My curios- ity was aroused when I realized that my best friend's dad, a man who made less money than my real dad, at least when comparing paycheck to paycheck, could afford to acquire in- vestments that only rich people could afford. I realized that my rich dad had a power my real dad did not have and I wanted to have that power also. Many people are afraid of this power, stay away from it and many even fall victim to it. Instead of running from the power or condemning it by saying such things as, "The rich exploit the poor," or "Investing is risky," or "I'm not interested in be- coming rich," I became curious. It is my curiosity and my de- sire to acquire this power, also known as knowledge and abilities, that set me off on a life long path of inquiry and learning. Investing Like a Rich Person While this book may not give you all the technical answers you may want, the intention is to offer you an insight into how many of the richest self-made individuals made their money and went on to acquire great wealth. Standing on the beach at the age of 12, looking at my rich dad's newly acquired piece of real estate, my mind was opened to a world of possibilities that did not exist in my home. I realized that it was not money that made my rich dad a rich investor. I realized that my rich dad had a thinking pattern that was almost exactly opposite and often contradicted the thinking of my real dad. I realized that I needed to understand the thinking pattern of my rich dad if I wanted to have the same financial power he had. I knew that if I thought like him I would be rich forever. I knew Introduction that if I did not think like him, I would never really be rich, re- gardless of how much money I had. Rich dad had just in- vested in one of the most expensive pieces of land in our town, and he had no money. I realized that wealth was a way of thinking and not a dollar amount in the bank. It is this thinking pattern of rich investors that Sharon and I want to deliver to you in this book, and why we rewrote the book four times. Rich Dad's Answer Standing on the beach 40 years ago, I finally worked up the courage to ask my rich dad, "How can you afford to buy these 10 acres of very expensive oceanfront land, when my dad can't afford it?" Rich dad then put his hand on my shoulder and gave me an answer I have never forgotten. With his arm draped over my shoulder, we turned and began walking down the beach at the water line and he began to warmly explain to me the fundamentals of the way he thought about money and investing. His answer began with, "I can't afford this land ei- ther. But my business can." We walked on the beach for an hour that day, rich dad with his son on one side and me on his other side. My investor lessons had begun. A few years ago, I was teaching a three-day investment course in Sydney, Australia. The first day and a half I spent dis- cussing the ins and outs of building a business.