Robert Kiyosaki's Success Story

Author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad"

Robert Kiyosaki is an entrepreneur and a Japanese-American investor who flaunts norms and has different perspective on financial literacy. The book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” that he wrote is what brought him fame.

Kiyosaki is a fourth-generation Japanese, born and brought up in Hawaii, one of the world’s most beautiful vacation destinations. He graduated in New York, joined the Marine Corps and offered his services in Vietnam, as an officer and later became a pilot of the helicopter gunship. After the war was over he became a salesman and started his own company in 1977, where he introduced nylon and Velcro type of “surfer wallets” in the market. The next very important milestone of Robert’s success story marks the year 1985 when he started his own education company, where he taught students how to wisely invest money no matter where they come from and which point of the planet Earth the live in. He sought early retirement when he was 47 years old, by selling his business and reaping the investments in 1994.

The book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” could be also called a success story itself; it is one of the most famous best-sellers, highlighted by world famous media such as Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today. It was at the top of the best-seller lists on the New York Times five years in a row and was nominated No. 1 in 2004 in USA Today. Kiyosaki also created the game, Cashflow 101, which is an educational game that teaches people how to perfect investment and financial strategies that he learnt from his dear rich dad.

Kiyosaki is of the firm opinion that the old advice of working hard, getting a good job, saving money and never getting into debt by investing long term, is not something that works in today’s world. He is known for his candid opinions on moving forward with courage and determination.

Robert Kiyosaki used the fiction story of two fathers - one of them was rich while the other was poor. His natural dad was poor even though he had good educational qualifications. He headed a Hawaiian school and derived a decent income. He always cribbed that he could not afford many things as he never had enough money. The father of his best friend, who later became his rich dad, built up a business without much money as he was a school dropout. He became successful overnight and was amazed at his own capacity of being able to afford luxuries.

This contrast between the two dads made a great impression on Robert who was quick to learn from the lesson. He understood why his father lost out on good things and never became financially successful to his dying day. However, the success story of his rich dad opened a new vista of how one could grab the opportunities available. He managed to amass wealth, gained financial freedom and enjoying living a great life. Though both dads were capable in their own way, only one made the best out of becoming financially successful.

Robert continued to learn many valuable lessons from his rich father about handling money. He soon found that he was able to benefit financially by applying his mind to all that was taught to him.

Robert was not one to take things easy. Though he retired, he continued to give educational lessons and even invented the game CASHFLOW, a financial board game that proved how passionately charged he was to teach others how to invest their money through the process of simulation.