“Many people confuse their profession with their business,” says Kiyosaki. “To become financially secure people need to mind their own business.”
There was once a friend of Kiyosaki’s whose 16 year old son desperately
wanted a new car. His friends had all been given one by their parents,
and now this son expected nothing less. But, it was not going to be
that easy for the boy. His father had played Kiyosaki’s CASHFLOW board
game; he wanted to teach his son a lesson in financial management.
The father gave his son $3,000 but forbade him from using it to buy a
car just yet. At the same time, he gave his son a subscription to the
Wall Street Journal. The father told his son that only once he had
earned an additional $6,000 from investments could he then use $3,000
to buy a car. The other $3,000 would of course go into his college
fund. “My friend said it was the best $3,000 he ever spent,” says
Kiyosaki. “Not only had his son gained a new respect for the power of
money, he also learned to spend money wisely instead of letting money
burn holes in his pockets.”
The lesson that
this 16 year old boy had learned was one that Kiyosaki wants everyone
else to heed as well. No matter what you do for a living, you need to
understand what Kiyosaki sees as the three most important money skills
if you want to achieve financial freedom: “how to earn money, how to
manage it, and how to invest.” CASHFLOW is his attempt to raise the
financial IQ of children and teach them these important skills. Without
them, children will never learn to mind their own business.
Kiyosaki might have been working as a salesman at Xerox, but it was his own business investments
on the side that had him most engaged. And, he kept his day job until
he was earning enough on the side to quit “Your business revolves
around your asset column, as opposed to your income column,” says
Kiyosaki. “The rich focus on their asset columns while the poor and
middle class focus on their income columns.” This is the lesson Kiyosaki wants everyone to learn, and unless they do, they will never be able to take control of their own financial destinies. Instead, they will be caught in the complex economic webs of those who are.
In understanding the concepts of income and expenses and assets and
liabilities, Kiyosaki says that people can begin to develop their own financial
statements. They can also be better prepared to take advantage of the
many investments and opportunities that are out there waiting to be
found. For instance, while the U.S. Tax Code provides many ways for
people to save on their taxes, Kiyosaki says, “it is the rich who
usually look for them and use them because they have learned to ‘mind their own business.’”
Everybody, from the time they are children, says Kiyosaki, should begin
to be more aware of their financial situation. He suggests, for
instance, that kids should give their parents invoices for any chores
they do in lieu of receiving allowance. However, if your parents never
taught you the financial basics, do not fret. “Money is a base
subject,” he says and one that is never too late to start learning.