Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter - Book Review

Title: Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Author: Robert T. Kiyosaki (with Sharon L. Lechter)
Pages: 208
Publisher: Warner Business Books (New York) 1996

It is very rare for me to say that a book completely changed my thinking on a topic. Rich Dad, Poor Dad did exactly that. I have always been a guy who believed in simplicity of lifestyle and playing good financial defense, but I have never been one to build a good offense when it comes to finances. I am starting to rethink that a lot and it is mostly due to this book.

The central core of this book is the comparison between Robert's two dads 1) his biological dad who was educated, smart but broke all the time and 2) his 'adopted' dad who was uneducated but rich. He contrasts their two different philosophies and shows what his rich dad taught differently than his poor one so that he got rich. it is the lessons of the rich dad that become the driving force of this book.

The lessons are, to say the very least, mentally and spiritually challenging. There are six lessons in all and each of them deals with how the rich think differently and how they teach those concepts to their children. Lessons on: Not working for money, teaching financial literacy, minding your own business, knowing the history of taxes and the power of corporations, how the rich invent money and working to learn are all challenging because our culture is so against the ideas presented in them. The fact is, and this is an overused phrase but it is accurate, the book causes you to either have a paradigm shift or toss it aside.

If there is a weakness to the book it is the author saying that "the love of money is the root of all evil' is a wrong thing to say. Any Biblically literate person might be instantly offended without explanation. If you read the whole book you do get an explanation and rational for saying so and it is about taking on a certain interpretation of 1 Timothy 6:9-10 not the actual meaning. You have to dig for this explanation though and my only concern is that if your going to sell this book and seemingly directly challenge the Apostle Paul, you probably should write a paragraph or two about what you mean before every Biblically literate Christian puts the book down and leaves.

That said, the book makes a great case for pointing out that much evil is caused by want and need. The great difference ultimately is that poor people get taken to the cleaners by their own fear and desires while the rich master their fears and desires. A very solid financial lesson.

Stylistically, you can tell a little that it had another person's input but for the most part it is an easy and fun read at times. The story and contrast of the two dads keeps you engaged and the principles keep you challenged and thinking. A real pleasure to read and the concepts keep you hungry for more.

Rating: 4 and a quarter stars. Everyone should read this one, you will either be changed and rethink how you do financial offense or you will put it down and continue to be poor. Life changing book.