Book Summary

In his book "Rich Dad Poor Dad" Robert Kiyosaki offers recommendations to his audience, using a style that is highly applicable in writing autobiographies. By following his advice, achieving wealth and financial independence becomes very easy and attainable. He firmly believes that the insights he presents in this bestselling work, which has appeared on The New York Times bestseller list, are lessons not taught in families, schools, or various other sectors of society. His main focus is to teach us how to become wealthy and stay wealthy, as seen among the upper classes of different communities. Kiyosaki shares his experiences, which support his claims and serve as the best evidence for them, in a manner that is engaging for the audience.

He discusses the power of the mind in increasing human assets and presents intriguing ideas, including that the amount of money saved is far more important than an individual's income. Wealthy individuals are those who are always in the process of accumulating more assets, while poor individuals commit themselves to various loans and debts through incorrect methods, hoping to one day add to their possessions. For example, in the early sections of the book, Robert Kiyosaki emphasizes the importance of understanding the difference between assets and liabilities.

Instead of burdening ourselves with heavy debts by purchasing a car or a house, which can lead to long-term financial crises, we should think about processes that "put money in our pockets" rather than take it out. The author's ingenuity and depth of research become even more apparent when he tells audiences that even if they study for years and graduate with advanced degrees to earn high incomes, the only pleasant outcome they might achieve is escaping poverty—not becoming wealthy.

This means they will still have to work for an employer, and as long as they have a job, their income remains intact. However, as soon as an employer shuts down their business or lays them off for any reason, their income suddenly drops to zero. Kiyosaki is also concerned about the lack of financial intelligence and risk management education, which provides individuals with both the knowledge and courage needed to accumulate and invest wealth. He believes that if this issue is not addressed quickly with proper and rapid education, it could unfortunately lead to disaster.

About the Author

Robert Toru Kiyosaki is a successful American businessman and entrepreneur born on April 8, 1947. He is also considered one of America's renowned authors and trainers. Kiyosaki, raised in a Japanese-American family in Hawaii, pursued his education during high school and university in New York before joining the United States Marine Corps. He even has a history of serving in the Vietnam War. After returning from this conflict, he established a men's wallet manufacturing company and later founded an international business and investment education institute, teaching these subjects in seven countries.

Who Should Read the Book?

"Rich Dad Poor Dad" which has sold over 3 million copies in more than 109 countries and has been translated into over 50 languages, is suitable for those who are serious about becoming wealthy and have realized that their priority should be learning the correct way to achieve it. Additionally, parents who have decided to teach their children the right ways to acquire, maintain, and increase wealth should undoubtedly make reading this book a priority.

The exceptionally intelligent Japanese author divides the book into six sections, each containing a clear message. These messages are elaborated upon in detail across various pages and are meant to be internalized by the reader. The section titles can be expressed with statements such as:

The amount of money you earn is worthless; rather, it is the amount of money you save that holds value.
Poor people and the middle class constantly chase money, while money chases wealthy individuals.
Intelligent people do not take steps forward; instead, courageous individuals always move forward.
The greatest secret of wealthy individuals is their businesses.
Wealthy individuals focus all their attention on their assets while poor individuals concentrate on their income sources.
People who constantly try to prevent their own failure end up hindering their own success.

Book Quotes

People's financial lives are always influenced by two factors: fear and greed. The fear of being broke forces individuals to work hard, and the monthly paycheck makes them either seek more work or become greedier. They get used to waking up early, going to work, paying their bills, earning more income, paying more bills, and continuing this cycle throughout their lives.

Workers work hard enough not to get fired, while employers only spend enough to keep workers on the job.

The best thing about money is that it has the ability to work 24 hours a day without tiring and generate income.

Gold exists everywhere, but most people have not been educated to see it.

Many people claim they have no interest in money while they work 8 hours a day to earn it.

There is a big difference between being poor and failing. Being poor is eternal, but failure is temporary.

Money comes and goes, but if you learn how to work with money, you can achieve success with it.

You are only poor when you give up; many people actually do nothing to become wealthy; they are always just wishing.

The lack of money is the root of all evil; the love of money is the root of all evil.

Don’t lie to yourself by thinking that a job can provide you with security.

You need to know the differences between assets and liabilities and buy assets.

A person can be very educated yet still very uneducated.

Robert Kiyosaki believes that a job requiring his physical presence is not a business; rather, it is himself that is wasting away.

Kiyosaki’s rich dad did not see Robin Hood as a hero; he referred to him as a thief.

Wealth is the ability of individuals to live without income. If you want to know how wealthy you are, you should answer this question: If you had no income starting today, how many days could you survive?

You can start your journey to wealth at any age, but the sooner you start, the better.

If we give a large fortune to a slave, he will still remain a slave.

The main difference between a wealthy person and a poor person is how they manage fear.

Smart individuals hire those who are smarter than themselves.

The fear of not being able to pay bills, the fear of being fired, the fear of starting from scratch, and the fear of not having enough money sometimes gain so much power that they cause people to have only one job. When someone tries to learn a profession and then runs after money, this fear inevitably befalls them. Many people in society make themselves slaves to money and interestingly are angry with their boss.

Some people say that where we live there are no opportunities for buying and selling real estate, but this thinking is completely wrong because there are always opportunities everywhere that we overlook. Most people do not have the knowledge to identify and recognize the opportunities in front of them.

I advise young people to consider learning as their goal for working. While earning money is important, these individuals should place greater importance on learning. Assess what skills you need to earn income and wealth, then work hard to learn those skills.

Life is your best teacher. Most of the time, life does not speak to you; it just gives you a push. Life tells you to wake up with each push it gives you.

Changing yourself is easier than changing others.

Physical change increases your chances for health and mental exercise, enhancing your chances of achieving wealth. Laziness reduces both health and wealth.

From the age of ten, I heard my rich dad say that government employees are a bunch of lazy thieves, while I heard my poor dad refer to wealthy individuals as greedy con artists.