Rating: 
Summary: Great! If you're looking for money philosophy that is...
Review: Repetitive philosophical drivel (with spelling errors no less). I read this in just a couple days and realized how good it feels to not be run by money. If money is all you care about, do what Kiyosaki did, build your entire life around amassing wealth. Then you die... oops, can't take it with you! Where's your philosophy now, Mr. Money Man? Does anyone really need a million dollars or more? I don't, I can settle for a comfortable 5-room house that costs less than $300,000, and anybody can attain that simply by living within their means (a principle heckled by Mr. Kiyosaki), avoiding debt and credit, and setting aside an ample amount in good investments. I agree with him that financial matters should be taught in public schools, but I disagree that anyone can attain what he has. He had valuable connections that most of us cannot duplicate, therefore his advice is worthless to most Americans.Here's something not many people realize, if all the wealth held in America were placed into a pile and then split among all our nation's households, we'd all have over a million dollars. Good crap, I could comfortably live the rest of my life off that! His book touches only lightly on good budgeting and money handling, and then talks up risky investments that only the wealthy, or people who can network with the wealthy, can afford or even find. In summary: some good theory, bad application. You'll finish the book wondering just what in the world you're supposed to do with his "information".
Rating: 
Summary: Same story, different author
Review: This book was purchased after a friend recommend I take a look at it. After the first few pages, I became a little bored. The book appeared to be more along the lines of what a motivational speaker would present to people who pay ridiculous amounts for the obvious. There may be something in it for someone, but for me, I didn't find anything that I didn't learn (just about on my own) through general life experiences. By the way, I had to stop reading it half-way through. If you need help putting your thoughts into perspective, it might be good to read. Otherwise, use that money for a subscription to Fortune magazine.
Rating: 
Summary: Live Changing
Review: This book did to me what a good book should do - it changed my live and thinking pattern - specially about money - how to invest and how to think in the Information Age - after all, your thoughts direct your ACTIONS! As a novice it directed my thoughts towards investment - I do however believe that this book is mind-changing but does not cover ALL the aspects of investing. I think it is absolutely important to further your studies in investing before embarking on this route.
Rating: 
Summary: Some good ideas, no concrete how-tos
Review: This book puts out some good concepts, and some that can actually make you money, but he really glosses over the difficulties of "techniques" such as incorporation (apparently to deliberately, though legally, protect your assets from lawsuits), dealing with employees (even good ones), finding a "good" (meaning: take care of it and don't bother me) property manager, etc. Also, real estate is not as easy to turn around and sell as he makes it. Further, incorporation does not necessarily make you lawsuit proof if you are essentially the only one in your company. And, stock always seems to be high when you DON'T need to sell it. After all, the point of making so much money is (hopefully) to spend some of it on yourself and others. If he has his Rich Dad's attitude toward the value of employees (pay as little as you can get away with and treat them like dirt), I am surprised that anyone would work for him. He doesn't seem to realize that SOMEONE HAS TO DO THE WORK. Some people LIKE to tinker with cars, make handmade furniture, etc. Not everyone can or should be an investor. He also, and this is important, TOTALLY IGNORES the issue of health care. What do the rich do? Pay through the corporation? In his case, he might have lifetime health insurance benefits through where he used to work. He and other get rich books never get around to this issue, which will affect us all sooner or later. People like him just have a different "job", which more often than not takes up more of his day than he wants to admit. It may or may not be the type of job that YOU want. To me, truly "wealthy" means you have so much income that you don't have to even think about it (think trust fund babies jet-setting to the Alps whenever they want).
Rating: 
Summary: Empowered!!!!
Review: I find this book to be empowering. It wakes up your senses, your abilities, how you view YOU! It makes you think ahead and now. What can I do to change, to be the best? How can I expand my knowledge on what I really think of money? YES, money can work for me and not me for it!!! Trust in the wisdom you've been given and grow!! I am!!! Expand, Grow, INCREASE in every area of your life, why not start here!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Launching a thousand day traders
Review: There may be some reasonable if not exceptional investment advice here, but let's face it. The folks that write this mediocre stuff for the infommercial circuit got rich when the marks started buying this stuff with wild eyed dreams of enormous wealth. Never mind that structural issues in a capitalist economy make this program unavailable to many, the suckers will buy into it out of desperation. At root this is a very cynical and dangerous book.
Rating:
Summary: Depressing. Depressing. Depressing.
Review: Unless your household income is more than 100K/year. THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU. If you are a proud hardworking father (or mother) and feeling very happy because soon you will be able to provide your children with a safe clean environment to live, this book is not for you. Why? Because you are part of the rat race, because you are playing safe and are not willing to risk on your finances, because you "think" your house is an asset, when your house is a liability. Yes, I know, I am thinking the exactly the way I shouldn't (according to the book), therefore I will always be part of the "rat race". Maybe, maybe not, all I know is I am making good money, I will have a house, and I am not spending more than what I make. If you need a book to tell you that you shouldn't be spending more of what you make, well, you need more help than this book proclaims to be. Also, this books tells you that you should have money working for you, and have workers making money for you...(sigh). Like I said, unless you are making more than, I should say, 150K, don't bother you will only get depressed.
Rating:
Summary: Wake up!!
Review: Coffee in the morning, cold water thrown on your face, bright lights in your eyes, and this book are some of the greatest things to wake you up. I could actually see what was happening with my life and where my financial future was heading. The book really woke me up form the standard believes that our society has laid in front of us. One of the most informative books I have ever picked up.
Rating:
Summary: An eye-opener!
Review: Having read so many negative reviews, I felt compelled to offer up my own assessment. I really did start to *see* money in a different way. Too many of us work ourselves to death at a job we don't love so we can have money to buy stuff that's just more clutter in our lives. Others work hard to pay for necessities. Either way, it's so very easy to be stuck in the trap of fear that it could all be gone... that whole "one paycheck away" thing. I saw Rich Dad as teaching him to build stability. In his sequel, Rich Kid, Smart Kid, he says he waited five years after his Smart Dad's book to write Rich Dad. He didn't want to write it while his dad was alive and risk hurting his feelings, yet he knew that despite his Smart Dad's academic wealth, his lack of financial wealth always left him frazzeled. The author's purpose is to point out that if his Smart Dad had understood the Rich Dad concepts, he'd have understood how to build a wealth that would've allowed him to pursue his Smart dreams without the fear his lack of money skills caused. In his sequel, he is very complementary of his Smart Dad, because it was he who recognized that he didn't have the skills to help his son see his true gifts to fruition, and encouraged him to hook up with Rich Dad. Everything he says is true. The poor will always be poor. We all know people who see a $10,000 raise as an opportunity for a $20,000 loan, rather than $10,000 to invest on an income-generating property. Because they lack financial astuteness, they don't know what to do with more money. The poor and middle class are apt to think, "If I just made $50 more per month, I could get a new tv!" And that's what they do. And then they think, "Wow, if I just made another $50, I could get sattelite tv!" and on and on it goes. They're always hoping for another morsel so they can get another thing, but they never feel confident in their financial stability. This certainly isn't sinful or bad, but for those who aspire to the freedom to pursue what they love, rather than being tied to a job that doesn't speak to their passions, this book is an eye-opener. I see that the author has even set up a foundation to promote financial literacy to children. I don't think his motives are altogether self-serving as much as they're borne of a desire to see others prosper in the way he's learned how to do.
Rating:
Summary: Let's try something...
Review: It would be interesting to poll the folks who say this book changed their life to see how many of them are rich in, say, five years. Not that many, I can just about guarantee. But the fundamental truth that the author may have left out of his book is that rich dad's life isn't any better than poor dad's life, and lots of times it's worse. There's no life of leisure for the rich dad. Owning your own business or owning real estate that you rent out is no cakewalk. You work twice as many hours just to get it going. And if you're lucky enough to get rich, you spend half your life with lawyers, bankers, and accountants, making sure you stay rich. You spend the other half of your life worrying about your money, planning how you're going to make more money, and thinking people are taking your money. And those annual vacations to Europe? First you'll have to figure out how to make it a tax write-off. I've been around rich people and I've been around middle class people. The quality of life is better with the middle class, no matter how many houses and cars you own and no matter how many vacations you can take.
|
