Mike and I kept our agreement by working in the store every Saturday and collecting all the comic books from the different stores. We kept our agreement to the distributor bvnotselling any comic books. We burned them once they got too tattered. We tried opening a branch office, but we could never quite find someone as dedicated as Mike's sister we could trust. At an early age, we found out how hard it was to find good staff. - 1 hreemonths after the library first opened, a fight broke out in the room. Some bullies from another neighborhood pushed their way in and started it. Mike's dad suggested we shut down the business. So our comic-book business shut down, and we stopped working on Saturdays at the convenience store. Anyway, rich dad was excited because he had new things he wanted to teach us. He was happy because we had learned our first lesson so well. We had learned to have money work for us. By not getting paid for our work at the store, we were forced to use our imagina- tions to identify an opportunity to make money. By start- ing our own business, the comic-book library, we were in control of our own finances, not dependent on an em- ployer. The best part was that our business generated money for us, even when we weren't physically there. Our money worked for us. Instead of paying us money, rich dad had given us so much more. LESSON TWO WHY TEACH FINANCIAL LITERACY? CHAPTER THREE Lesson Two: Why Teach Financial Literacy? In 1990, my best friend, Mike, took over his father's em- pire and is, in fact, doing a better job than his dad did. We see each other once or twice a year on the golf course. He and his wife are wealthier than you could imagine. Rich dad's empire is in great hands, and Mike is now grooming his son to take his place, as his dad had groomed us. In 1994,1 retired at the age of 47, and my wife, Kim, was 37. Retirement does not mean not working. To my wife and me, it means that, barring unforeseen cataclysmic changes, we can work or not work, and our wealth grows automati- cally, staying way ahead of inflation. I guess it means free- dom. The assets are large enough to grow by themselves. It's like planting a tree. You water it for years and then one day it doesn't need you anymore. It's roots have gone down deep enough. Then, the tree provides shade for your enjoyment. Mike chose to run the empire and I chose to retire. Whenever I speak to groups of people, they often ask what I would recommend or what could they do? "How do they get started?" "Is there a good book I would recommend?" "What should they do to prepare their children?" "What is the secret to success?" "How do I make millions?" I am always reminded of this article I was once given. It goes as follows. THE RICHEST BUSINESSMEN In 1923 a group of our greatest leaders and richest busi- nessmen held a meeting at the Edgewater Beach hotel in Chicago.