Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki - A Book Review

On a trip to the bookstore with my daughter, I ran across Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and decided to give it a read. As a work at home guy, I’ve had the book pitched to me a million and a half times on websites and/or emails. But here it was, in the flesh so to speak, screaming at me to pick it up and buy it. It was as though my real life world had collided with the virtual. What had been a familiar Photoshop icon was now a real life book and it was heading to the checkout line.

The subheading reads, “What The Rich Teach Their Kids about Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!” I wanted to know so I started reading…

When Kiyosaki refers to Poor Dad, he is talking about his biological father. The man was highly educated and earned a PhD. As the book progresses, he refers to him as his educated dad. In reality, he wasn’t exactly poor; he just didn’t make the kind of cake Kiyosaki makes. He was an educator and strongly believed in the “old school” mindset, “study hard and get good grades and you will find a high-paying job with good benefits”.

Rich Dad is actually his childhood buddy’s dad who takes Kiyosaki under his wing at an early age. Rich Dad had an 8th grade education and became one of the wealthiest men in Hawaii, mostly because he was good with money which is what he taught young Robert.

Kiyosaki charts out these money principles using examples with simplified and integrated Balance Sheets and Income Statements (sometimes called Profit & Loss Statements or P&Ls).

Throughout Robert Kiyosaki’s young life he is faced with the conflict of which dad he should emulate. It was a battle of academics versus entrepreneurship. He ultimately hedged his bets and got a proper education, but his decision to be an entrepreneur was made at age nine as influenced by Rich Dad.

Personally, I found the book to be motivational and it rejuvenated the entrepreneurial spirit in me which is refreshing. I thought I was buying a book to better manage my finances when in reality (real world and virtual) I found something that inspired me to fight harder for financial independence. It was money well spent.

Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki - A Book Review