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Rich Dad Poor Dad was a game changer

Rae1234

New member
It's been years since I read that book, and it's still being promoted with the entrepreneur crowd. The difference in attitude and approaches between the two dads has become iconic.

I read this book right around the same time that I was learning a bit more about American history - the version of history that you don't necessarily get at school. I learned that Thomas Jefferson had devised a curriculum that would lead to becoming a business owner. I've forgotten all that is involved, but it included accounting and writing basic business contracts. This was part of basic education. It wasn't a specialized option - it was considered basic skills that all students needed.

I found that captivating. I also found it very sad that this is no longer taught in our schools. Robert Kiyosaki discussed the need to teach financial literacy in Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It's basic and necessary for success. He filled in a missing piece of the American curriculum with this book.

I see nations as having destinies, and if America is going to fulfill her destiny, we have to learn from an early age about the basics of business success. Even those of us who never own businesses should get this education.
 

Moty_Vatyd

New member
I agree completely. When I was in high school in the early 1980's I took an elective class called "Business". There ended up only being about 10 of us in the class and it turned out to be probably the most influential class I have ever taken. The teacher taught us all about checks, credit cards, debt, loans, home purchasing, cost/benefit analysis and interest rates. We even pooled a small amount of money and bought a stock through his account which we then followed every day, learning how to read the company's financial data and stock ticker info. I learned how to take calculated risks and plan financially over a long time frame rather than just earning money and then immediately spending it on superficial consumer goods.

I have never understood why that type of class is not mandatory. A lot of the elective, and some non-elective, courses they offer these days may be deemed valuable in some social or political context but are mostly useless in terms of setting a student up to be, at minimum, financially competent, and, at best, financially independent over their lifetime.
 

Rae1234

New member
I agree completely. When I was in high school in the early 1980's I took an elective class called "Business". There ended up only being about 10 of us in the class and it turned out to be probably the most influential class I have ever taken. The teacher taught us all about checks, credit cards, debt, loans, home purchasing, cost/benefit analysis and interest rates. We even pooled a small amount of money and bought a stock through his account which we then followed every day, learning how to read the company's financial data and stock ticker info. I learned how to take calculated risks and plan financially over a long time frame rather than just earning money and then immediately spending it on superficial consumer goods.

I have never understood why that type of class is not mandatory. A lot of the elective, and some non-elective, courses they offer these days may be deemed valuable in some social or political context but are mostly useless in terms of setting a student up to be, at minimum, financially competent, and, at best, financially independent over their lifetime.
Wow! I am so impressed that you had that experience! How rare in the world. It definitely should be mandatory. I honestly think it would have a profound effect. At a certain age, we're busting to get out of school and into the adult world. That would be a good time to take a class like this, and get a general sense of basic financial knowledge. Honestly would be powerful.

It's one of those things that honestly bugs me. I find it outrageous that we as a culture can't do this obvious fix.
 

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