Fearless Money

I was listening to a Kiyosaki CD today while taking a break from programming. I find his stuff mostly too simplistic, but I was liking it today for some reason, when I heard Kiyosaki make a really funny and interesting point.

He says that some few people can get rich by scrimping and saving. Do it for long enough and you might technically be rich. But you’ll still be a cheapskate. He then points out that all the world hates a rich cheapskate.

That’s true! Some books take pains to point out the (strangely similar across books) tale of some guy (usually blue collar or low paid white collar, like a school teacher) who always counted his pennies, and no one thought he had much money, but then when he died he left millions to a charity.

Ahh…that doesn’t sound like the life I want to live. It really sounds like some sort of pathology, actually. I mean, if you want to contribute to a charity, do it. They love money and they love your time. Do it while you are alive, get involved. But to scrimp and pinch pennies for an entire lifetime so that you can contribute on your death? Not the life for me or hopefully for my children.

There has to be a better way, and I think that way is to get involved with the world. To serve as many people as I can. To build real value for myself and for others. That seems like the way of freedom, and a hell of a lot more fun.

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