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Mr Frugal’s Take on Robert Kiyosaki

Posted on May 14th, 2006 in Malaysia Personal Finance, Recommended Readings |

Rich Dad Poor Dad

Oops…here goes another rant by an anti-Robert Kiyosaki blogger.

Mr Frugal Cautions on Robert Kiyosaki…

Kiyosaki’s negativity towards E or even S is simply not correct. A good education and good grades in school will give you a good paying job. With a good salary and a saving habit, you can go very very far (as I myself have demonstrated, saving $360K in 9 years). If there is anything that I regret not doing is that I should have listened to my parents, and given more thoughts to becoming a medical doctor.

The original, almost venomous review on “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by John Reed can be obtained here: http://www.johntreed.com/Kiyosaki.html

Again, the information consisted in the site is the author’s own opinion, and it should be regarded the universal truth. Some people might not be able to take it, especially if you previously have a very high regard on RK, but if you don’t mind the debunkings and hard critics, you might be able to learn something out of it.

I remember this story of a guy (let’s call him Ah Chan) who was given a choice to visit Heaven and Hell.

One day, the Death Angel came into Ah Chan’s dream and led him into the realm of the Heaven. When Ah Chan steps through the door of Heaven, he can see the peaceful people there singing poems, playing chess and talking politely to each other. It’s a very beautiful garden, where everything’s nice and clean.

After the tour in Heaven, Death Angel led Ah Chan to the other door leading to Hell, and upon entering Hell, very much to Ah Chan’s surprise, he immediately felt at home! There was a nightclub down the street, casinos lining on both side of the busy road, massage parlours, KTVs and all the nightlife entertainment Ah Chan could possibly think of.

Snap! Ah Chan woke up from the dream. A few months later, Ah Chan had an accident and really did return to the Maker. Right after his soul left his body, he was immediately given a choice of 2 doors, on the left leading to Heaven, and on the right leading to Hell, just exactly as the Death Angel has shown him before this.

Ah Chan thought: “Hmm…I have to agree that Heaven is a very nice place, but I am sure I will get bored very soon. Well, though Hell sounds abit intimidating, it seems like just the place for me.” Without much hesitation, Ah Chan walked into the right door and found himself sucked into Hell. To his shock, there was no casinos and there are no nightclubs to be seen. He can smell the stench of a thousand-year old rubbish dump and the screams of suffering souls being tortured.

Immediately Ah Chan shouted with fear (hoping the Death Angel can hear him), “Wait a minute! This isn’t what I saw from the dream! Hey! You hear me!?”

With this the Death Angel replied, “That, my friend, is only an advertisement!”

So, the moral of the story is, we must always be cautious with the information that we are being fed everyday. With sufficient and reliable information, we can make good decisions, while if we make decisions based on rumours and doubtful sources, we might regret the choices we made later on.





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  • My advice would be to never take anything as gospel. Do the research, get more than 1 opinion, and make the decision based on ur deductions. It's not full proof but at least u know you did ur best. Shit happens sometimes...
  • Hey Dave, for a while there I thought you sounded like someone I knew...

    “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.�

    -Buddha
  • aw
    Yow Chuan: ah, a fellow Buddhist! I'm fairly new to the teachings of Buddha myself, and I'm comfortable with the fact that it's the only religion that encourages you to ask questions instead of accepting everything based on "faith".

    Re: Kiyosaki,

    1) I have friends who worked hard and graduated from Ivy Leagues (on scholarships), then had US$200K jobs 2 years after college. That's almost RM700K, *before* bonuses, which for 2006 some companies gave 15 months' bonuses. So E is not always bad. I think the truer maxim is: be good at what you do. That way you also get emotional satisfaction! (I cringe at how some Mercedes and BMW owners on the road look quite unhappy)

    2) His books are pretty vague and lightweight. Asks you to invest in real estate and stocks/options, but never gives you the full and correct details. I look at my mom (and a lot of other older folks), and I'm amazed how she already put some of Kiyosaki's "principles" into practise without even knowing who he is. So it can be said most of it is common sense?
  • Well said, Aw- "Be good in whatever you do!"

    I couldn't agree more on that statement. Yes, doing a half-assed job, I sincerely and honestly believe, will get you half-way there.

    Reading books is a good way to understand what other people are thinking, but it doesn't mean that we should follow whatever they preach. Always understand the intention behind each action you take, and that itself is a good way to know whether you are on the right track or not.
  • Robert Kiyosaki is emphasizing on the passive income and make the money work for you. I think his ideas are logical even though it is hard to implement.
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