This past Thursday I had the opportunity to attend a free stock investment seminar through Rich Dad’s Education. I realize very quickly that the ‘seminar’ was nothing more than a fancy sales presentation, but it was interesting nonetheless.
Anyone who’s read Robert Kiyosaki’s book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, is familiar with both his theories on becoming rich and his philiosophies about money. I can’t say I agree with everything he has to say; at the same time, though, much of his work is very telling of the brand we associate with being “rich.”
What does it take to be considered rich? A net worth of over a million dollars? An annual income of over $100,000? Where exactly do we set the definition? The fact of the matter is, most of us associate “rich” with a lifestyle and attitude, not the money that creates either.
Bill Gates is “rich.” Almost everyone in the country would agree with that statement. I guarantee, though, that almost none of them can tell you how much money he’s worth or how much he makes in a year. Why? Because we don’t care – he’s “rich” and that’s all that really matters.
At the stock seminar, the speaker explained that becoming rich was all about changing mental assumptions about money and how it’s used. This, in turn, changes your purchasing behavior and the way you interact with the rest of the working world. How exactly? Well, I wasn’t willing to pay the $5,000 for the rest of the workshop, so the answer is forever lost to those who buy on impulse at sales presentations … another interesting branded demographic that I’ll maybe address later.
How would you identify brand ‘rich?’ Would you peg it to money earned, money maintained, or attitudes towards money as Mr. Kiyosaki does? In contrast, how would you define the middle class’ brand? The poor’s?
