_{Image credit: Photo of Robert Kiyosaki on Robert Kiyosaki .}

Book Review: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

TL;DR - Key Lessons from Rich Dad Poor Dad

• Assets put money in your pocket; liabilities take money out.
• Your house isn’t always an asset - it can drain your money. This idea challenges traditional beliefs but helps shift how we think about building wealth.
• Use your work bonus to buy assets, not expensive items. Let the assets pay for the luxuries later.
• School trains people to be employees, not financially free. Trading time for money limits wealth potential.
• A journalist once interviewed Kiyosaki, frustrated she couldn't get her book to sell. He told her, “I’m a best-selling author, not the best author.” She needed to learn sales, not just writing.
• People won’t hesitate to spend on clothes or phones to look good, but they mock buying a course. Buying knowledge is one of the best investments-if it gives you a skill that can create a business or cash flow.
• Reading this book start to finish is foundational. It explains how money works in a way school never did. It draws a clear line between those who trade time for money and those who build lasting wealth.
• Fear and self-doubt stop most people from even trying to build wealth. This book breaks that mindset.
• Be ready: This book will challenge what you think you know about money.

Book Review

I picked this book up expecting it to be just another motivational finance book. What I got was a complete shift in how I think about money.

Robert Kiyosaki tells the story of growing up with two father figures - his real dad (the “Poor Dad”), and his best friend’s dad (the “Rich Dad”). Both men gave him advice about life, work, and money - but their views couldn’t have been more different.

The Poor Dad had a stable job, a good education, and played by the rules. The Rich Dad didn’t have a college degree, but he understood money on a whole other level. He built businesses, bought income-generating assets, and made his money work for him.

These are the things that really stuck with me:

Assets vs Liabilities - The Simplest But Most Important Lesson

Kiyosaki breaks it down like this:

• Assets put money in your pocket.
• Liabilities take money out.

That’s it. Most people get this wrong. They think their car is an asset. Or their house. But if it doesn’t make you money, it’s probably costing you money.

The part that hit hardest? He says your home - the one you live in - isn’t an asset. At least not in the way we’re taught. It takes cash every month in the form of bills, maintenance, and mortgage payments. It doesn’t give you money unless you rent it or sell it for profit later. A lot of people don’t want to hear that. But once you start thinking this way, everything changes.

Stop Trading Time for Money

School teaches us to get good grades, go to university, get a job, and work hard. That’s fine if all you want is job security. But if you want financial freedom, that mindset keeps you stuck.

Exchanging your time for money has a limit. You can only work so many hours. But if you build or buy something that keeps paying you - like rental property, shares, a business - you’re no longer limited by time. That’s what Rich Dad focused on. He didn’t work for money. He built things that paid him whether he worked or not.

Buy Assets First, Then Use the Profits for the Good Stuff

Most people get a bonus or a pay rise and buy a better phone, car, or holiday. Kiyosaki says that’s backwards. Use that extra money to buy something that pays you regularly. Then, once that income is coming in, use that to buy the nice things.

It’s a simple shift. It takes patience, but it’s worth it.

Learn Skills That Pay You - Like Sales

One of the best parts of the book is when Kiyosaki talks about a journalist who was struggling to sell her book. She was a great writer, but no one was buying. He said, “I’m a best-selling author, not the best author.” That annoyed her, but he had a point. She needed to learn how to sell.

Most people ignore skills like sales, marketing, and public speaking. But those are the ones that make a real difference. Kiyosaki puts real value on learning things that make money - not just getting good grades.

Courses Aren’t a Waste If You Use Them Right

Some people will spend £500 on clothes or a new phone, then laugh at someone paying for an online course. But that course could teach you something that makes money over and over again.

If you're serious about getting ahead, learning from people who are already doing it makes sense.

This Book is a Wake-Up Call

I’m not saying this book will solve all your problems. But it will change how you look at money.

If you’ve ever felt like you're working hard but not getting ahead, or wondering why some people seem to have time and money while others don’t - this book explains it. It separates those who live paycheque to paycheque from those who build real wealth.

It’s not about being rich overnight. It’s about shifting your focus from working harder to thinking smarter.

Final thought:
Read the whole thing. Don’t skim it. Don’t just read quotes or summaries online. This book lays the foundation for understanding how money actually works. It’s the difference between being stuck in the cycle of working for a wage, and building something that gives you freedom.

_{Based on the book Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki. All credit to the author for the original ideas.}