ARCHIVE: "...and then (sniffle) the 'rich dad' touched me."

[Originally posted July 13, 2006 on MySpace]

I've tried to take an interest in my financial health lately, figuring that I'm in a sweet position in terms of housing costs and salary, and that even gorgeous shoes are no substitute for a comfortable retirement. So I've started to dip my toe into the pool of money-management books, and the first one I tried reading was Rich Dad, Poor Dad: This Book Has a Really Long Subtitle.

Written in the form of a tale from author Robert Kiyosaki's childhood, the book recalls how Kiyosaki's actual father -- the "poor dad" -- worked for a living but never seemed to get too far ahead. Yeah, he had a bunch of degrees and was the superintendent of education for the state of Hawaii, but that doesn't rank too high in Kiyosaki's estimation. Instead, Kiyosaki listened to the father of a friend -- the "rich dad" -- for guidance.

Now, the actual financial advice in the book is essentially an assortment of truisms and mumbo-jumbo. On the one hand, the advice to have a business that's separate from your profession sounds like a very good idea to me. On the other hand, there's stuff throughout the book like, "Don't work for money; make money work for you." Okay. How? He doesn't say.

So if you read it as a financial advice book, it will probably get on your nerves. However, if you read it as an account of a young boy's diabolical seduction by a ruthless, callous older man who cares only about power and manipulation -- a prelude to some horrifying abuse that we never witness -- it's an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller.

Suddenly, it makes a sickening kind of sense: the deliberate alienation of the boy from his real father (who seems like a nice enough guy), the little games where the "rich dad" tries to make the boy read his mind, the way the "rich dad" uses money and the love of money the way some pedophiles use porn to ensnare their victims: here's something enticing that we both share, something that only we men of the world truly understand.

You'll find yourself wanting to cry out, "No, Robert! Don't listen to him! Most of what he says doesn't make a lot of sense, anyway, and besides, what kind of person makes a 9-year-old kid wait outside his office to prove how powerful he is? (Seriously, what kind of a dick move is that?) Run home to your real dad! He seems like a nice enough guy!" And the tension will keep you turning pages, even as you pause to go, "Wait, what? Didn't he say the very opposite thing a few chapters ago?"

This guy had a similar -- although much, much stronger and much more exhaustively documented -- response to the book, although he didn't apply the same ... er, creative lens to it that I did. Honestly, I think I learned more about finances from reading that page than I did Kiyosaki's book.

Note to Robert Kiyosaki's legal team: This is pure speculation on my part and not intended for any purpose other than the mortified entertainment of my five readers. Plus, if my recollection of The People vs. Larry Flynt serves me correctly, libel laws are in my favor, anyway. Either way, please don't sue me.

Comments

[Toaster Strudel]

I hate to break it to you but Rich Dad/Poor Dad is one of my favorite finance books. I see his basic premise as this: There are two kinds of people in the world. Ones with big hats and no cattle and ones with small hats and cattle and condos and businesses and, well, you get the idea. While I do not agree with everything in this book (his concept of being able to make millions of dollars off of real estate deals seems both far fetched and unrealistic), I like his emphasis on putting your money where it will do you good, such as into a business or into training to improve your business or professional skills, not into a fancy car or a bigger house. I also agree that many people, even if you do give them a raise or more money, will not save or invest the money but will just up their expenditures. People do not spend enough time thinking about how to get ahead, beyond just thinking "I need to make more money." They are usually, (and I am as guilty of this as is the next person), willing to sacrifice now to get ahead in the future.
Perhaps this book matched enough of my own beliefs that I picked them out of the text and just ignored the rest. I think there is too much emphasis on money and not enough on the bigger picture of being a good person and being happy. He does mention in the beginning that he feels it is important to give back to the community when you are successful. So he's not a total Donald Trump.
If you're looking for a general philosophy of personal finance, this is a good book to read. You may not agree with much of it but it will get you thinking.
I also think it has some thought-provoking comments to make on the nature of power in the business world. Rich Dad talks about many of the things people do that keep them from succeeding in the world, especially the world of business.
Another book you might like, Cathy, is The Millionaire Next Door. It talks about similar philosophies as Rich Dad/Poor Dad but in a more realistic and less bizarre manner. Basically the writers set out to find out who where the millionaires in our society and how did they get so rich. What they found surprised them.
Gotta go. I'll write and annoy you more soon.
Take care.
The Strudel

[Toaster Strudel]

Ok, correction to the previous post. I meant to say that people are usually NOT willing to sacrifice now to make things better for the future. There, now that makes more sense.
Regards,
The Strudel

[Cath]

See, I much prefered The Millionaire Next Door. I thought it was much more straightforward; it didn't rely on a story that might or might not have any basis in fact and that featured such a vile character as Rich Dad. I'd totally recommend TMND to anybody, but I'd only recommend RDPD to people with active imaginations or people I actively disliked.

[Anton]

Oh yeah. If he made so much money, why did he write the book? Not out of the goodness in his heart! I'm sure there's a chapter in his book that says doing anything 'good' is not going to make you rich.