Book Review : Rich Dad, Poor Dad

chillibreeze writer — Vijay Ghosh

I don’t usually read non-fiction, especially a non-fiction book that has to do with finances and money management. But when I was browsing through the friendly neighborhood book-shop the other day, I happened to pick up this book because of its catchy title “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and its tag phrase “What the Rich teach their kids about money - that the poor and middle class do not!” Maybe it had something to do with my sorely depleted bank balance and the fact that the book promised to teach something about money that my parent’s hadn’t.

“Rich Dad, Poor Dad” has been written by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter. Mr. Kiyosaki is a fourth generation Japanese-American. After serving in the Marine Corps as a helicopter gunship pilot during the Vietnam War, he took a job with the Xerox Corporation as a salesman. This is when he started to invest in real estate and other commodities and eventually started a company that introduced nylon and Velcro wallets (designed for surfers) into the market. Mr. Kiyosaki now runs a business and investment education company, Cashflow Technologies, Inc.

Ralph H. Kiyosaki, Robert’s biological father, was the former Superintendent of Education for the state of Hawaii. He was a highly educated man with a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He is referred to as “Poor Dad” in the book. The man referred to as “Rich Dad” is a neighbor who had never finished eight grade yet owned warehouses, a construction company, a chain of stores and three restaurants. While “Poor Dad” urged Robert to study hard so that he could earn money, the “Rich Dad” taught Robert how to invest money so that he would not be bound within the constraints of a nine-to-five job.

The book contains all the various lessons about money that Robert’s mentor, “Rich Dad” taught him. “Rich Dad” was rich and taught Robert how to get rich and stay that way. The contrast in attitudes of the rich and the middle-class towards money is further reinforced by the teachings of “Poor Dad,” who had typical middle-class notions about money. ”Poor dad” made just enough to pay his taxes and own a house, in spite of being highly educated and working for the Government.

Mr. Kiyosaki says his main motive behind writing this book is to teach financial literacy to those of us who are not blessed enough to have a “Rich Dad” to show us how to invest our money properly. He argues that the present educational system renders us financially incompetent and, allows rich corporations and the Government to exploit us for money because of this lack of financial literacy. He offers many valuable insights into money management that he obtained from his “Rich Dad” and from his personal experience.

The most significant concept in the book that I found to be an eye-opener was his differentiation between a “business” and a “profession.” According to Mr. Kiyosaki, besides one’s day-to-day job (or “profession” as he calls it), every person must also have a “business”. A “business” is where one can invest one’s money, and which will in turn generate money even when one is not working. He also goes on to explain the history of taxes and how the rich manage to legally evade paying a fortune in taxes through the formation of corporations. His definition of “assets” and “liabilities” was a revelation to me, and a sad one at that, because I realized that most of the things that I considered my assets were actually liabilities in the long run. He also gives detailed examples on how to manage ones cash flow so that returns from the assets can be invested into procuring more assets.

The book is very well written and, surprisingly for a book on the subject of finance, not at all dry or long-winded. Mr. Kiyosaki uses a lot of anecdotes to illustrate his ideas. The constant comparison between the wealth management strategies of “Rich Dad” and “Poor Dad” serves to reinforce the need to change middle-class mindsets about money.

Critics of the book say that the financial advice offered in this book is too general and not very accurate. Not being a financial genius myself, I wouldn’t be able to counter these claims. But, as a novice to the field of finance, I found this book very encouraging and motivational. It really made me sit back and take a close look at where all the money that I am working so hard for, was going. Even if I never become a millionaire or never actually use all the strategies outlined in the book, it was still a very interesting read. It has changed my outlook towards money forever.

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Book Review : Rich Dad, Poor Dad

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