"That is none of your business. I thought you were an investor. You don't need to dig into my private life to give me tips on invest- ing. And leave my mother out of this. All I want is investment advice, not personal advice." Investment Advice Is Personal Advice One of the most important lessons I learned from my rich dad was that "Investing is a plan, not a product or procedure." He went on to say, "Investing is a very personal plan." During one of my lessons on investing, he asked, "Do you know why there are so many different types of cars and trucks?" I thought about the question for a while, finally replying, "I guess because there are so many different types of people and people have different needs. A single person may not need a large nine-passenger station wagon but a family with 66 Rich Dad's Guide to Investing five kids would need one. And a farmer would rather have a pickup truck than a two-seater sports car." "That's correct," said rich dad. 'And that is why investment products are often called 'investment vehicles.'" "They're called 'vehicles'?" I repeated. "Why investment vehicles?" "Because that is all they are," said rich dad. "There are many different investment products, or vehicles, because there are many different people with many different needs, just as a family with five children has different needs than a single person or a farmer." "But why the word Vehicles'?" I again asked. "Because all a vehicle does is get you from point A to point B," said rich dad. "An investment product or vehicle simply takes you from where you are financially to where you want to be, sometime in the future, financially." "And that is why investing is a plan," I said nodding my head quietly. I was beginning to understand. "Investing is like planning a trip, let's say from Hawaii to New York. Obviously, you know that for the first leg of your trip, a bicycle or car will not do. That means you will need a boat or a plane to get across the ocean," said rich dad. "And once I reach land, I can walk, ride a bike, travel by car, train, bus, or fly to New York," I added. 'All are different vehicles." Rich dad nodded his head. "And one is not necessarily bet- ter than the other. If you have a lot of time and really want to see the country, then walking or riding a bike would be the best. Not only that, you will be much healthier at the end of the trip. But if you need to be in New York tomorrow, then ob- viously flying from Hawaii to New York is your best and only choice if you want to make it on time." "So many people focus on a product, let's say stocks, and Investing Is a Plan, Not a Product or Procedure 67 then a procedure, let's say trading, but they don't really have a plan. Is that what you are saying?" I asked. Rich dad nodded. "Most people are trying to make money by what they think is investing. But trading is not investing." "What is it, if it is not investing?" I asked. "It's trading," said rich dad.