'" The only way to get out of the "Rat Race" is to prove your proficiency at both accounfogand investing, ar- guably two of the most difficult subjects to master. As a trained CPA who once worked for a Big 8 accounting firm, I was surprised that Robert had made the learning of these two subjects both fun and exciting. The process was so well disguised that while we were diligently working to get out of the "Rat Race," we quickly forgot we were learning. Soon a product test turned into a fun afternoon with my daughter, talking about things we had never discussed be- fore. As an accountant, playing a game that required an In- come Statement and Balance Sheet was easy. So I had the time to help my daughter and the other players at my table with concepts they did not understand. I was the first per- son-and the only person in the entire test group-to get out of the "Rat Race" that day. I was out within 50 minutes, although the game went on for nearly three hours. At my table was a banker, a business owner and a com- puter programmer. What greatly disturbed me was how lit- tle these people knew about either accounting or investing, subjects so important in their lives. I wondered how they managed their own financial affairs in real life. I could un- derstand why my 19-year-old daughter would not under- stand, but these were grown adults, at least twice her age. After I was out of the "Rat Race," for the next two hours I watched my daughter and these educated, affluent adults roll the dice and move their markers. Although I was glad they were all learning so much, I was disturbed by how much the adults did not know about the basics of simple accounting and investing. They had difficulty grasping the relationship between their Income Statement and their Bal- ance Sheet. As they bought and sold assets, they had trou- ble remembering that each transaction could impact their monthly cash flow. I thought, how many millions of peo- ple are out there in the real world struggling financially, only because they have never been taught these subjects? Thank goodness they're having fun and are distracted by the desire to win the game, I said to myself. After Robert ended the contest, he allowed us fifteen minutes to discuss and critique CASHFLOW among ourselves. The business owner at my table was not happy. He did not like the game. "I don't need to know this," he said. "I hire accountants, bankers and attorneys to tell me about this stuff." To which Robert replied, "Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of accountants who aren't rich? And bankers, and attorneys, and stockbrokers and real estate brokers. Rich Dad, Poor Dad They know a lot, and for the most part are smart people, but most of them are not rich. Since our schools do not teach people what the rich know, we take advice from these people. But one day, you're driving down the high- way, stuck in traffic, struggling to get to work, -and you look over to your right and you see your accountant stuck in the same traffic jam.