Once I arrive at the hotel, the porter uses a handcart to move my bags from the curb to the room. I don't want to own or push that handcart." "So what is the difference?" I asked. "Many people who think they are investors get attached to the investment vehicle. They think they have to like stocks or like real estate to use them as investment vehicles. So they look for investments they like and fail to put together a plan. These are the investors who wind up traveling in circles, never getting from financial point A to financial point B." Investing Is a Plan, Not a Product or Procedure 69 "So you don't necessarily fall in love with the 747 you fly on, just as you don't necessarily fall in love with your stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or office buildings. They are all simply vehicles," I stated, "vehicles to take you to where you want to go." Rich dad nodded. "I appreciate those vehicles, I trust that people take care of thoseehicles, I just don't get attached to the vehicles ... nor do I necessarily want to own or spend my time driving them." "What happens when people get attached to their invest- ment vehicles?" I asked. "They think that their investment vehicle is the only vehi- cle, or it is the best vehicle. I know people who invest only in stocks as well as people who invest only in mutual funds or real estate. That is what I mean by getting attached to the wheelbarrow. There is not anything necessarily wrong with that type of thinking. It's just that they often focusonthe ve- hicle rather than their plan. So even thjuglrthey may make a lot of money buying, holding, and/Selling investment prod- ucts, that money may not take/them to where they want to go." / "So I need a plan," I said:'And my plan will then determine the different types of investment vehicles I will need." Rich dad nodded, laying, "In fact, don't invest until you have a plan. Always remember that investing is a plan ... not a product or procedure. That is a very important lesson." Mental Attitude Quiz Before a person builds a house, he or she usually calls in an architect to draw up the plans. Could you imagine what could happen if someone just called in some people and began to build a house without a plan? Well, that is what happens to many people's financial houses. 70 Rich Dad's Guide to Investing Rich dad guided me in writing out financial plans. It was not necessarily an easy process, nor did it make sense at first. But after a while, I became very clear on where I was financially, and where I wanted to go. Once I knew that, the planning process became easier. In other words, for me, the hardest part was figuring out what I wanted. So the mental attitude questions are: 1. Are you willing to invest the time to find out where you are financially today and where you want to be finan- cially, and are you willing to spell out how you plan to get there? In addition, always remember that a plan is not really a plan until it is in writing and you can show it to someone else.