Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
What if you could escape the rat race and achieve true financial freedom? Robert T. Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad explodes the myth that you need a high income to become wealthy. This groundbreaking personal finance classic reveals the money secrets the rich teach their children that schools never will.
Kiyosaki shares powerful lessons from his two fathers: his biological father, a highly educated PhD who struggled financially his entire life, and his best friend's father, a high school dropout who became one of the richest men in Hawaii. Through their contrasting philosophies, you'll discover why the wealthy don't work for money but make money work for them. You'll learn the critical difference between assets and liabilities, and why your home might not be the asset you think it is.
This isn't just theory. Kiyosaki provides practical guidance on building wealth through real estate, starting businesses, and developing financial intelligence. He challenges everything you've been taught about job security, retirement, and playing it safe. With over 32 million copies sold worldwide and translated into 51 languages, this book has transformed millions of lives.
Whether you're drowning in debt, stuck in a dead-end job, or simply want to build lasting wealth, Rich Dad Poor Dad delivers the financial education you never received. The question isn't whether you can afford to read this book. It's whether you can afford not to.
Interesting Facts
Rejected by Every Publisher: Robert Kiyosaki was turned down by every major New York publisher before deciding to self-publish the book in 1997 through his own company, Cashflow Technologies. Publishers told him he had no idea what he was talking about, and Barnes & Noble initially refused to stock it! The book's controversial ideas like "your house is not an asset" and "savers are losers" were simply too radical for traditional publishers to embrace at the time.
Started as a Brochure: Here's a delightful secret! Kiyosaki originally wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad as a marketing brochure to help sell his board game CASHFLOW 101, which he created to teach financial concepts. When the game wasn't selling well, he penned this book in the Arizona desert to soften the blow of the complex accounting concepts in the game. Neither sold initially, but look what happened next!
Oprah Changed Everything: The book became a New York Times bestseller while still self-published, which caught the attention of major publishers. But the real game-changer was The Oprah Winfrey Show. Kiyosaki almost declined the appearance because Oprah's producers demanded to know the real identity of Rich Dad, which was protected by a confidentiality agreement. They eventually worked out an arrangement, and that hourlong Oprah appearance skyrocketed the book to mega-bestseller status.
Phenomenal Sales Numbers: The book has sold between 32 and 44 million copies worldwide, making it the number one bestselling personal finance book of all time. It has been translated into 51 languages and is available in 109 countries. Even more impressive, it stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for over six years straight!
The Mystery of Rich Dad: For years, Kiyosaki refused to reveal the identity of "Rich Dad," leading critics to believe the character was entirely fictional. This sparked massive controversy, with some demanding the book be moved to the fiction section. In 2016, Kiyosaki finally confirmed that Rich Dad was Richard Wassman Kimi, a Hawaiian hotel developer and founder of Sand & Seaside Hotels, who passed away in 2009.
Co-Authored with Sharon Lechter: The book was actually written by two people! Sharon Lechter served as co-author and was CEO of the Rich Dad Company for over 10 years. She helped grow the brand worldwide before the partnership ended in 2008 after a lawsuit settlement. Lechter had previously been instrumental in creating America's first talking books and expanding the electronic book industry.
Poor Dad's Impressive Credentials: The "Poor Dad" in the story was Kiyosaki's biological father, who was far from uneducated! He held a PhD, attended Stanford University, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University on full scholarships, and completed four years of undergraduate work in less than two years. He served as Hawaii's secretary of education, yet despite his impressive credentials, he struggled financially his entire life.
Celebrity Endorsements Galore: Will Smith taught his son about financial independence by reading the book. Fashion entrepreneur Daymond John called it one of his favorites. Donald Trump co-authored two books with Kiyosaki: "Why We Want You to Be Rich" in 2006, which debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and "Midas Touch" in 2011.
PBS Recognition: PBS honored Kiyosaki with an excellence in education award in 2005. PBS station KOCE also aired a 55-minute presentation called "A Guide to Wealth" in 2006, which summarized the book's teachings for television audiences.
Tireless Self-Promotion: Kiyosaki has done more than 2,000 media interviews to keep the book relevant over the past 25-plus years. He still takes nearly every interview offered and continues to actively promote financial education. His dedication to spreading the message has been absolutely relentless!
The 25-Year Milestone: April 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of the book's publication on April 8, 1997. Despite a quarter-century passing, the core content has remained largely unchanged because the fundamental principles about money haven't changed. Anniversary editions have added sidebars and callouts on topics like student loan debt and consumer debt, but the original lessons stand the test of time.
Built an Empire: The book launched an entire media and educational franchise, spawning 26 books in the Rich Dad series. Kiyosaki created CASHFLOW board games, seminars, videos, and a financial education company. There are now more than 2,100 CASHFLOW Clubs worldwide, independent game groups where people gather to learn about money and investing using his principles.
Quotes
"In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"You’re only poor if you give up. The most important thing is that you did something. Most people only talk and dream of getting rich. You’ve done something." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"If you’re the kind of person who has no guts, you just give up every time life pushes you. If you’re that kind of person, you’ll live all your life playing it safe, doing the right things, saving yourself for something that never happens. Then, you die a boring old man." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"The love of money is the root of all evil. The lack of money is the root of all evil." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"Emotions are what make us human. Make us real. The word 'emotion' stands for energy in motion. Be truthful about your emotions, and use your mind and emotions in your favor, not against yourself." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"I’d rather welcome change than cling to the past." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"The single most powerful asset we all have is our mind. If it is trained well, it can create enormous wealth in what seems to be an instant." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser. Don't blame other people for your problems." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"Workers work hard enough to not be fired, and owners pay just enough so that workers won't quit." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"The poor and the middle class work for money. The rich have money work for them." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"If you work for money, you give the power to you employer. If money works for you, you keep the power and control it." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
"Rich people acquire assets. The poor and middle class acquire liabilities that they think are assets." - Robert T. Kiyosaki
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