Robert Kiyosaki is a well-known American investor, businessman, author, motivational speaker, and financial commentator in the personal finance world. This blog post on Robert Kiyosaki net worth will answer all the questions you have, from where he got started, how he makes so much money, and more!
Robert Kiyosaki’s net worth is estimated to be an impressive $100 million. Kiyosaki is the founder of Rich Global LLC and the Rich Dad Company, a private financial education company that provides personal finance and business education to people through books and videos.
Given his incredible success, I thought it would be worthwhile to write a post on the net worth of this famous person in the personal finance space. I will detail how he got started, how he can make so much money, where he is now, and what lessons we can learn from his path to wealth!
Robert Kiyosaki net worth: Basic stats
Here is a summary of Robert Kiyosaki’s basic stats:
- Full Name: Robert Toru Kiyosaki
- Birthday: April 8, 1947
- Birthday place: Hilo, Hawaii
- Famous for: Rich Dad Poor Dad book series. They are among my favourite personal finance books to read.
- Ex-wife: Kim Kiyosaki (married in 1986; separated in 2017)
- Source of wealth: his career as an author and the founder of the financial education company, the Rich Dad Company
Robert Kiyosaki net worth: Early life and personal life
Robert Kiyosaki was born on April 8, 1947, in Hilo, then in the Territory of Hawaii. A part of the Yonsei generation of Japanese Americans, he was the eldest son of Ralph H. Kiyosaki (1919–1991), an academic educator, and Marjorie O. Kiyosaki (1921–1971), a registered nurse. Kiyosaki has three younger siblings — sisters Emi and Beth and his brother John.
Kiyosaki attended Hilo High School and graduated in 1965. He attended naval college, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, in New York and graduated in 1969 as a deck officer with a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Kiyosaki is also known for his service in the Vietnam war. He was a helicopter gunship pilot.
Kiyosaki enrolled in a two-year MBA program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in 1973 while he still was in the military. He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in June 1974.
Robert Kiyosaki net worth: Career and path to riches
Beginning of his business ventures
Robert Kiyosaki’s career started with an entrepreneurial endeavour.
In 1977, he started a company called “Rippers”. The company brought to market the first nylon and velcro surfer wallets. Kiyosaki and his products were featured in Runner’s World, Gentleman’s Quarterly, and Newsweek. The company, however, eventually went bankrupt.
Kiyosaki also started another company, this time a retail business that made T-shirts, hats, wallets, and bags for heavy metal rock bands. The company went bankrupt in 1980.
Robert Kiyosaki’s first taste of success came in 1985. In this year, Kiyosaki cofounded the Excellerated Learning Institute, a business education company teaching entrepreneurship, investing, and social responsibility. He sold the business in 1994.
In 1992, Kiyosaki published his first book, If You Want to Be Rich and Happy, Don’t Go To School. In his book, he encouraged parents not to send their children to college and instead to enter the real estate business.
In 1997, Kiyosaki founded Cashflow Technologies, Inc., a business and financial education company that owns and operates the Rich Dad and Cashflow brands. In the same year, Kiyosaki published his most famous book, Rich Dad Poor Dad.
Bankruptcy
In 2012, Kiyosaki’s company “Rich Global LLC” went bankrupt after a series of class-action lawsuits. His company was sued by attendees of his seminars who felt they were scammed. The company was ordered to pay
Kiyosaki’s earlier two businesses (for surfing bags with Velcro fasteners and T-shirts) went bankrupt. In an interview with CBC, Kiyosaki described his books as an advertisement for his higher-priced seminars. In 2012, Kiyosaki’s company “Rich Global LLC” filed for bankruptcy and was ordered to pay $23.7 million to the Learning Annex and its founder, Bill Zanker.
Despite the eventual failure of his business, Robert Kiyosaki remains a household name thanks to his international bestsellers. He also operates other external business ventures and investments, which contribute positively to his wealth and net worth.
Robert Kiyosaki net worth: His source of wealth
His book sales
Robert Kiyosaki made millions through his book sales. Rich Dad Poor Dad is one of the best selling business and personal finance books. As of today, more than 40 million copies have been sold worldwide. The book was on the New York Times Best Sellers list for over six years and was even given a shout-out on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The book has reportedly sold more than 32 million copies in 40 languages across 40 countries since it was published in 2002.
Kiyosaki even published a book with Donald Trump called Why We Want You to Be Rich: Two Men, One Message.
The book series centres around comparisons between his two “dads”: one was his poor biological father and the other a “fictitious” rich dad. For more information about the books, check out my Rich Dad Poor Dad review here!
Here is a list of Robert Kiyosaki’s most popular books:
- Rich Dad Poor Dad
- Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant
- Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing
- Rich Dad’s Who Took My Money
- Why “A” Students Work for “C” Students
- Second Chance
- Why We Want You to Be Rich: Two Men, One Message
If you are interested in reading more personal finance books, here are a few of my top recommendation:
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
- The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
- Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker
- The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
- Millionaire Mindset: The Simple Habits And Thinking Behind Money, Wealth, and Success by Paul J. Stanley
Rich Dad seminars
The success of the books also brought another opportunity: educational seminars. As per an interview with Forbes, Kiyosaki’s main earnings actually don’t come through book sales, but rather through hosting and operating franchisees of the Rich Dad seminars.
Real estate investment
Kiyosaki is also a shrewd real estate investor. His assets include big apartment complexes, hotels and golf courses across America, as he revealed in The Alex Jones Show in 2010. Real estate investing allows Kiyosaki to earn passive income, because he can turn the investment into rental property.
Other investments
Kiyosaki has also invested in several other business ventures. In 2002, he purchased a silver mine in South America and took a gold mine public in China. He also invests in oil drill operations, oil wells, and even a startup solar company.
What is Rich Dad Worth?
Well, as you probably know by now, Rich Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has a net worth of around a cool $100 million. Rich Global was said to be worth a few million when it went under in 2012.
Robert Kiyosaki net worth: Lessons learned from his path to wealth
Here are a few key lessons we can learn from Robert Kiyosaki’s path to wealth:
Try, and try again
Kiyosaki is a successful entrepreneur, but he has tasted his fair share of failures. He started two companies that failed before he made it big with the third attempt. His did not let his failed business attempts break him. Instead, they make him stronger.
It is okay to fail. But if you do want to succeed, you cannot be afraid of failures. Try, and try again.
Diversify
Although Robert Kiyosaki is primarily known as an author of international bestsellers and an expert in the personal finance field, he has also branched out and tried many things. He tried starting businesses and investing in various sectors of the economy, including oil, gold, and real estate. This strategy of diversification ensures that he doesn’t overly rely on one specific stream of income.
Indeed, even as his company filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and he had to pay almost $24 million, he still had plenty left through his other business ventures.
If you have your regular job as your main source of income, you may want to consider diversifying your income sources as well. Here are some easy options that you can try to have a plan of your own:
- Join online surveys sites like Swagbucks, MyPoints, and Survey Junkie
- Check out my full list of recommendations for top online survey sites here!
- Take advantage of cash-back apps and sites like Drop (check out my Drop app review here!) and Rakuten
- Sell unused items online
- Participate in the gig economy by becoming a DoorDash driver or a Rover pet sitter
- Invest in dividend-paying stocks with Acorns
Favourite quotes and lines from Robert Kiyosaki
Here are some of my favourite quotes and lines from Robert Kiyosaki.
It’s not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the most power.
Robert Kiyosaki
Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.
Robert Kiyosaki
Summary: Robert Kiyosaki net worth and lessons learned
Robert Kiyosaki net worth is estimated to be at $100 million. He amassed his riches primarily through his successful career as an international bestselling author and his Rich Dad brand. He has also earned significant amounts through his various investment endeavours.
I hope you have all learned a thing or two from his story. Although we may not necessarily become the next Robert Kiyosaki, if you want to achieve financial success, become rich, and enjoy financial freedom, you may want to integrate the following principles in your life as well:
- Try, and try again
- Diversify
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