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Hi Mario,

I take John Reed's "reviews" with a grain of salt.... After all, John Reed sells his own property investment books, so he's in competition with those he "criticizes".

I read his review of Robert Kiyosaki a long time ago, and I think he completely misunderstood what RK was trying to do. I don't think "Rich Dad Poor Dad" is a real estate investment book. Instead, RK was trying to change the way people think.... Rich Dad Poor Dad was about changing your thinking process.

Of course, if you judge a non-property investment book on how well it teaches property investment, it will rate poorly. It's like judging Seinfeld on how good a drama it is - Seinfeld is not meant to be a drama, so it will rate poorly if that's how you choose to judge it. But I don't think a property investment book was what RK had in mind.

I feel I've benefited from Robert Kiyosaki's stuff.... Rich Dad Poor Dad was a very big catalyst in causing me to truly make the leap into entrepreneurship. I was already thinking and musing about it, but Rich Dad Poor Dad helped to "push me over the edge" and finally take the plunge.... :)

The way I judge business help books at first is mostly by the author.... What have they done? Have they "walked the walk"?

To my knowledge, Robert Kiyosaki has done so.... By his own account, he started a business with a partner that made those velcro "surf wallets". However, after doing well, the company eventually folded after his partner ran away with a lot of the money. Nevertheless, Robert Kiyosaki ended up later making a second fortune through property investment. He's now made a "third" fortune through his books - but to my understanding, he was already rich before he started writing.

Adam Katz's view may be different - he is already a successful entrepreneur, and probably his thinking processes do not need "changing" - he already thinks the way an entrepreneur does. But your average employee does not.... (This is no disrespect to Adam - I have a lot of respect for Adam's business accomplishments and for his opinions.)

RK's insights, about buying assets, NOT liabilities, is really simple yet also very powerful. He turns something which often seems complicated, into something very simple and easy to understand. The average person often does NOT understand the difference between an "asset" and a "liability"! If it's only for that insight, the book (in my opinion) is well worth reading....

Plus the story is quite entertaining too.... (There's the salesman in him coming out!) :)

- Dien