Why We Want You to Be Rich

October 2, 2006
The wildly financially successful authors of this book state, early on, that a reader will not find in its pages specific advice on how to make or invest money. It's more a book of philosophy (note the "why" in the title), and if it's not exactly Kierkegaardian in scope or language, this collaboration of real estate magnate and rags-to-riches financial guru manages to entertain and to inform. Written in bite-size chunks and adorned with quotes (some from the authors' previous works or speeches) and graphs, it explains why some people get rich and others... well, don't. Some tales are shopworn: the many references to Warren Buffett are tales well told, for example, but what works best are the aphorisms and the personality type descriptions within the "CASHFLOW Quadrant"—no matter what you do for a living, in your heart are you an E, an S, a B or an I? (Key: E=employee; B=big business owner; S=self-employed, specialist or small business owner; I=investor.) But Trump and Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad
) together are a strangely winning combination (they've published this book jointly and privately—and a portion of its profits will be donated to charity). Bottom line: these Messrs. Money-bags know their business. We're talking billionaires here, and really, how can you argue with success?