Personal Finance
Written by Kathleen Elkins; edited by Libby Kane
2015-10-15T16:04:00Z
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One bigdifference between rich people and average people is what happens between the ears.
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"Being a product of two strong dads allowed me the luxury of observing the effects different thoughts have on one's life," Robert Kiyosaki writes in the personal finance classic, "Rich Dad Poor Dad."
The two dads he refers to are his real father — his "poor dad," who struggled financially his whole life and died with bills to pay — and the father of his best friend — his "rich dad," who started with little before becomingone of the richest men in Hawaii.
"I noticed that my poor dad was poor, not because of the amount of money he earned, which was significant, but because of his thoughts and actions."
Even the way hespoke was tremendously different from Kiyosaki's rich dad. Here are seven things the authorheard his poor dad say often —butrich dad never did.
"I can't afford it."
Rich dad would say, "How can I afford it?"
"One is a statement, and the other is a question. One lets you off the hook, and the other forcesyou to think," Kiyosaki writes. "By automatically saying the words 'I can't afford it,' your brain stops working. By asking the question 'How can I afford it?' your brain is put to work."
This doesn't mean you should buy everything, heemphasizes. The point is that you should constantly exercise your mind, because the stronger your brain gets, the more moneyyou'll make.
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"I work for my money."
Rich dad would say, "My money works for me."
There is a difference between how rich people and average people choose to get paid.Average people choose to get paid based on time — on a steady salary or hourly rate — while rich people generally own their own businesses,work on commission, orchoose stock options and profit sharing overhigher salaries.
"If you work for money, you give the power to your employer," Kiyosaki writes. "If money works for you, you keep the power and control it."
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"When it comes to money, play it safe. Don't take risks."
Rich dad would say, "Learn to manage risk."
Rich people play to win, which requiresan element of risk-taking and a level of comfort with uncertainty.
As important as it is to take risks to accumulate wealth, it's equally important to be smart about risk-taking, which is why rich dad emphasizes "managing" risk. Blind risk won't get you anywhere, but intelligent risk— in whicheducation and experience play a key role — is the mother of reward.
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"My house is an asset."
Rich dad would say, "My house is a liability."
"If you stop working today, an asset putsmoney in your pocket and a liability takes money from your pocket," Kiyosaki writes. "It's important to know the difference between the two."
At the end of the day, owning a house is expensive, and they do not always go up in value, Kiyosakipoints out.
"I am not saying don't buy a house," he writes. "What I am saying is that you should understand the difference between an asset and a liability. When I want a bigger house, I first buy assets that will generate the cash flow to pay for the house."
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"Study hard so you can find a good company to work for."
Rich dad would say, "Study hard so you can find a good company to buy."
The wealthiest people aren't afraid to think big. They set their expectations high andexpectto make a lot of money.
Meanwhile, the massesexpect to struggle and tend to settle for less than what they're worth because of it.
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"I'll never be rich."
Rich dad would say, "I'm a rich man, and rich people don't do this."
"Even when [my rich dad] was flat broke after a major financial setback, he continued to refer to himself as a rich man," Kiyosaki writes. "He would cover himself by saying, 'There is a difference between being poor and being broke. Broke is temporary. Poor is eternal.'"
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"I'm not interested in money."
Rich dad would say,"Money is power."
Most of us are taught to get a good education, find a job, and be grateful for what we have. Essentially, most of us are taught to settle.
Rich people, on the other hand, think aboutmoney logicallyand see it for what it is: a powerful tool that can presentoptions and opportunities.
Investing Correspondent
Kathleen is a correspondent at Insider, covering investing and the path to financial freedom. She started her career as an editorial intern at Business Insider in 2015, covered personal finance at CNBC Make It for four years, and returned to Insider in 2021. She graduated from Williams College in 2014 and currently resides in Los Angeles. Follow her on Twitter at @kathleen_elk.
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