Who’s going to the Rich Dad Academy?

Caught

Before we stepped out of the car, I told my friend they will sell us this and that at the Rich Dad Education Workshop.

After all, despite all the freebies and the come-hither, it is a marketing event that we are going to. I told her (self-assuredly) I do not easily say yes. That in fact, I have never been embarrassed to say no – and that if it is not worth it, I would say no. She assured me she is the same. I breathed easy since I made a full disclosure and that there is someone watching my back in case I totter and fall.

I tottered and fell (my friend did too).

But first, the background.

Rich Dad (they dropped the Poor Dad) was in Vancouver and I could not pass it up.

I invited my friend to the event and I told her the book Rich Dad Poor Dad (Poor Dad was still in the brand then) changed my life. It was not so much the real estate drug that they were espousing that got me hooked, but the principles of entrepreneurship and passive income that made me realize there was another way.

So you could just imagine how excited I was to be part of a real live – free – Rich Dad event (they went to the Philippines – or was it Singapore? – but I think they charged an insane fee).

They sent me 3 e-mails prior to the workshop. 3 e-mails! (these people know how to get under your skin and sell!) They said at the workshop I’ll learn:

How to create a budget surplus through excess income

Why coming up short can be a good thing

How to make your assets pay for your liabilities

Why you should never say “I can’t afford it”

The speaker did not mention any of those. But I did learn about the 5 money sources for real estate investing: partnership, seller finance, equity line, hard money loan and credit card.

The speaker said there are 3 more and that we will learn it at the Rich Dad Academy.

Uh-oh, I told myself. Here it is.

The screen flashed that the Rich Dad Academy 3-day seminar would be $995.

And then the speaker – a real estate investor and judging from his investments, a millionaire himself – gave us some little nuggets of financial wisdom here and there.

Made us memorize and believe that ‘Successful investors are solution seekers’.

And then told us that ‘For today only, price of the seminar is now $198 for 2 people.’

It was funny how my friend and I stood up and made a beeline for the seminar registration at the same time.

So that is how we tottered and fell.

But there were bonuses we did not even know we would receive – like the new book Unfair Advantage that Kiyosaki was bugging me about (I am part of his e-mail list), and his other Rich Dad Academy books – Philosophy of Cash Flow and Guide to Real Estate Investing – yey! There was also a DVD stashed in the bag (Shooting the Sacred Cows of Money: A Documentary on Financial Education). (there was only 1 set so my friend and I are sharing – she said she does not like reading so I guess I am keeping it)

And of course I won a CD – Plan for a Life of Financial Success – because I was the first to shout out, ‘Rich Dad Academy!’ (of course). I even won twice but the speaker did not want to give my other prize anymore. (grin)

So okay, we gave in.

But I don’t feel so bad. After all, I will be attending 3-days of Kiyosaki heaven. Who knows? Maybe I will learn how to get into real estate investing in Vancouver (where the least expensive house and lot would be in the $800k range).