Robert Kiyosaki

Robert Kiyosaki is a Japanese American who was born in Hilo, Hawaii.

He attended High School and graduated in 1965. After graduating he went to the navy in combination with education.

Robert Kiyosaki chose to attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy in New York. He graduated with the class of 1969 as a deck officer, and a commission as a 2nd LT in the U.S. Marine Corps.

After graduating from college in New York, Kiyosaki began his career by taking a job with Standard Oil’s tanker. His career with Standard Oil was short and Robert Kiyosaki resigned with the organization after 6 months to join the Marine Corps. He served in the Marine Corps as a helicopter gunship pilot during the Vietnam War in 1972.

In 1974, Robert left the Marine Corps and start working as a salesman in Xerox Corporation. He did this for a couple of years and then started up his own business for the first time.

He had a new concept of wallet which often is referred to as a surfer wallet. On the learning path, he made this concept to a success (a multi-million dollar product).

The next business was almost similar but shifted his targeted consumer group from Surfers to Rockers and their favourite band t-shirts. This wasn’t a success and left him and his family broke, bankrupt and homeless (age 47).

From being broke and homeless, he thought of a new concept on personal finance and how you could learn to be successful on making financial decisions. This was a concept that hit the sweet spot of many people and it became a great success. Within nine years of development and spreading the word about the platform and business idea, he became a multimillionaire, and still is.

Today, Robert Kiyosaki still runs his business, speaks all over the world and has written numerous of books on being successful with your personal finance including the greats tools like of the Cash flow board.

Books:

If You Want to Be Rich & Happy, Don’t Go to School? (1992)

In this book, Kiyosaki negates the conventional idea of schooling. It is an accepted norm that studying and learning can actually bring out the best of our abilities, and help us to become knowledgeable, thereby, helping to earn a living along with a good standard of lifestyle. But in his book, he defies this ideology and says that the conventional ways of learning only limits an individual’s vision and problem-solving capacities, restricting him to think within the box. He disbelieved in the stigma that education is complete once the degree is attained.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad (1997)

In this book, the author opines that going to school, learning the lessons well, and fetching a job do not guarantee one of wealth. It is rather the application of knowledge in the field that does the trick. He has jotted down the differences between the rich and the poor by citing examples of his biological father and the father of his school friend. His biological father was a well-educated man, working as a high-ranking official, but was still struggling to make ends’ meet and afford a luxurious life. Contradicting this was the father of his friend, who with his limited education was a successful entrepreneur.

Cashflow Quadrant (May 2000)

Kiyosaki, in this book, has laid down four quadrants of workers, namely the employees, the self-employed, the business owners, and the investors. He further says that in most cases, the employees are the workers who work very hard, give their best, but make money for their owners. The self-employed are the ones who work very hard, make profit for their own, but also have to do the formalities of paperwork, taxes, and the like. So, in most cases, he will discontinue the work somewhere down the line. The business owner also runs his own business, but hires a manager to do the work for him. He is in a better position. The investors are the ones who earn money with money. They invest a sum of money in a particular business, and the profit earned is several times the investment. In a nutshell, Kiyosaki concluded that the worst positions are those of the employee and the self-employed. Time and freedom are best enjoyed by the remaining two types of workers.

Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing (June 2000)

The author has clearly divided the types of investors into three. They are the sophisticated investors, the inside investors, and the ultimate investors. He further says that a change in the way of how we look into the concept of investment makes all the difference. This makes the rich, the middle class, and the poor. The rich, according to Kiyosaki, invest in three different E’s; Education, Experience, and Excessive Cash.

The Business School For People Who Like Helping People (March 2001, 2nd Edition, 2003)

This book focuses on the importance of building a network in the business. He supports the concept of Network Marketing, and endorses the philosophy that successful businessmen build their own network. Through this book, he lays eight different values that he considers good, along with making money, which support the very concept of Network Marketing Business.

Rich Dad’s Rich Kid Smart Kid (2001)

Robert Kiyosaki has been highly influenced by his ‘rich dad’, the father of his school friend. He was taught several things pertaining to managing finance. This book of his puts up the insight that he had gathered over time from his ‘rich dad’. This book is a guide for those parents who want their children to excel in life, thereby attaining success. He is of the opinion that the schooling system, nowadays, doesn’t suffice the purpose of providing adequate knowledge to the students. Rich Kid Smart Kid intends to teach what the school fails to teach. It is sure to instill the love for learning amongst the young minds so that they are always receptive to know new things, at all times possible. And all of this would be spearheaded by the parents, who want their kids to be self-sufficient in today’s competitive world.

Rich Dad’s Retire Young, Retire Rich (2002)

The theme of this book is that how a person can earn more with less time and effort. It highlights the techniques that young entrepreneurs should follow in order to be able to amass so much wealth in less time such that they are able to retire early, without even having afterthoughts of post-retirement life. The techniques that he prescribes in the book are the ones that can be put to use by anyone in the real estate or stock market business. These are highly valued techniques that he has compiled in his book. He was taught about these techniques by his ‘rich dad’, and undoubtedly, were highly beneficial, which explains why Kiyosaki himself had retired at a very early age.

Rich Dad’s Prophecy (2002)

This book talks at length about a probability that Kiyosaki has predicted, and the process of changing the probability into a beneficial one. In the first part of the book, which is entitled as, ‘Is the Fairy Tale Over?’, he predicts that there will come the crash of the financial market, which will lead to nowhere but the doom. Having said this, he also consoles by stating that the rich and smart people are those who can curve out opportunities from the worst of the situations. The crisis perhaps always turns out to be opportunities for the rich. In the next section of the book, ‘Building the Ark’, he further opines that the bad days can be turned into the best of the days with a little technique, knowledge, and foresight. It promotes the fact that every individual must develop his own survival strategy.

Rich Dad’s Success Stories (2003)

This book is dedicated to those who are scared to take that first plunge. It is a motivation for those who are scared to make that first investment. It is a compilation of the experiences and success stories of those people who didn’t have much in life. But by applying the theories laid down by Kiyosaki in his ‘Rich Dad’ series, they have all tasted success. In his own words, “The future will be very bright for those who prepare today.”

You Can Choose to be Rich (2003)

This book was also published as an audio series with three books. It sets the idea that it depends on an individual whether he wants to be rich or not. It also gives the much-needed financial education about how to change the approach towards money and life, and how this change of approach will reap benefits for an individual. He says that drafting a financial plan is of importance as that will take an individual towards success. He also emphasizes the importance of financial knowledge, financial literacy, and self-confidence as the factors that will take one closer to success.

Rich Dad’s Who Took My Money? (2004)

This book narrates how the return on investment can be maximized in a short duration of time, enabling one to be financially independent. He counts on the advice given to him by his ‘rich dad’, which enabled him to get the maximum profit in less time. The idea he sets is to maximize the leverage and protect the cash flow. The book is divided into two parts: (i) pointing out the ideas and experiences of the small-time investors and entrepreneurs like insurance agents, dairy owners, etc.; (ii) a section that underlines the goodness of power

investment.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad for Teens (2004)

This book is for all the young minds, who want to make it big in life. It summarizes the counter philosophies, which are contrary to the perceived convention. Through his advice, he suggests that anybody can survive in this extremely challenging situation and gain financial independence. He advises not to work for earning; rather to work in order to learn. The following of his philosophies have been mentioned in the book such as never work for money, make the money do the work, and not to let go of something because it is not affordable; rather, make yourself able enough to afford it. This book is appealing both to the adults and the teens.

Rich Dad’s Before You Quit Your Job (2005)

This book provides the experiences he gained while setting up his own business ventures. He narrates the lessons that he learned from his encounters of success and failure. It also states the dos and don’ts one needs to adhere to, in order to start a business venture independently. This book, like the others in the series, is a source of motivation for those who want to work independently as entrepreneurs, rather than limiting themselves in the employee status. It demands much more knowledge, effort, planning, money, and patience on the part of entrepreneurs. It clearly tells one to understand whether the business plan designed is feasible or not, and whether it has the potential to be financed by the investors.

Rich Dad’s Escape from the Rat Race (2005)

The basic outline and the core message of all the books of the ‘Rich Dad’ series is that everyone should undergo the basic schooling, get degrees, fetch a good job, and then invest in self-business goals. This book too echoes the same message. The title is suggestive enough to say that everyone should explore for himself a niche of his own, and establish something unique, which no one else does, in order to ‘escape from the rat race’, thereby achieving success. This will, for sure, help him to make him strive hard to earn money, and help him to have sufficient wealth for a lifetime. With very innovative examples of the mouse and the turtle, Kiyosaki has penned down the complex elements of entrepreneurship.

Why We Want You to Be Rich: Two Men, One Message (2006) jointly written by Donald Trump

The two legendary rich men vouch on the same advice for the ever-struggling middle class. The message is loud and clear, i.e., to tread a path of one’s own by attaining workable knowledge in finance. The idea is to gather wealth in the best possible way, at a fast pace. This book brings to light the fast-approaching American economy, where the middle class will be totally absent. There shall prevail only two classes in the society: the, ‘rich’ and the ‘poor’.

Rich Dad’s Increase Your Financial IQ: Get Smarter with Your Money (2008)

The touchstone for financial independence and stability is to increase the financial IQ. This book is a guide for thinking just like the ‘rich’, in order to be rich. Kiyosaki has time and again preached about the necessity to earn a lot of money, in a short duration, by eliminating oneself from the rat race. But in parallel, he has also highlighted the drawbacks of trying to adhere to shortcuts in order to achieve goals. He is rather of the opinion that people should increase their knowledge and IQ of finance. Planning, leverage, techniques, knowledge, and good budgeting will lead a person closer to long-term wealth.

Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money (2009)

The USP of this book is the solution it has sought to live through the global recession that had hit all and sundry, at some level, at some point of time. He has also engineered a new approach to connect to the readers by extending to them the platform of interaction, instead of passive reading. He, therefore, encouraged feedback and comments from his much-valued readers. He carefully laid down eight new rules of money. He has elaborated on the causes of recession that posed such devastating consequences to millions.

Rich Brother Rich Sister (2009) jointly written by Emi Kiyosaki

This book deserves a special mention, not just because of the fact that Robert is not the lone writer of this book, but also because it projects the diverse ideologies of both the siblings on life and survival. They have both fought against the odds in life, but in two different paths. While Robert, in his early life, fought the war, his sister chose to walk on the path of non-violence. However, both of them resulted to get the maximum in life, and also secured the future by having saved sufficient wealth. The book touches upon the serious, yet inevitable aspects of life, such as life itself, the antonym of it, that is death, religion, philosophy, fear of the unknown, and perhaps, above all, spirituality. The book is an inspirational quotation of both of them.

The Real Book of Real Estate: Real Experts, Real Stories, Real Life (2010)

Perhaps, one of the toughest ventures that exist for entrepreneurship is the business of real estate. Like others, it too has a lot of uncertainties, but perhaps the degrees are a little more heightened. But the opportunities are also ample. This book is a well-researched compilation from the top tycoons of the real estate world who, through this book, have laid down their valuable insight with the common mission to enable the commoner to become ‘rich’ in the real estate business, in the truest sense possible. This book is of help for the experienced players, like it is helpful even for the amateur ones. The bottom line is to overpower one’s fears related to finance, and encash on self-reliance.

An Unfair Advantage: The Power of Financial Education (2011)

Through this book, Kiyosaki talks at length about the multidimensional hurdles that a modern man in modern times has to undergo, and also how he marches ahead in search of a befitting solution to those problems. As it is rightly proclaimed, ‘change is the only constant’, but the irony is that change may not always be desirable, and not always accompanied by advantages. Therefore, his advice to the victims of such undesirable changes is to alter the way to deal with problems, and to manifest newer ways to deal with newer problems. The answer to the problem is to move out of the conventional framework that has been inculcated in our minds throughout the growing and learning years. Unlearning the old will, in the long run, make us suitable to adopt and learn newer things in life, thus serving the purpose. And to do this, everybody has to start with education. On the whole, this book is the perfect teacher of financial education.

Midas Touch: Why Some Entrepreneurs Get Rich And Why Most Don’t (2011) jointly written by Donald Trump

Like their earlier joint venture, this book too advocates how the education system, these days, fails the purpose of education. How it trains an individual to become only employees and not the entrepreneurs, themselves. This book provides the ‘midas touch’ by developing a ‘five-point’ guide to successful entrepreneurship. Thus, this book reveals the secrets of great business techniques that are required to become successful businessmen. Through a mixed bag of success experiences and failure stories, this book is a thorough inspiration. They have meticulously assembled the secret into five points―these being a strong character, focus, branding, network, and other little things that contribute greatly.

Why “A” Students Work for “C” Students and “B” Students Work for the Government: Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Education for Parents (2013)

This book is intended for the parents so that they don’t force their children to fetch good grades, restrict them to dream big, and envision a life of their own with their own dreams, rather than living by conventions. He has carefully segregated the student fraternity into three broad categories: ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’. A’s are the ones, who learn by conventions and land up being employed by the C’s who never followed conventions, but sought ways to be successful. The average ones are the B’s who somehow manage to get hired by the government.