Yes_ No_ 2. Are you willing to meet with at least one professional fi- nancial advisor and find out how his or her services may help you with your long term investment plans? Yes_ No_ You may want to meet with two or three financial advisors just to find out the differences in their approach to finan- cial planning. Chapter 7 Investor Lesson #5: Are You Planning to Be Rich or Are You Planning to Be Poor? "Most people are planning to be poor," said rich dad. > "What?" I replied in disbelief. "Why do you say that and how can you say that?" / "I just listen to what people say," said rich dad. "If you want to see a person's past, present, and future, just listen to his or her words." The Power of Words Rich dad's lesson on the power of words was very power- ful. He asked, "Have you ever heard someone say, 'It takes money to make money'?" Standing to get two soft drinks from the refrigerator, I replied, "Yes. I hear it all the time. Why do you ask?" "Because the idea that it takes money to make money is one of the worst ideas there is. Especially if a person wants more money," said rich dad. 72 Rich Dad's Guide to Investing Handing rich dad his soft drink, I said, "I don't understand. You mean it doesn't take money to make money?" "No," said rich dad, shaking his head. "It does not take money to make money. It takes something available to all of us and is a lot less expensive to obtain than money. In fact, in many cases, what it takes is free." That statement made me very curious but he would not tell me what it was. Instead, as the lesson on investing ended, he gave me an assignment. "Before we meet again, I want you to invite your dad out to dinner... a long, slow dinner. All through the dinner, I want you to pay careful attention to the specific words he uses. After you hear his words, begin to pay attention to the message his words are sending." By this time, I was accustomed to rich dad giving me strange assignments, assignments that seemed unrelated to the subject we were discussing or studying. Yet he was a firm believer in experience first and lesson second. So I called my dad and set up a date for dinner at his favorite restaurant. About a week later, rich dad and I met again. "How was dinner?" he asked. "Interesting," I replied. "I listened very carefully to his choice of words and the meaning of, or thoughts behind, the words." 'And what did you hear?" "I heard, 'I'll never be rich,'" I said. "But I've heard that most of my life. In fact, he often said to the family, 'The mo- ment I decided to become a schoolteacher, I knew I'd never be rich.'" "So you've heard some of the same lines before?" inquired rich dad. I nodded, saying, "Many times. Over and over again." "What else have you heard repeatedly?" asked rich dad. " 'Do you think money grows on trees?' 'Do you think I'm made of money?' 'The rich don't care about people like I do.' Are You Planning to Be Rich or Poor? 73 'Money is hard to get.