Robert Kiyosaki Biography

On April 8th, 1947, Robert Kiyosaki was born Robert Toru Kiyosaki on the island of Hilo in Hawaii. Robert Kiyosaki is a fourth generation Japanese American. Much of Robert Kiyosaki’s success is based on the idea of having two fathers, one rich and one poor and the whole concept of how the rich and poor educate their children is based on this. The question of whether this idea is entirely an allegory or if these two dads do exist and that they are truth, has remained debated for some time now, without any conclusive evidence of who is indeed the rich dad, is often thought about. Robert Kiyosaki has claimed that these two fathers are in fact a true story, but he has also questioned interviewers on whether or not it matters at all and if fictional characters can have the same power to influence. Despite all the debate and uncertainty, Robert Kiyosaki’s real dad is without question the late educator Mr.Ralph H. Kiyosaki. Ralph H. Kiyosaki was born in 1919 and died in 1991. Ralph H. Kiyosaki earned a Ph.D. through many scholarships and was head of education on the Big Island in Hawaii, which in turn enabled Robert Kiyosaki to attend better schools with predominately richer classmates. Ralph H. Kiyosaki was a very intelligent man, a great educator, who ended up becoming state superintendent for education, but he was also Robert Kiyosaki’s poor dad. Although Ralph H. Kiyosaki was able to put Robert Kiyosaki in the right environment to learn what it meant to succeed. It was at Hilo High School where Robert Kiyosaki met his rich dad, the father of a fellow classmate and friend. The rich dad was an entrepreneur with very little education, and was capitalist minded, in contrast with his socialist minded, intellectual father.



After graduating from Hilo High School on the Big Island of Hawaii, Robert Kiyosaki registered for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy`s prestige is that it is one of the five United States service academies, specializing in marine transport of civilian owned, non-military, merchant ships. Requisites to become a student of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy include a nomination by a United States representative or Senator, along with other recommendations, along with high scores on the SATs and a strong GPA, which Robert Kiyosaki accomplished flawlessly. Robert Kiyosaki graduated from U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in the class of 1969.


Fresh from graduating the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1969, Robert Kiyosaki began doing what he went to school to learn, that is he worked on and traveled on merchant ships. The experience of traveling the world had a profound effect on him, and once experienced it made it difficult for Robert Kiyosaki to return back to Hawaii. The voyages on these merchant ships would take him all over the world. He would be exposed to new cultures, new ways of life and extreme forms of poverty that can not be found back in the United States of America. This taste of the world and experience of different cultures would lead him to a new path. Perhaps of giving back to his country for the opportunity to experience what he did or perhaps for the world he discovered and his belief that everyone deserves democracy and the chance to choose, and make something out of oneself, whatever the reason may be Robert Kiyosaki was eventually drawn to join the United States Marine Corps and was sent to Vietnam.


Robert Kiyosaki served as a helicopter gunship pilot in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. His service and dedication to his country during the Vietnam War was rewarded. Robert Kiyosaki was awarded with the Air Medal. The Air Medal is awarded to anyone who while serving in any capacity in or with the Armed Forces of the United States of America has proved themselves distinguishable through participating in meritorious acts during aerial flights. The Air medal can be earned by a single, heroic, meritorious act or for overall meritorious service to the Armed Forces of the United States of America in some aerial capacity. Towards the end of the Vietnam War, in 1974, Robert Kiyosaki left the Marine Corps and entered the civilian world once again.


Upon returning to the United States of America, Robert Kiyosaki was exposed to a whole new world. Instead of returning to Hawaii, Robert Kiyosaki instead chose to go back to New York. Once there, he quickly began working for the Xerox Corporation which specializes in printing and photocopying. Robert Kiyosaki worked in the sales department of the Xerox Corporation and was assigned the position of salesman. This would prove to be a short lived opportunity because a couple of years later, perhaps with some kind of substantial savings saved up, or enough anyways, Robert Kiyosaki started up his own business for the first time.


In 1977, Robert Kiyosaki started his first business and his business was focused around one product, a new concept of wallet which used Velcro and nylon and is often referred to as a surfer wallet. As Robert Kiyosaki invested in this idea when it was only originating, he made a moderate profit. It was Robert Kiyosaki’s first venture in the business world and as an entrepreneur, he made some mistakes, the same ones a rookie would make when being called up to the big league. Still, Robert Kiyosaki acknowledges that there were things that he was not aware about like patents and trademarks that hampered the degree of his success. The surfer wallets would eventually end up becoming a multi-million dollar product and Robert Kiyosaki would receive his first real taste of what being an entrepreneur is all about. Not only just that but Robert Kiyosaki learnt what being financially successful is about and the knowledge that it could be obtained. Even more so, Robert Kiyosaki was so very close to hitting a home run off his first at bat.


So his first venture in business was not as successful as only one could hope and dream, but none the less, experience is valuable, as the knowledge derived from it can be the deciding factor the next time around. And so Robert Kiyosaki continued his journey of an entrepreneur, continuing to venture off in new businesses and investment opportunities.


The next business was almost similar in nature due to the targeted consumer as Robert Kiyosaki’s attention shifted from Surfers and their wallets, to Rockers and their favourite heavy metal band t-shirts. For a while, as Robert Kiyosaki stated in an interview with www.thestreet.com, his heavy metal and hardcore band t-shirt licensing business was highly successful. Robert Kiyosaki experienced financial success in the mid nineteen eighties with his second business venture in the rock music merchandise licensing. But with a change of trends, like a wave reclining back into the ocean, the mainstream turned away from the heavy metal and hardcore bands and began listening to different, softer music. So as Robert Kiyosaki admits in the same interview with www.thestreet.com, his heavy metal t-shirt licensing business went “belly up” in 1985. This left him broke, bankrupt and definitely in a bad place as it even left him homeless.


Although, something else was happening at the time to cause such a downfall as leaving Robert Kiyosaki homeless, something more than just his business going bankrupt. While his heavy metal t-shirt business was doing well, Robert Kiyosaki was also investing in different real estate projects, as well as playing the stock market. It is estimated that he owed approximately $850 000 to the banks. As Robert Kiyosaki once said, and told well for that matter, “Obviously, you can’t pay that kind of money back by getting a job”. That proved to be rock bottom for Robert Kiyosaki because he would never sink so low again. In fact he would crawl out of the dimly lit pit of bankruptcy with enough knowledge and experience to make sure that he would not be found down in another one. Furthermore, Robert Kiyosaki would go on to help people and educate them on how to completely avoid the pit of bankruptcy, and even achieve financial success.


How could somebody who is not rich themselves teach others how to become financially successful? Simply by teaching them how not to become poor and make poor financial decisions. Robert Kiyosaki experienced moderate success up until this point but he also experienced the terrible affects that a couple of bad choices, and decisions could have. He was ready for what was about to become, and that was true financial success.

Robert Kiyosaki began working as a motivational speaker for a personal growth seminar called Money and You. Money and You was started by Marshall Thurber who became a highly successful man, and the seminars focused on the teachings and works of Buckminster Fuller.


Now, Buckminster Fuller was an American visionary who was born in 1895 and died in 1983. He was also a philosopher and he did have many before his time views of the world and society and mankind’s affect on nature. He also wrote over twenty five books. Buckminster Fuller coined the term ephemeralization, which means to use technological advance to achieve more with less. This term foreshadows some of the future beliefs and teachings of Robert Kiyosaki.


Robert Kiyosaki would get married during this time to Kim Kiyosaki, in 1984. Kim Kiyosaki was also an entrepreneur and would prove to be quite valuable in many ways. Not only being the love of Robert Kiyosaki’s life, a partner for life, she would also become a business partner.


In the year 1985, Marshall Thurber wanted out of the seminar business Money and You, so Robert Kiyosaki with Marshall Thurber’s former partner, D.C. Cordova took over. They continued the seminars as before, using the teachings and works of Buckminster Fuller, as well as the concepts of win/win situations and personal responsibility for one’s own wealth. Together, Robert Kiyosaki and D.C. Cordova ran this education company, teaching students at their three day seminars all around the world. In the beginning it was predominantly in Canada and the United States of America, but then the business became very popular in Australia and New Zealand.


The success this time around was substantial, so much in fact that in 1994 Robert Kiyosaki decided to retire. Robert Kiyosaki was only 47 at the time but experienced such growth that in only nine years he became a multi millionaire. Although during his retirement, Robert Kiyosaki was more then active in his pursuit to gain wealth. Not giving up the practice of investing in real estate and playing the stock market, Robert Kiyosaki continued his business endeavors. Although, now Robert Kiyosaki had much more time on his hands and he began to write during his time off. Feeling like he new a secret and a talent to share knowledge, Robert Kiyosaki continued his path as an educator, following the foot steps of his poor dad, as he also followed the advice and guidance of his rich dad in becoming financially successful. Robert Kiyosaki found a way, a medium to fuse them both together, both talents learnt from both his rich dad and poor dad, for the benefit of people around the world.


This is when Robert Kiyosaki began exploring his ideas and concepts, synthesizing his knowledge and life experiences and began working on the writing of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Although, Robert Kiyosaki did not write alone, he teamed up with Sharon Lechter and together they co-wrote the first Rich Dad, Poor Dad book. That book would later go on to sell more then ten million books and become a bestseller. But all this success did not come right away or easily.


Before getting Rich Dad, Poor Dad published, Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter were trying to sell it to publishers. After being dismissed much, they published it on their own. Together with Kim Kiyosaki, the three of them founded Cashflow Technologies, Inc. Under this title many companies would come to be formed bellow it and the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series would become a brand that brought about much success.