Why We Want You To Be Rich. Robert T. Kiyosaki

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СКАЧАТЬ Could it be because they know that savings is an obsolete idea?

       1973: The first oil shock was felt. It was a political problem. However, today the current oil shock is an actual supply and demand problem that will affect all of us. Some of us will get richer, but most of us will become poorer as a result of today’s oil shortage.

       How will the current oil crisis affect you?

      1974: ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act was passed. ERISA eventually led to what we now know as 401(k) plans. Few law changes have affected so many of us as this one. The 401(k) was originally an arcane subparagraph in the U.S. Tax Code originally created only for high-income CEOs and executives looking for a way to shelter a few more dollars. It became a revolution in retirement savings after the IRS ruled in 1981 that workers could use the same rule. The problem is that the 401(k) is a savings plan and not a retirement plan. Many workers who have 401(k)s will not have enough money to retire on simply because the 401(k) was designed for very high-income executives, not lower wage workers. In simple terms, the 401(k) savings plan will not be adequate for approximately 80 percent of all workers, especially those making less than $150,000 a year. Millions of middle-class workers will be downgraded to the poor class even though they have a 401(k) plan today.

       Do you have a 401(k)?

      1989: The Berlin Wall came down and the World Wide Web went up. In other words, communism, an economic system designed to protect the workers, failed. At the same time, in the same year, we entered the Information Age. Suddenly young Internet millionaires and billionaires were being created while baby-boom workers were losing their jobs.

       Many older workers have to work for younger workers simply because they are not technically current. Instead of receiving pay raises as they did in the Industrial Age, many older workers are receiving pink slips because their years of education and experience are obsolete.

       Are your skills obsolete?

      1996: The Telecom Reform Act was passed. This Act allowed the world to be connected via fiber optic cable, facilitating globalization. This meant that white-collar jobs could be exported. It now makes economic sense to hire a programmer, doctor, lawyer, and accountant in countries where the costs for these services are much lower due to the lower cost of living abroad.

       Are you working in an area that fiber optic cable could change?

      2001: China was admitted into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Today, America and many Western nations such as the G-8 nations have become consumers rather than producers. This sets up a huge balance-of-trade problem and also takes away our factories.

       Many small businesses are not able to compete with companies like Wal-Mart, who has direct lines to China’s factories.

       Today in America and other Western nations, our middle class is shrinking as the middle class in China and India is growing.

       Do you consume products manufactured overseas?

      2004: During the Kerry-Bush debates, there was talk about the outsourcing of American jobs. But there is a bigger problem both parties avoided. There was little said about the outsourcing of American debt into the hands of foreigners.

       While there is much discussion about illegal immigrants in our work force, there is a more serious immigration problem not being discussed: the amount of foreign capital that keeps the United States afloat. In 2004, 44 percent of our Treasury debt was owned by foreigners. No leading country in history has ever incurred this level of foreign debt. As a nation we cannot afford the payments to service this debt, and there is a limit to the amount of our debt the world will tolerate.

       Are you able to service your own personal debt?

      This book is not a political book. It will not blame Republicans or Democrats, Liberals or Conservatives. This book is about money, financial education, and the effects of a lack of financial education and money management. It is about protecting yourself from national money mismanagement. Today’s problems are bigger than our government can handle. That may be why our politicians avoid discussing the real problems.

       The United States has the highest standard of living in the world. We have attained that high standard of living by becoming the greatest debtor nation in the world. The U.S. dollar is also the world’s reserve currency and so far, the world has allowed us to print as many dollars as we want. Is this a fairy tale scenario or a nightmare? Donald and Robert do not think this fantasy can last much longer. They expect a global correction on a massive scale. Unfortunately, the poor and middle class will be hurt the most. And this is why they want you to be rich.

      This Book Is Not About Changing the World

      This book is not about changing the world. This book is about changing you so that you do not become a victim of a changing world. The world is changing rapidly. Politicians and government bureaucracy cannot change fast enough or protect everyone from these shifts.

      Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have joined forces to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. This is commendable as money does have the power to solve many of our world problems, such as hunger, affordable housing, and hopefully many diseases (such as cancer and AIDS).

      Money Cannot Solve Poverty

      The one problem money cannot solve is poverty. While there are many underlying causes of poverty, one of the causes is a lack of financial education. The problem with throwing money at the issue of poverty is that money only creates more poor people and keeps people poorer longer. This is why Donald and Robert are teachers. They know that the one true solution to worldwide poverty is financial education, not money. If money alone could solve poverty, they would donate their money. But since money cannot solve poverty, they donate their time.

      As your financial education increases, you will start to recognize financial opportunities everywhere. Once you become rich, you may choose to help change the world as well. This is what Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki have done. This is why they have joined forces as teachers.

      As you read this book you will see the voices of two men, from two different backgrounds, with two different perspectives, and two different voices. Robert is a story-teller and uses dialogue often in his writing. Donald is direct and to–the–point, using as few words as possible. We have used two different typefaces to emphasize their two voices (Adobe Garamond is used for Robert and Trebuchet is used for Donald).

      Can you read this book with an open mind? If so, you will see the world through the eyes of these two successful men and you may expand your own mind-set about money and what is possible for your financial future.

      “Yes, we did produce a near perfect Republic. But will they keep it?

      Or will they in their enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom?

      Material abundance without character is the surest way to destruction.

      Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”

       – Thomas Jefferson

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