Robert Kiyosaki has become a key figure within the personal finance and business education space. Focusing mainly on financial advice, he has played an important role in helping people change their perception of money. His work paved the way for many of today’s successful entrepreneurs.
Robert Kiyosaki’s Wealth
Kiyosaki is best known for his book Rich Dad Poor Dad. He is also an investor, financial analyst, and motivational speaker. The majority of his wealth has come from selling books and licensing the Rich Dad brand to companies.
Robert Kiyosaki has a $100 million net worth. In addition, he makes an estimated $10 million annually from Rich Global LLC and the Rich Dad Company. Despite his wealth, Robert has $1.2 billion in debt according to Fortune.com. He doesn’t save cash and uses debt as money.
Life Before Entrepreneurship
Born and raised in the town of Hilo, Hawaii, Kiyosaki is a fourth-generation Japanese American. His father, Ralph Kiyosaki, was a professor at a local college. He had a Ph.D. but was unemployed in his later years. This story of his father would later inspire Robert to form bold but practical opinions on how to become wealthy.
Robert attended Naval College after high school and subsequently joined the US Marine Corps. From 1972 to 1973, he served as a helicopter gunship pilot in Vietnam. Kiyosaki attended a local college after serving as a Marine. After getting an MBA, he worked as a sales associate for Xerox.
Failed Business Attempts
One has to be the luckiest person on the planet to be a millionaire on their first try. And Kiyosaki wasn’t that person. Before reaching his eventual success, he had a few roadblocks in the way.
With the money he saved up from work, he started his own business in 1977. It was a velcro wallet company that eventually went bankrupt. In 1980, he tried another business that printed shirts for heavy metal bands but this venture also failed.
Having these two unsuccessful attempts, he was left with a lot of debt and insufficient funds. He found himself broke and homeless to settle his obligations.
Education Business
Instead of mourning the losses, Robert Kiyosaki turned them into lessons, lessons he could teach others. Thus, he co-founded the business education company Excelerated Learning Institute. This was his long-awaited breakthrough.
The company was a hit, and Kiyosaki sold it in 1994. He used the milestone as an opportunity to publish his first book, Don’t Go to School if You Want to Be Rich and Happy. However, these accomplishments were only the beginning.
Earning Success
Robert Kiyosaki’s early achievements were small compared to his future success in the education industry. It started when he founded Cashflow Technologies, the company that owns the rights to the Rich Dad brand.
As a New York Times bestseller, Rich Dad Poor Dad has sold over 40 million copies around the world. The “rich dad” is inspired by a friend’s father, while the “poor dad” is his own father. It’s a book that talks about how your views on money can affect your personal finances.
Personal Life
Robert married Kim Kiyosaki in 1994 but the couple are now separated. Although they are no longer together they remain business partners and close friends. He revealed the news in an interview with Daniela Cambone in June 2021. Kim is a savvy businessman woman in her own right and has a net worth of $40 million.
Despite being well into his 70’s, Kiyosaki refuses to retire and is still an active investor. Currently, Robert is investing in gold, silver and Bitcoin to protect his wealth in the long term.
