Guide to Financial Freedom
Buy book - Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter
What is the subject of the Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant book?
Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant (1998) is a financial planning tool that helps people achieve financial independence. The authors of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series, Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter, in their second book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, explain how some individuals attain financial success without exerting as much effort as the rest of us. Using a combination of teaching and autobiography, they explain why you may have the incorrect notion about achieving financial independence and provide strategies for changing your mind.
Who is the target audience for the Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant book?
- Anyone seeking to get away from the 9-to-5 grind need look no farther than Warren Buffet and Bill Gates want tobes.
- Those with ambitions greater than their financial means
Who is Robert T. Kiyosaki, and what is his relationship with Sharon L. Lechter?
Robert T. Kiyosaki is the best-selling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which has been translated into many languages. The Rich Dad Firm, an education company that offers personal financial and business education via books and videos, was founded by him. He is the creator of Rich Global LLC as well as the Rich Dad Company. He's also a radio personality and an investor, among other things.
Sharon Lechter is an American entrepreneur and community leader who is committed to enhancing the financial education of teenagers and young people in the United States. Pay Your Family First is a financial education company founded by her and her husband, and Thrive Time for Teens is an award-winning financial board game created by her and her husband.
What exactly is in it for me? Learn how to take the initial steps on the path to financial independence.
Wouldn't it be great if you could put in your notice at your job and retire to an idyllic lifestyle surrounded by abundance? You're not the only one who feels this way. However, for many of us, those aspirations will stay just that: aspirations. For author Robert T. Kiyosaki, this is not the case. In the end, he was able to transform his dreams into the wealth and freedom he now enjoys. His own father had been an overworked government employee who had been indebted and in financial disaster as a result of his actions. After seeing this happen to his father, Kiyosaki swore that he would never allow it to happen to him in his own life. As a result, he learned to generate money no matter where he was.
Through decades of successful investment and company development, you will understand the fundamental principles that Kiyosaki has applied to his own life, which you will study in these notes. Rather than learning particular methods, you'll get an understanding of the underlying concepts that have guided him throughout his career. With any hope, you'll be able to pick them up on your own. You will learn about the four different types of cash-flow in these notes, as well as what the Information Age implies for our employment and pensions, and how fear impacts our perception of money and money management.
Generally speaking, the many methods in which we make money may be classified into four quadrants.
Consider the following scenario: you drew a simple plus sign on a sheet of paper. What do you think you're seeing? Isn't it true that there are two lines - one horizontal and one vertical? Four white areas are divided by these lines. Quadrants are the four spaces that make up a quadrant. In this case, the most important lesson is that the many methods we make money may be classified into four quadrants. So, what are these four quadrants of the map, exactly? Each one is designated with a letter: E, S, B, and I, for example. The E and S quadrants are located on the left-hand side of the plus symbol. The letter E stands for "employee," whereas the letter S stands for "small company or self-employed." The B and I quadrants are located on the right-hand side of the diagram. The letter B stands for "large company owner," while the letter I stands for "investment." As a result, depending on how you earn your livelihood, you fall into one of four categories.
Over the course of your life, you may make money from just one, a few, or all of these quadrants of opportunity. Consider the case of a medical practitioner who is now employed in the United States. Alternatively, she might choose to make a livelihood as an E (an employee). She may do this by joining the staff of a major hospital or insurance business, working for the government in public health, or pursuing a career as a military physician. Or, to put it another way, by working a traditional 9-to-5 job. Additionally, that same doctor might opt to be self-employed and open his or her own private practice. She would open an office, employ personnel, and compile a secret list of patients before starting her business. It would still be difficult work, but she would have greater control over the situation.
As a third alternative, this doctor might choose to become a B-level practitioner (big business owner). She might open her own clinic and employ other medical professionals. Consequently, she would most likely hire someone else — a business manager – to operate the company in such scenario. As a result, she would own the clinic but would not be required to work there. She may, on the other hand, continue to work as a medical practitioner while also starting a company that is unrelated to medicine. She would most likely have investable income as well, given her high earnings as a doctor. While still practicing medicine and operating her clinic or supervising her company, she might also train to be an IVF nurse (investor). She may do this by making an investment in stocks or real estate.
So far, so straightforward, right? This represents the fundamental basis of our civilization. Individuals with a variety of skills and traits are required in each of these quadrants. A lot of individuals discover their place in life and are content in whichever quadrant they wind up in - there is no "right" or "wrong" option in life for some people. But what if you wish to live a life of financial independence? What do you do if you want to get away from the grind of everyday life? It will then be necessary to transition from the E and S quadrants to the B and I quadrants. In a nutshell, it's a transition from working to owning. We'll get to the reason behind this in the following section.
You will not achieve financial independence by studying and working hard.
When Robert Kiyosaki was growing up in Hawaii, he had two father figures that were influential throughout his life. One of them was his biological father, who was employed by the government. The other person was his buddy Mike's father, who was a successful businessman and investor in his own right. He began to refer to them as his poor father and his wealthy father, respectively. His observations of their lives led to the discovery of basic truths about labor and money for him. The most important lesson to take away from this is that studying and working hard will not lead you to financial independence.
On the surface, Kiyosaki's biological father seemed to be a successful businessman — he had a good education and was well-liked and respected. He'd done very well in school and had worked his way up to the position of Head of Education in the Hawaiian government. As a government official, he was, on the other hand, overburdened with work — his calendar was jam-packed with appointments, and he was always on the road. This resulted in him having a limited amount of quality time with his family and to indulge in his second love, which is reading books.
In addition, despite his high-profile government position, he had little financial resources. Although he was a brilliant and well-traveled guy, he continued to believe in the fundamental illusion of our generation: that working hard without investing will provide financial stability. This was due to the fact that, despite his excellent academic background, he had received a terrible financial education. In fact, he didn't believe in the existence of a financial education and openly ridiculed anybody who attempted to learn about investment or real estate. Mike's father, a successful businessman and investor, on the other hand, always appeared to have enough of both time and money. In fact, it seemed like he had more time for the author than he did for his real father.
Mike's father was everything that the author's "poor father" despised: he didn't have a formal education, but he was well-versed in topics such as "dividends" and "property value," and he understood a lot about them. He'd made the decision a long time ago that, rather than spending all of his time in the E and S quadrants, he'd attempt to get away from the grind of the nine-to-five workaday world. So, what exactly did he do? He began investing in real estate early in life and gradually increased his holdings. Eventually, he was able to establish a hotel empire. As a result, although he continued to be derided by educated people, he also started to accrue a passive income from all of his hotels and motels. It's possible that others might make fun of him. But he suddenly had all the time in the world on his hands. When given the opportunity, he could even read all of the novels that his detractors would want to read if they only had the time to do so.
Working hard and working intelligently are two very different things.
Once, when the author was visiting Mike at his home, the author's "wealthy father" sat him down and told him a tale. He might consider it to be a watershed moment in his financial education. It was unknown to Kiyosaki at the time, but this tale would go on to illustrate the fundamental difference between people who live in the E and S quadrants and those who live in the B and I quadrants. The most important lesson to take away from this is that working hard and working intelligently are two very different things. The plot of the tale proceeded as follows: An enchanting small hamlet once stood on the edge of a beautiful lake. The only issue was that it didn't have access to a water source. In order to address this issue, the village elders agreed to hire two men, Ed and Bill.
Ed, the first contractor to arrive, got to work right away. He made the decision to take two steel buckets to a neighboring lake, fill them with water, and then bring them back. To fill the village's water tank on his own, he had to work for many hours. He was totally exhausted by the end of the day. But at the very least, he was being paid for his efforts. Ed was relieved when the other contractor, Bill, disappeared for a period of time, since he no longer had any competition. Bill, on the other hand, didn't sit around doing nothing. As an alternative to purchasing two steel buckets to transport the water, Bill had prepared a business plan, formed a company, recruited investors, hired a president, and assembled a construction team.
Bill's crew completed the construction of a stainless steel pipeline that linked the town to the lake within a year. Then, in a matter of days, Bill extended his pipeline to include more communities. Ed's water was cleaner, cheaper, and more easily accessible, yet he supplied cleaner, more readily available water. He wasn't long before he was earning money from a system that he had built from the ground up. Soon, he would no longer be required to work at all. Ed, on the other hand, was pushing himself into a premature grave in order to break even, just to survive. In the end, Bill was able to sell his pipeline company and retire with a substantial sum of money. Ed, on the other hand, could only watch with sadness as his children chose not to continue their father's water-bucket business and went away to the city. The simple tale of Ed and Bill illustrates the basic distinction between the left and right-hand quadrants: the importance of working hard vs the importance of working smart.
In today's economy, we can't depend on the government to look after our best interests at all times. We must take control of our financial well-being and make it a priority.
In today's world, we are living in what is often referred to as the "Information Age." This period started around the year 1991. With the advent of new technology, businesses were able to transfer their money across the globe at breakneck speed, thus bringing the "Industrial Age" to a close. As a result, stable, unionized employment and adequate government pensions were on the verge of being phased out entirely. However, many of us are still struggling to keep up with the times. The most important lesson here is that, in today's economy, we cannot depend on the government to look after our best interests. We must take control of our financial well-being and make it a priority. In reality, many of us are still predisposed to think in the same manner that our forefathers and grandmothers did. That is, if we work hard and pay our taxes, we should expect the government to be accountable for our well-being in later years. Unfortunately, this kind of setup is no longer feasible.
To provide an example, it is projected that more than 100 million Americans would be reliant on some kind of government assistance by 2020. Federal workers, military veterans, teachers, other government employees, and retirees who are expecting Social Security and Medicare benefits will be among those affected by the shutdown. Moreover, individuals have a right to demand assistance since they contributed to the system and were promised something in return. However, it seems that these pledges will not be fulfilled in their entirety. Simply put, the price is too exorbitant. As for the ultra-rich, if the government increases taxes to pay for these promises, they would just go to nations with lower rates.
This means that old-fashioned thinking about working hard and then expecting the government to care after you is incorrect. So, what should you do in this situation? Those seeking long-term financial stability should consider moving into one of the right-hand quadrants, B or I: large-scale company ownership or investment, respectively. Once again, the experiences of his two parent figures provided Kiyosaki with a valuable lesson in this situation. His biological father put in long hours as a government official, and he anticipated a comfortable retirement. But then he lost his position as a result of a political dispute, and he was banned from working for the Hawaiian government. He was really taken aback. He attempted a couple commercial endeavors despite having no prior expertise in the B and I quadrants, but they all failed, and he became deeply in debt as a result. He understood, bitterly, that there was nothing he could do to stop himself from falling.
While Kiyosaki was raising his children, his father had built a system of passive income, a continuous pipeline of wealth that was constantly flowing into his bank account. He'd joined the I quadrant early in his childhood, and it served as a protective barrier for the remainder of his life.
The four quadrants draw individuals from a variety of backgrounds.
Kiyosaki learnt about the fundamental distinctions between individuals from various socioeconomic backgrounds by listening to his "wealthy father." It dawned on him that their personality types were fundamentally different when it came to their attitudes about labor and money. The most important lesson to take away from this is: The four quadrants draw individuals from a variety of backgrounds.
First and foremost, let us consider the E quadrant. These are the individuals who work for businesses. Someone who naturally gravitates towards this quadrant will often utilize terms like "security" and "benefits" in their conversations. They need a sense of security, which may be provided by a written contract, a monthly salary, and job perks. And they are often motivated by fear — fear of failure as well as fear of financial ruin. Employees may range from janitors to CEOs and presidents of corporations. That really distinguishes them is not their actions, but rather the contractual security that they have chosen.
The S quadrant is the second of them. These are individuals who are self-employed or who are the proprietors of small companies. These individuals like the freedom to be "their own boss." With regard to money, they dislike having their earnings decided by others — if they put in the effort, they expect to be compensated appropriately. On the other hand, if they don't perform a good job, they realize that their pay would be reduced. They are often perfectionists, believing that no one else can perform a greater job than they themselves. Independence is more essential to them than money in this situation. They're also motivated by fear, in this instance the dread of losing their freedom from their parents.
Finally, we arrive at the B quadrant, which is comprised of big company owners. They are, in many respects, diametrically opposed to people who live in the S sector. They prefer to surround themselves with intelligent individuals from all walks of life, not just those in their own category. It is their ability to delegate that they are most proud of. Henry Ford was a well-known figure in this regard. Despite the fact that he wasn't the most skilled financial analyst or mechanical engineer, he was very good at recruiting people to perform those jobs for him. Those that operate in the B quadrant have the ability to leave their whole business running while they do absolutely nothing. Instead, they are responsible for overseeing a system that continues to generate income for them.
Finally, we reach the I quadrant, which contains the investors. This quadrant is often considered to be the domain of the ultra-rich. And their capacity to take measured risks is what distinguishes them from the others. They are not scared of volatility in the same way that gamblers are. However, unlike gamblers, they enjoy researching their risks, so it is no longer a potentially hazardous proposition. When it comes to investing, a smart investor like Warren Buffet can embrace the dangers of a financially unpredictable world while simultaneously making certain that he or she understands all of the risks involved better than anybody else. This is the most important characteristic for anybody who want to achieve financial independence.
The most certain method to attain financial independence is to become a company owner and use your profits to make investments.
If you're reading these notes, it's likely that you're interested in financial independence. And, after all, who isn't? It entails having the freedom to pursue your passions — whether that be touring the globe, collecting art, or scuba diving with manta rays – whenever you choose. The question is, how do you get to that point? Consider the lives of many of the world's richest people; you will see that they have all gone down the same road as you do. The most important lesson to take away from this is: The most certain method to attain financial independence is to become a company owner and use your profits to make investments.
It is interesting to note that individuals who got wealthy in the past like Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, and Warren Buffet started off in the B quadrant and subsequently migrated to the I quadrant. The explanation for this is very straightforward. It is necessary to acquire money in order to become wealthy. And the most certain way to do so is to make an investment - whether in stocks, mutual funds, or real estate. However, in order to invest successfully, you'll need a steady stream of money and time. And the most effective method to do this is to start a company that allows you to make money while you sleep. In the case of Kiyosaki's "wealthy dad" and his hotel business, this implies putting in place a comprehensive system that can function even when you aren't there.
And, unless you have a ready supply of cash, you will be restricted in your investing options as well. When you invest big amounts of money wisely, on the other hand, you may transition from the financial stability of company ownership to the real financial independence that comes with large-scale investment. There is still another compelling incentive to go down this road. If you can make it in business, you'll be well-positioned to succeed as an investor in the future. You'll be able to tell which company ideas will provide you with the best long-term investment returns almost instinctively.
You may be setting yourself up for investing failure if you don't have this kind of business knowledge. As a result, many individuals in the E and S quadrants make rash attempts to move quickly into the I quadrant, but they fail miserably because they lack knowledge of what constitutes a successful company system. Furthermore, since they do not have a big organization of their own, they will have limited money to invest. As a result, their investments become even more risky. Now, it's possible that you have no ambition to start or manage a big company, but you'd want to make an investment nevertheless. If this is the route you want to take, you need at the very least get familiar with the various kinds of investors. We'll go right to it in the following section.
It is possible to categorize investors into five categories.
For the majority of individuals, the idea of becoming an investor is intimidating. Learning to surf on a beach renowned for its tiger sharks gives the impression that you are on a tropical island. A beginner investor, on the other hand, may become a confident investor with a little instruction. So what distinguishes a novice from someone like Warren Buffet, for example? The most important lesson to take away from this is: It is possible to categorize investors into five categories. The Zero-Financial-Intelligence Level is the first of these levels. Unfortunately, the majority of us fall into this group. These are the individuals who, even if they are momentarily wealthy, have nothing to invest in the stock market. This is due to the fact that they accumulate more debt than their salary can support. Before they can consider becoming investors, they must first get their financial house in order.
The second level is known as the Savers-Are-Losers Level. As the name implies, this is also a degree of financial illiteracy for the participants. The conventional wisdom has long been that just conserving money would provide financial stability in the future. Because interest rates in the contemporary economy are so low, just putting your money in a bank account will provide very little return on your investment, if any. Moreover, as we witnessed during the global financial crisis of 2008, individuals who had invested their money in bonds — that is, government-backed loans bundled into retirement plans – were often forced to liquidate their assets. Savings alone will not enough.
The I'm-Too-Busy-Investor is the third level of the pyramid. These are individuals who just give over their money to a financial adviser without any further consideration. Despite the fact that these investors are often more successful than the previous two categories, they nevertheless face a significant amount of risk. As many people discovered following the 2008 financial crisis, their "trusted expert" turned out to be everything but that, and they lost significant amounts of money as a result. This is due to the fact that they committed their money to individuals who were not themselves successful investors. As opposed to this, they were just employees of financial advisory companies.
The fourth and final level is the I'm-A-Professional level. This is the very first kind of investor to be recognized. These are individuals that educate themselves on various investment topics, such as stocks or real estate. Additionally, they do their own in-depth research. Their investments become more concentrated as a result, and they learn valuable financial skills that will serve them well throughout their life as a result of this experience. In this fragile environment, we would all benefit from attaining this level of knowledge, regardless of what else we accomplish. A financial education is a fantastic investment in and of itself.
After that, we get to the Capitalist Level. This is the level at which Warren Buffett operates. It consists of two stages. First and foremost, you become a successful B, or a company proprietor. Afterwards, you divert your funds into more risky ventures. It is the most direct path to enormous wealth, but it is also the most difficult mountain to conquer. If establishing a company empire isn't your goal, the "I'm-A-Professional" investor level may be more realistic for you.
Money may elicit illogical emotions, which we must learn to control.
We are not always logical beings. Occasionally, the "irrational" is what distinguishes us as human beings, like when we fall in love. Our irrationality, on the other hand, may be a serious issue when it comes to money. The most important lesson to take away from this is: Money may elicit illogical emotions, which we must learn to control. There are a lot of us who have irrational worries about a wide range of topics. To provide an example, when Kiyosaki was a young man serving in the Air Force, he took a training on how to live in the wilderness in the event that his aircraft was shot down. His students were had to learn how to eat snakes on one occasion. As soon as the instructor brought out a harmless garden snake, one of the pupils, a young, macho pilot, immediately leapt up, screamed, and bolted from the classroom. His fear of snakes had taken over his life, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it under control.
Money, like snakes, may elicit strong feelings of fear in certain people. Investing has the ability to transform normally reasonable individuals into hysterical wrecks - wrecks that, like that pilot, leap to their feet, scream, and bolt from the building. The fact is that many individuals find it difficult to think rationally about money since it is so important to our well-being. As a result, it is an emotive topic for many people. Take, for example, the way the financial markets act. Because of fear and greed, they don't move "rationally," but rather jump and tumble wildly from cliff to cliff.
However, when it comes to money, it is critical that your reasoning prevails over your emotions. In reality, investing in real estate or the stock market does not have to be as dangerous and scary as many people believe. The rules of the game are actually quite simple, similar to those of the board game Monopoly. When you're discouraged by the prospect of losing, simply remember that the most effective method to win at the game is to acquire as many lucrative "houses" as possible. In the actual world of money, those "houses" might be anything from rental homes to stocks, but the reasoning is the same regardless of the kind of asset. Knowing how to look at money logically and then understand how to get it is a true talent.... Kiyosaki learnt this lesson the hard way early on. His wife and he were forced to live out of their vehicle as a result of his pursuit of financial independence.
However, rather of succumbing to understandable anxiety and giving up on their goals, they were certain that if they stuck to their plan, they would be successful. As a result, they gradually and carefully established a profitable company. They became billionaires four years after starting their business.
For financial success, it is important to take little measures while keeping the long-term in mind.
The proverbial phrase "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step" is well-known to most of us. Rather of saying "A trip of a thousand miles starts with a single step," it is more appropriate to say "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one penny." Being financially independent requires a significant amount of effort and time. As a result, you should be cautious about attempting to get wealthy in the near term. The fact is that no one ever got wealthy, and even more importantly, no one ever remained wealthy, by just focusing on the short term. In this day and age, we are surrounded with Get Rich Quick scams, such as the many courses and publications that promise instant riches. Many of them have a great ring to them. However, in fact, the only person who will benefit from their sale is the one who is selling them. And the individual who is selling them has almost always accumulated their money over a lengthy period of time.
The important lesson here is that in order to attain financial success, little actions must be taken while keeping the long-term in mind. We have a tendency to seek instant satisfaction. Everything seems to be oriented around obtaining what we want as quickly as we want it, no matter how long it takes. However, as the proverbial adage goes, Rome was not built in a day. In reality, many of the world's most successful investors started as little investors and worked their way up. Remember that even Warren Buffet started selling chewing gum door-to-door at one point in his career. As a result, you must start small and establish objectives that are attainable. Don't put too much pressure on yourself or your money in the pursuit of riches.
And thinking in terms of the long term implies addressing the future with pragmatism. Unfortunately, the future will bring less job stability, since the Information Age is expected to be very unpredictable. Do not get hooked to obtaining money via your current work even if it is a great and well-paying one. It is unlikely to endure indefinitely. Keeping this in mind, long-term, compound investments are the most effective method to attain financial independence over time. What is a compound investment, and how does it work? Investing today – however little – and reinvesting any earnings or profits means starting small and building up your portfolio over the long term. Because your investment has increased in size, your earnings will have increased in size as well. At the end of the day, your earnings will continue to grow. For example, Albert Einstein once remarked, "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the universe."
In order to attain financial independence, you need also make an investment in something else: your financial education. It may be just as important to your long-term safety as anything else. When compared to a hazardous investment portfolio, having a solid knowledge of the stock market or the real estate industry may be much more beneficial. Then, even if things go wrong in the future, you'll have the skills you need to go back on track to financial independence!
Summary of the book Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant in its entirety.
The most important lesson in these notes is that there are four different ways to make money: as an employee, as a self-employed person or as the owner of a small company, as the owner of a large firm, or as an investor. Even while there is no one “right way” to spend your life, if you want to achieve financial independence, it is better to get involved in large-scale company ownership and investment. In addition, even if you do not want to become a company owner, investment is still important since it will provide you with a passive source of income for the remainder of your life. Because money is so important, it is frequently a very emotional topic to discuss. Our life may be in our hands as soon as we are able to view financial risks rationally and take control of our finances. Advice that can be put into action: If you have the opportunity, make a wise investment now. No matter what your age is, it is a good idea to start investing right away. Although investing entails some risk, there is frequently just as much danger associated with your employment or the assurance of your pension as there is with investing. Even if you buy in stocks or real estate that has been well studied, your investment will most likely offer you with financial stability later in life if done correctly.
Buy book - Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter
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