Rich Dad's Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in, That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! [Paperback]

Robert T. Kiyosaki (Author), Sharon L. Lechter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0446677469 | ISBN-13: 978-0446677462 | Edition: 1st Warner Bks Print: June 2000/13th Pr.

Rich Dad's Guide to Investing is a guide to understanding the real earning power of money by learning some of the investing secrets of the wealthy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The rich are different from the rest of us, if for no other reason than U.S. tax and securities laws allow them to invest in ways that keep us from catching up to them. That's why 90 percent of all corporate shares of stock are owned by 10 percent of the people. Kiyosaki believes it's possible for anyone to move up into that 10 percent, but it takes a different view of investing than most people have: it takes a plan to be a successful investor. And a plan is more than simply buying and selling, or collecting "assets" that bring in no cash and are thus more akin to liabilities. The way most people invest, "they might as well be pushing a wheelbarrow in a circle," he writes. A plan is "mechanical, automatic, and boring," a formula for success that has worked historically for most of those who've used it. Kiyosaki's "rich dad" (actually, the father of his best friend) tells him the simplest analogy is the game Monopoly: buy four green houses, trade them for one red hotel, and repeat until you become rich.

The overall message of Rich Dad's Guide to Investing is that this is an abundant world, full of opportunity for the sophisticated investor. However, it sometimes takes a while to find this point. Much of the book is told in dialogues between young Kiyosaki and his rich dad, and these conversations can ramble. There are rewards for the careful reader--for example, in the middle of a section on the basic rules of investing, Kiyosaki's rich dad compares investor education to toilet training: difficult at first but eventually automatic. But getting to these inspired metaphors means wading through a lot of repetitive dialogue. It's a bit ironic that someone who advocates investor discipline should show so little as a writer. But by the end of the book, even the rambling starts to make sense. By the hundredth time you read that the rich don't work for money, and that you don't need money to make money, both concepts start to make sense. It still looks difficult to apply these ideas, but Rich Dad's Guide to Investing certainly makes the case that they'll work for anyone bold and smart enough to practice them. --Lou Schuler

Review

"Investing means different things to different people. In fact there are different investments for the rich, poor and middle class. Rich Dad's Guide To Investing is a long-term guide for anyone wanting to become a rich investor and invest in what the rich invest in. As the title states, it is a "guide" and offers no guarantees...just as my rich dad offered me no guarantees...only guidance." Robert T. Kiyosaki. Author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad & Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 403 pages
• Publisher: Time Warner Books; 1st Warner Bks Print: June 2000/13th Pr. edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446677469
• ISBN-13: 978-0446677462
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (247 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

173 of 181 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best I Have Read May 2, 2001

By Paul Polanco

Format:Paperback

I've read close to 60 books on Personal Finance, Investing, and How-To-Be-Rich-types and this one is one of the best I have read. I have enjoyed Robert Kiyosaki's other books, but this one is the best, in my opinion, because he reviews many of his principles from his previous books just in case this may be the first of his books that you are reading.

This is not a *HOW-TO* book on HOW to become wealthy or which steps to take to become wealthy. Like the author states, this book is about the INVESTOR, not specific strategies. To become truly wealthy you have to do two things. First, you NEED to change how you think, not just about money but about all areas of your life. Why go after riches if your marriage is in trouble or you don't spend enough time with your children? Secondly, you NEED to take different actions. If your last 5 years were miserable, then your next 5 years will be the same unless you DO something different. If at least 95% of the people in this country are not wealthy then you cannot do what 95% of people do. You have to do what the other 5% do; people WILL tell you you are crazy or what you are doing won't work. This happened to me and I am GLAD I did not listen to those people who still work at a job (I don't).

Most people do not Incorporate, most people do not invest in mutual funds and stocks correctly (they buy high and sell low), most people do not know how to buy real estaste, and most people know little about taxes, accounting, and personal finance. If one book was to be written about all those subjects in a general sense, it would still be thousands of pages long.

Robert's genius is that with his "Rich Dad/Poor Dad" metaphor, he gets the average reader to realize that it is not some magic formula or some great unattainable secret, but that it is our responsibility to go out and learn what the rich do and WHY they do it.

I never thought I would read a book about the Investor that would have given me this many new ideas. A must have for those who want to get out of the "rat race."

Beware the negative reviews regarding this book because they are written by people who "don't get it." You either "get it or you don't." Reviews written by people who have not read the book and have not been there are a waste of your time.

Like I said, I've been there, I own and have read this book twice already. People WILL put you down in obvious or subtle ways if you go for your dreams. Don't listen to the 95%, listen to the 5% that have made it.

Good luck and may all your dreams come true.

524 of 561 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for those who want to be Financially Independent June 24, 2000

By Ng Chon Hsing

Format:Paperback

This book continues from where Kiyosaki left off in Cashflow Quadrant, his 2nd book in the trilogy (now complete with Rich Dad's Guide to Investing).

In his 1st book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki addressed the differences in mindsets between the Rich and the Poor. Then, in his 2nd book Cashflow Quadrant, he spoke on the 4 quadrants from which one can generate income. To be wealthy, Kiyosaki recommended that we learn to generate our incomes from the "B" (Business-owner) and "I" (Investor) quadrant as opposed to the "E" (Employee) and "S" (Self-employed) quadrant.

In his 3rd book Rich Dad's Guide to Investing, Kiyosaki tells how he got started in his investment journey, starting with nothing, and in fact at one stage, with a negative net worth. Most of us, having read his first 2 books, would have wondered if we could have embarked on our journey to become financially independent without much resource at hand. In this book, Kiyosaki shows how anyone can get started and how it does not take money to make money. He teaches how time is more important than money; how investing in one's self and getting an education and experience precedes excessive cash; how having a plan is more important than being in a hurry to make money.

This is not a book for those who want hot tips and quick fixes. This is a book on mindsets. Kiyosaki plants ideas and provides a road-map. The reader must take the first step and learn to navigate his/her own journey.

What I like about this book, is Kiyosaki's concept of being an Ultimate Investor, a "selling-investor". The Ultimate Investor creates deals and businesses that the public hunger for and are willing to pay a premium to acquire a share of. With the internet, it has never been easier to create businesses and deals which one can take public.

As in all his other books, Kiyosaki's book is worth reading again and again. I would also recommend that one reads Robert Allen's Multiple Streams of Income in conjunction with Kiyosaki's Rich Dad's Guide to Investing.

162 of 171 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the first two RD books May 31, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

In this third of the of the RD/PD series Kiyosaki discusses investing. He shows how he went from a negative net worth to millions. He discusses the importance of having a plan. I like the fact that he emphasizes the importance of having a mission in your business. Kiyosaki also discusses the importance of having a safety net in your investment plan as a back up to the aggressive real estate, business and stock investing.

Good book and the best of the three in my opinion.