Rich Dad Poor Dad

With the flu season on, all four of us are down. I took a couple of days off from work so I can be with the kids. With nothing much to do when the kids slept, I looked for a book to read. I had bought some books at the airport store in Bangalore and this was one of them. I still remember the look my husband had given when I picked this book. With one child next to me and another in my tummy, he had expected me to pick some books on parenting. But, I remembered one of my friend mentioning this book and I picked it. I had never read a book on investment and I felt all the more compelled to pick this.

Well, this book is quite an easy read; give it a couple of evenings. It teaches you common sense and these books fascinate me. How people make millions by writing about common sense? Aren't we supposed to know it? Well, let me save that topic for another day. There are most of us that pay very little attention to investment. While we all dream of a happy retired life but not many of us plan for it. This book is an eye-opener of sorts if you have never ever read an investment book, like me :-) The author emphasizes that rich people teach their kids to make money work for them, while the poor teach them get an education and work for money. By poor, the author does not mean people that cannot afford 2 meals a day. When he says poor, they are the people who have more liabilities than assets. The sort that spend too much on car, clothes etc and assume they are living a rich life. For instance, he says that if someone considers their home the biggest investment, then that person is in trouble. He points out a couple of ways to make money like real estate and stocks, which of course has worked for him but the same may not work for everyone! The author does a good job at narrating ideas but has very little information on implementing them. This book is more of an inspirational book than a financial book. So get hooked, if you want some inspiration to save money! If you are looking for a recipe to get rich, pass this one.

A lot of people seem to suggest "The Millionaire Next Door" is a better book. I may read it sometime but this is FYI.