, we all get lost at times, and it is not always easy to find our way back. If you feel you are not in the right quadrant for you, or you are not on your life’s path, I encourage you to search your heart and find your path in life. You may know it is time to change if you are saying things like the following statements: • “I’m working with dead people.” • “I love what I do, but I wish I could make more money.” • “I can’t wait for the weekend.” • “I want to do my own thing.” • “Is it quitting time yet?” CASHFLOW Quadrant xxvii My sister is a Buddhist nun. Her path is to support the Dalai Lama, a path that pays nothing. Yet, although she earns little, it does not mean she has to be a poor nun. She has her own rental property and investments in gold and silver. Her strength of spirit and her financially educated mind allow her to follow her life’s path without taking a vow of poverty. In many ways, it was a good thing I was labeled stupid in school. Although emotionally painful, that pain allowed me to find my life’s path as a teacher. And like my sister, the nun, just because I am a teacher does not mean I have to be a poor teacher. Repeating what Thich Naht Hahn said: “The path is the goal.” Preface xxvii Are you financially free? If your life has come to a financial fork in the road, Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant was written for you. If you want to take control of what you do today in order to change your financial destiny, this book will help you chart your course. This is the CASHFLOW Quadrant. The letters in each quadrant represent: E for employee S for small business or self-employed B for big business I for investor The CASHFLOW Quadrant® is a way to categorize people based on where their money comes from. Introduction WHICH QUADRANT ARE YOU IN? 1 Each of us resides in at least one of the four sections (quadrants) of the CASHFLOW Quadrant. Where we are is determined by where our cash comes from. Many of us are employees who rely on paychecks, while others are self-employed. Employees and self-employed individuals reside on the left side of the CASHFLOW Quadrant. The right side is for individuals who receive their cash from businesses they own or investments they own. The CASHFLOW Quadrant is an easy way to categorize people based on where their money comes from. Each quadrant within the CASHFLOW Quadrant is unique, and the people within each one share common characteristics. The quadrants will show you where you are today and will help you chart a course for where you want to be in the future as you choose your own path to financial freedom. While financial freedom can be found in all four of the quadrants, the skills of a B or I will help you reach your financial goals more quickly. Successful E’s need to become successful I’s to ensure their financial security during retirement. What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? This book is, in many ways, Part II of my book, Rich Dad Poor Dad. For those of you who may not have read Rich Dad Poor Dad, it is about the different lessons my two dads taught me about money and life choices. One was my real dad, and the other was my best friend’s dad. One was highly educated and the other was a high school dropout. One was poor, and the other was rich. 2 Introduction Poor Dad’s Advice Growing up, my highly educated, but poor, dad always said, “Go to school, get good grades, and find a safe secure job.” He was recommending a life path that looked like this: Poor dad recommended that I become either a well-paid E, employee, or a well-paid S, self-employed professional, such as a medical doctor, lawyer, or accountant. My poor dad was very concerned about a steady paycheck, benefits, and job security. That’s why he was a well-paid government official, the head of education for the State of Hawaii. SCHOOL 3 CASHFLOW Quadrant Rich Dad’s Advice My uneducated, but rich, dad offered very different advice. He said, “Go to school, graduate, build businesses, and become a successful investor.” He was recommending a life path that looked like this: This book is about the mental, emotional, and educational process I went through in following my rich dad’s advice. Who Is This Book For? This book is written for people who are ready to change quadrants, especially for individuals who are currently in the E and S categories and are contemplating moving to the B or I category. This book is for people who are ready to move beyond job security and begin to achieve financial security. It’s not an easy life path, but the prize at the end of the road, financial freedom, is worth the journey. When I was 12 years old, rich dad told me a simple story that guided me to great wealth and financial freedom. It was his way of explaining the difference between the left side of the CASHFLOW Quadrant, the E and S quadrants, and the right side, or the B and I quadrants. The story goes like this: SCHOOL 4 Introduction “Once upon a time there was this quaint little village. It was a great place to live except for one problem. The village had no water unless it rained. To solve this problem once and for all, the village elders asked contractors to submit bids to deliver water to the village on a daily basis. Two people volunteered to take on the task, and the elders awarded the contract to both of them. They felt that a little competition would keep prices low and ensure a backup supply of water. “The first person who won the contract, Ed, immediately ran out, bought two galvanized steel buckets and began running back and forth to the lake which was a mile away. He immediately began making money as he labored morning to dusk, hauling water from the lake with his two buckets. He would empty them into the large concrete holding tank the village had built. Each morning he had to get up before the rest of the village awoke to make sure there was enough water for the people. It was hard work, but he was very happy to be making money and for having one of the two exclusive contracts for this business. “The second winning contractor, Bill, disappeared for a while. He wasn’t seen for months, which made Ed very happy, since he had no competition. “Instead of buying two buckets to compete with Ed, Bill wrote a business plan, created a corporation, found four investors, employed a president to do the work, and returned six months later with a construction crew. Within a year, his team had built a large-volume stainless-steel pipeline which connected the village to the lake. “At the grand-opening celebration, Bill announced that his water was cleaner than Ed’s water. Bill knew that the villagers had complained about the water’s lack of cleanliness. Bill also announced that he could supply the village with water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ed could only deliver water on weekdays because he didn’t want to work on weekends. Then Bill announced that he would charge 75 percent less than Ed did for this higher-quality, more-reliable water. The villagers cheered and immediately ran for the faucet at the end of Bill’s pipeline. 5 CASHFLOW Quadrant “In order to compete, Ed immediately lowered his rates by 75 percent, bought two more buckets, added covers to his buckets and began hauling four buckets each trip. In order to provide better service, he hired his two sons to give him a hand on the night shift and on weekends. When his boys went off to college, he said to them, ‘Hurry back because someday this business will belong to you.’ “For some reason, his two sons never returned. Eventually, Ed had employees and union problems. The union demanded higher wages and better benefits and wanted its members to only haul one bucket at a time. “Meanwhile, Bill realized that if this village needed water, then other villages must need water too. He rewrote his business plan and went off to sell his high-speed, high-volume, low-cost, clean-water delivery system to villages throughout the world. He only makes a penny per bucket of water delivered, but he delivers billions of buckets of water every day. Whether he works or not, billions of people consume billions of buckets of water, and all that money pours into his bank account. Bill developed a pipeline to deliver money to himself, as well as water to the villages. “Bill lived happily ever after. Ed worked hard for the rest of his life and had financial problems forever after. The end.” That story about Bill and Ed has guided me for years. It has assisted me in my life’s decision-making process. I often ask myself: “Am I building a pipeline or hauling buckets?” “Am I working hard, or am I working smart?” And the answers to those questions have made me financially free. That is what this book is about. It’s about what it takes to become a B and an I. It’s for people who are tired of hauling buckets and are ready to build pipelines for cash to flow into their pockets. 6 Introduction This Book Is Divided into Three Parts Part One The first part of this book focuses on the core differences between people in the four quadrants. It shows why certain people gravitate to certain quadrants and often get stuck there without realizing it. It will help you identify where you are today in the quadrant and where you want to be in five years. Part Two The second part of this book is about personal change. It’s more about who you have to be, instead of what you have to do. Part Three The third part of this book explains how to find success on the right side of the CASHFLOW Quadrant. I will share more of my rich dad’s secrets on the skills required to be a successful B and I. It will help you choose your own path to financial freedom. Throughout Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant, I continue to stress the importance of financial intelligence. If you want to operate on the right side, the B- and I-quadrant side, you must be smarter than if you choose to stay on the left side, the E- and S-quadrant side. To be a B or I, you must be able to control the direction of your cash flow. This book is written for people who are ready to make changes in their lives to move beyond job security and begin to build their own pipelines to achieve financial freedom. We are in the Information Age which offers more opportunities for financial reward than ever before. Individuals with the skills of the B’s and I’s will be able to identify and seize those opportunities. To be successful in the Information Age, a person needs information from all four quadrants. Unfortunately, our schools are still in the Industrial Age and still prepare students for only the left side of the CASHFLOW Quadrant. If you’re looking for new answers to move forward in the Information Age, this book is for you. It doesn’t have all the answers, but it will share the deep personal and guiding insights I gained as I traveled from the E and S side to the B and I side. 7 CASHFLOW Quadrant My Environment... The six adults I spend the most time with are: Name___________________________ Quadrant______ Name___________________________ Quadrant______ Name___________________________ Quadrant______ Name___________________________ Quadrant______ Name___________________________ Quadrant______ Name___________________________ Quadrant______