Читать книгу Why We Want You To Be Rich - Robert T. Kiyosaki - Страница 12
ОглавлениеRobert’s View
Solve Problems
Everyone has money problems. If you want to make yourself rich, solve problems. Identifying a problem creates the opportunity for creating a solution.
Every generation will have its own unique set of financial problems. For my parents’ generation, their challenges included a Depression and a World War. Their solution to those problems was to go to school, get a safe and secure job with benefits, retire at 65, and play golf for the rest of their lives. Many of the World War II generation had a Defined Benefit Pension plan, savings, Social Security and Medicare. For many of my parents’ generation, a good education and a good job were adequate for financial survival.
My generation, the baby-boom generation, faces a set of different financial problems. Today, a good college education and a good job are not enough. To make matters worse, jobs are being exported overseas. Today, because jobs are being exported overseas, employees in the richest nations become too expensive. One very expensive expense is the Define Benefit (DB) plan of my parents’ generation. Companies are no longer willing to pay for employees for life so these DB plans are being cut and replaced with Defined Contribution plans.
In 1974, due to the changing global markets, many companies stopped offering Defined Benefit (DB) plans and began offering Defined Contribution (DC) plans, which later became known in the United States as 401(k), IRA and Keogh plans. My generation’s problem is that a DB plan is a true pension plan and a DC plan is not a true pension plan; it is a savings plan. In fact, the 401(k) was never intended to be a pension plan. In other countries, the problem is the same; they just use different names for their Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution plans.
In very simple terms, a Defined Benefit plan will cover you for as long as you live. A Defined Contribution plan will cover you only as long as there is money in your account. In other words, a DB plan, in theory, will not run out of money while a DC plan can run out of money. That may be why USA Today found that the greatest fear in America today is running out of money during retirement. Most of us already know that up to 80 percent of the baby-boom generation does not have enough wealth to fall back on.
The generations following the baby-boom generation, often called Generation X and Generation Y, will have a different set of financial problems to handle. If the baby-boom generation does not do a good job cleaning up the mess left by its parents, there will be an even bigger mess for Generation X and Generation Y to handle. Generation X and Y will not only have to handle their own financial problems and the debts of our country (the biggest debt in the history of the world), they will also inherit their baby-boomer parents’ financial problems, and maybe even their grandparents’ problems, since we are all expected to live longer. By living longer, we may expect to extend our working years by retiring later, but what if we live longer and are not able to continue working?
The growing size of this problem, now in the trillions of dollars, is daunting. Merely pushing it forward, on to the next generation, just makes the problem bigger and more complex.
Everyone has money problems. If you want to make yourself rich, solve problems. Identifying a problem creates the opportunity for creating a solution.
– Robert T. Kiyosaki
The bigger and more complex the financial problems become, the higher the financial IQ is required to handle the problems. We’re going to need all the brainpower we can get to solve this problem.
Worst of all, repeating the cover headline of TIME magazine, October 31, 2005:
“The Great Retirement Ripoff”
Millions of Americans who think they will retire with benefits are in for a NASTY SURPRISE.
How corporations are picking people’s pockets with the help of Congress.”
The lack of financial education in our schools makes it easy for unscrupulous people, even elected officials from both parties, to legally steal from the unsuspecting. So the problem compounds itself.
Tell Me About It
Donald and I hope we are wrong, but we sincerely believe America is in trouble…and if America is in trouble, the world is in trouble.
One of the bigger problems in the world today is the rising price of oil. Oil is the blood of the world’s economy. If the price of oil gets too high, and we do not find a better alternative to oil soon, the world economy will begin to die. As Donald said to me one day, “If gasoline costs $5 a gallon at the pump, it does not affect you and me that much. But if you’re earning $10 an hour, then $5 a gallon will take food from your family.” He went on to say, “Oil affects everything in our economy, and the problem is, we’re running low. Prices will only go higher. You and I will be OK, but millions of people will be hurt by it.”
If oil goes to over $100 a barrel, and I believe it will sometime in the near future, the economy will suffer—but you do not have to. You can face the problem now and be part of the solution.
When I talk to people about some of the financial challenges ahead, I get different responses. One common response is, “Don’t tell me about it.” Another response I get is, “We need to think positively. All this negativity is bad,” or “God will solve the problem.”
These responses are from people with low financial IQs. Rather than facing the problems head-on and asking, “How can I profit from these problems?” they would rather stick their head in the sand. And this is why millions, possibly billions, of people will be hurt in the coming years. Instead of looking at the problem as an opportunity, they choose to put their blinders on.
My rich dad taught me, soon after the first oil crisis in 1973-74 that oil and wealth were directly related. He would often say, “Wealth = Energy.” Since I was an apprentice at Standard Oil, on their tankers, beginning in 1966, I had an interest in oil. Rich dad’s explanation was a simple one. He said, “When the price of energy goes down, our wealth goes up.” The equation looks like this:
And for most people, when the price of energy goes up, our wealth goes down.
The year 1974, the same year I started my business career as a brand new Xerox sales rep, proved my rich dad’s theory correct. In 1974, high oil prices had caused the economy to contract. People were not renting Xerox copiers. Instead, they were canceling their rental contracts. My first sale as a new rep found me on my knees in front of the customer—begging, not selling. I was begging the customer not to cancel his rental agreement. I remember one customer saying to me, “Why should I keep the copier? My business is gone.” This is just a small example of what happens when the price of energy goes up.
Instead of making money the first two years, I owed Xerox money. I owed the company money because every time a customer cancelled a machine, the commission that was paid to the sales rep who sold the machine was charged back to the sales rep who lost the machine. I was not selling, I was starving, and I was nearly fired several times during those two years.
Bad Times Can Make You Rich
The good news was, the challenge of a contracting economy actually made me a better salesman. Even though I did not make much money back then, my sales training still pays off today. My businesses are successful because I can sell–and because I understand the importance of sales and marketing. In tough economic times, that can give you an edge. As Donald Trump and I often say, “If you are in business, you need to learn how to sell.”
Increasing My Financial IQ
Since oil was in short supply, my rich dad suggested I learn more about the oil industry. I had been with Standard Oil from 1966 to 1969 as an apprentice and a ship’s officer, a third mate on their oil tankers. Since I had an interest in oil, I found it easy to learn more about it.
Once I began to win as a sales rep for Xerox, in order to learn more about oil, I took a part-time position with an oil company out of Oklahoma that was selling oil and gas tax shelters. Back in those days, an investor could invest $100,000 and receive a 4-to-1 tax break on his or her investment. In this example, a $100,000 investment was worth $400,000 in tax write-offs. So the investor made more money from the oil production and paid much less in taxes—one reason why the rich got richer.
Selling these leveraged oil and gas tax shelters during this period of high oil prices taught me some important lessons. Lesson number one was that not all businesses were hurting because of the oil crisis. My eyes were opened to the reality that many people were getting richer and richer while others were getting poorer. With that realization, my financial IQ went up—I saw another world. After my experience selling Xerox copiers to businesses and then selling tax shelters to the rich in my spare time, I decided I wanted to be rich.
The Lesson
Take a look at the equation…
The harsh reality is, as energy prices go up, the wealth of the nation goes down, except for those with the financial IQ to invest wisely. Yet, if you are rich, your equation can look like this:
The choice is yours. You can choose which “wealth = energy” equation you want.
I became a partner in oil exploration ventures because I wanted to be on the side of the rich. Today, I continue to invest in oil and gas partnerships…just as I was doing back in the 1970s and 1980s.
Today, the tax breaks (while not as good as they were in the past) are still enticing. For the $100,000 I invest today, while not receiving a 4-to-1 write-off like I did in the past, can still receive a 70 percent write-off plus a 15 percent depletion allowance. That means I receive a $70,000 tax break when I invest, and for every dollar of income, I also get a 15 percent tax break, which means I earn more and pay less in taxes. Try getting that with savings, stocks, bonds or mutual funds. Knowing how to earn money and pay less in taxes is financial intelligence.
The trick for me was to find an honest oil company. As my rich dad said to me years ago, “The definition of an oil man is a liar standing next to a hole in the ground.” You can also substitute gold miner for oil man.
Today, although I make a lot of money from my books and games, most of my wealth comes from my gold mine in China, my silver mine in South America, and my real estate companies and oil partnerships in the United States.
Every time a reporter asks me, “Isn’t the best way to get rich to write a book about getting rich?” I chuckle. In reply, I simply say, “If you think writing an internationally best-selling book and creating an educational board game is easy, why don’t you do it?” In my opinion, it is much easier to find oil or gold than to write a best-selling book.
Donald Trump and I write books because we are very concerned. Our message is, with the proper financial education and preparation, you can increase your financial IQ and ride the rough waters to become richer rather than poorer.
Donald’s View
Education Replaces Fear
Robert’s and my message is, with the proper financial education and planning you can ride out the turbulence of what is happening in our financial world today and through this education you can become richer by finding ways to solve the problems.
I am reminded of a simple example of problem solving. When Robert came to my office recently to talk about the book, I had a red chair in the middle of my office. I asked him how he liked the new chair and how much he thought it cost.
He was standing there looking at this elegant, fabric-covered dining-room chair and finally said, “I have no idea.” I loved it.
“Mike, my golf course manager in California called and said he needed 150 chairs for the restaurant, and that he had been quoted $1,500 for each chair. That sounded very expensive to me, so instead of simply agreeing, I made a few calls.
“It cost me $90,” I said quite proudly. “It’s a fabulous chair. It’s the best. Here, sit on it. And it’s a better chair than the $1,500 one. Do you know how much money I saved, just by making a few phone calls?”
It’s a matter of leadership and the ability to solve problems. If my staff thinks I spend money carelessly, then they will spend money carelessly. So I do this not only to preserve capital, but also to set an example for my team. You see, I am not afraid of spending money. I like buying the best. But I do not like wasting money. So many people struggle financially because they think cheap and buy cheap. You can get rich by being cheap, but who wants to be a rich cheap person?
Even when I was having financial difficulties, I was never cheap. When my company was struggling, I still paid my employees well. And that is why I buy the best chair at the best price. I don’t like being ripped off, especially when I can get the best for less. I expect my staff to do the same.
One thing we all need to remember is that a little effort is the best replacement for excuses. If we were all to make an effort to understand what’s going on around us, to make that quantum leap to using our higher, non-complacent minds, some lucid thinking might result. Problem solving is education at its best. Just as understanding can replace hatred, education can replace fear.
Ignorance can be easier, but it is often the result of fear. As Robert Frost said, “There’s nothing I’m afraid of like scared people.” Reduce your fear and fuel your courage.
I like Robert’s diagrams and when I look at his wealth and energy arrows, I think of how our individual energy can create wealth. If you have the perseverance to move forward with momentum, that is a great force of energy in itself. And with the right focus, it’s likely you will succeed. I always liked Alexander Graham Bell’s statement: Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. If you can control your energy then you stand a good chance of creating and controlling your own wealth. Your arrows will both be pointing in the right direction.
I have learned that what is essential can sometimes be invisible to the eye. That’s where discernment comes in. Leaders are those people who have replaced fear with discernment, which means they can predict the inevitable. Their education has resulted in an insight that can effectively replace fear, and which greatly enhances their chances of success.
Problem solving is made much easier if you think of problems as challenges. You might as well view them that way, since problems are a part of life. Taking a positive spin on problems will inevitably give you more energy. I say ‘inevitably’ with confidence because I know that’s a fact and I know it from experience. Confidence is a big step toward courage, and fear will evaporate when confronted with it.
Robert has said that a problem can create an opportunity. Well said, and I agree. If you will begin to view your problems in that light, I can guarantee you will be on the road to solving them. I’ve had some big problems, to the tune of billions of dollars of debt, but I never went bankrupt and I’m more successful today than ever before, so I am speaking from experience.
I have learned that what is essential can sometimes be invisible to the eye. That’s where discernment comes in.
– Donald J. Trump
Trump Tower has been on the map as a destination site for so long now that people forget that it didn’t just appear one day on the skyline of Manhattan. I had a lot of obstacles to consider and overcome when I decided I wanted ‘the Tiffany location’ for my new building. I had to solve a lot of problems. First, I wanted to buy the Bonwit Teller store and building, but they thought I was crazy. I didn’t give up, but it was three years before I got anywhere with them. Then, I wanted to buy the air rights above Tiffany’s. Purchasing those rights would give me the ability to build a much bigger building. Once I got those rights, I still needed a tiny parcel of land that was critical because of zoning laws that required a minimum of thirty feet of open space behind any building. That took more investigating and negotiating. In addition, my architect, Der Scutt, and I went over at least four dozen designs, finding the best elements of each and incorporating them into the final design. Then we had to have the final design approved by the city and get zoning variances.
That’s just part of the story of Trump Tower. None of those steps were easy, but I saw each step as a challenge and enjoyed working out the details. If I didn’t see it that way, it could have been very easy to become discouraged. But instead I have a beautiful building that has become world famous. Was it worth it? Yes! And it’s a great example of problem solving.
Another interesting story about Trump Tower is the name itself. I was initially going to name it Tiffany Tower because of the location. A friend asked me why I would use another famous name to describe a building that I had envisioned and built, and his question hit home. Trump Tower it became.
Robert and I realize that problems can be complex and, at times, seemingly endless but we want to encourage you to see them as challenges that will give you a chance for great achievement. Remember, nothing is easy. But who wants nothing? Your financial intelligence is greater than that!
Robert and Donald checking out the course at Trump National Golf Club/Los Angeles
