Having two dads caused many problems. Robert's real dad was the superintendent of education for the state of Hawaii. By the time Robert was 16, the threat of "If you don't get good grades, you won't get a good job" had lit- tle effect. He already knew his career path was to own cor- porations, not to work for them. In fact, if it had not been for a wise and persistent high school guidance counselor, Robert might not have gone on to college. He admits that. He was eager to start building his assets, but finally agreed that the college education would also be a benefit to him. There Is a Need 13 Truthfully, the ideas in this book are probably too far- fetched and radical for most parents today. Some parents are having a hard enough time simply keeping their chil- dren in school. But in light of our changing times, as par- ents we need to be open to new and bold ideas. To encourage children to be employees is to advise your chil- dren to pay more than their fair share of taxes over a life- time, with little or no promise of a pension. And it is true that taxes are a person's greatest expense. In fact, most families work from January to mid-May for the government just to cover their taxes. New ideas are needed and this book provides them. Robert claims that the rich teach their children differ- ently. They teach their children at home, around the din- ner table. These ideas may not be the ideas you choose to discuss with your children, but thank you for looking at them. And I advise you to keep searching. In my opinion, as a mom and a CPA, the concept of simply getting good grades and finding a good job is an old idea. We need to advise our children with a greater degree of sophistication. We need new ideas and different education. Maybe telling our children to strive to be good employees while also striving to own their own investment corporation is not such a bad idea. It is my hope as a mother that this book helps other parents. It is Robert's hope' to inform people that anyone can achieve prosperity if they so choose. If today you are a gardener or a janitor or even unemployed, you have the ability to educate yourself and teach those you love to take care of themselves financially. Remember that financial in- telligence is the mental process via which we solve our fi- nancial problems. 14 Rich Dad, Poor Dad Today we are facing global and technological changes as great or even greater than those ever faced before. No one has a crystal ball, but one thing is for certain: Changes lie ahead that are beyond our reality. Who knows what the future brings? But whatever happens, we have two funda- mental choices: play it safe .or play it smart by preparing, gettingdacatedand awajcening_your own anc£y.QUX-chil- dren's financial genius. - Sharon Lechter Rich Dad, Poor Dad CHAPTER ONE Rich Dad, Poor Dad As narrated by Robert Kiyosaki I had two fathers, a rich one and a poor one.