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Robert Kiyosaki has spent decades telling people to buy assets, build cash flow and stop relying on a paycheck.
But if the Rich Dad Poor Dad author lost everything tomorrow and had just $10,000 to rebuild, he says his first move would not be to buy stocks, crypto or real estate.
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In fact, he would not invest a single dollar in any of them.
“I’m 79 years old. If I lost everything and someone handed me $10,000, I would not invest it. Not one dollar,” Kiyosaki said on a recent episode of the Rich Dad Radio Show (1).
“I would not touch the stock market. I would not buy the coin. I would not hand it to the suit behind the desk. I would put it into the one asset nobody can crash, nobody can tax away, nobody can steal: my mind.”
Simply put, Kiyosaki would spend the money on financial education.
He argued that the biggest mistake people make with their first $10,000 is rushing to invest before they understand what they are doing.
They buy a stock someone mentioned, chase a cryptocurrency a neighbor bragged about or hand the money to a professional without fully understanding the product being sold.
“The mistake is the rush,” he said. “The fix is the mind.”
Kiyosaki would also focus on developing income-producing skills, including sales, marketing and communication. From there, he would learn how to analyze cash flow, identify attractive opportunities and present deals compelling enough to attract capital.
He also warned that fear and greed can destroy capital faster than a market crash. Fear may leave money sitting idle while inflation erodes its value, while greed can push investors toward hot tips and reckless bets.
His broader message is that $10,000 alone is not what creates financial freedom. The knowledge, discipline and skills behind the money matter far more.
“The poor invest money they don’t understand,” Kiyosaki said. “The rich understand money before they invest it.”
What Kiyosaki actually owns — and where he sees huge upside
So that’s how Kiyosaki says he would stage a comeback. But what does the famed author actually own today?
One asset he has accumulated heavily is gold.
“I have boxes of gold. I own gold mines,” he revealed in a 2025 interview (2).
Kiyosaki’s affection for precious metals stems from his deep distrust of the fiat currency system. As he put it in a 2021 interview (3): “I’m not buying gold because I like gold, I’m buying gold because I don’t trust the Fed.”
That captures the broader appeal of the yellow metal. Unlike fiat currencies, gold cannot be created at will by central banks, which is why it is often viewed as a hedge against inflation and currency debasement.
Gold is also widely considered a safe-haven asset. It is not tied to any one country, currency or economy, and in times of economic turmoil or geopolitical uncertainty, investors often flock to it — driving prices higher.
Over the past five years, as inflation continued to chip away at the purchasing power of the dollar, gold has climbed 125%.
And according to Kiyosaki, the rally is only getting started.
“I still believe gold will be $35k in about 5-years,” he wrote in a recent post on X (4).
While that’s a target, Kiyosaki is not the only prominent voice who sees room for the precious metal to run. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has a slightly more temperate view, saying that in this environment, gold can “easily” rise to $10,000 an ounce.
One way to invest in gold that can also provide significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Goldco.
Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, thereby combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it a compelling potential option for those wanting to ensure their retirement funds are diversified during rough economic times.
Goldco offers free shipping and access to a library of retirement resources. Plus, the company will match up to 10% of qualified purchases in free silver.
If you’re curious whether this is the right investment to diversify your portfolio, you can download your free gold and silver information guide today. Just keep in mind that gold is usually best deployed as one part of an otherwise well-diversified portfolio.
How Kiyosaki earns ‘steady cash flow’
Gold is not the only real asset Kiyosaki has been hoarding.
Last year, he disclosed that he also owns 1,500 rental properties — strictly for investment purposes.
Real estate has long been a favored asset for income-focused investors — not just Kiyosaki. While stock markets can swing wildly on headlines, high-quality properties often continue to generate stable rental income.
It can also be a powerful hedge against inflation. When inflation rises, property values often increase as well, reflecting the higher costs of materials, labor and land. At the same time, rental income tends to go up, providing landlords with a revenue stream that adjusts with inflation.
Kiyosaki has repeatedly pointed to that income-producing quality. In one post (5) about preparing for a recession, he urged people to “invest in income producing real estate, in a crash, which provides steady cash flow.”
Today, you don’t need to be as wealthy as Kiyosaki to get started in real estate investing. Crowdfunding platforms like mogul offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.
As a real estate investment platform offering fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties, mogul gives investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits — without the need for a hefty down payment or 3 a.m. tenant calls.
Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team hand-picks the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide for you. In other words, you gain access to institutional-quality offerings for a fraction of the usual cost.
Each property undergoes a rigorous vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios. Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Offerings often sell out in under three hours, with investments typically ranging between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.
Sign up for an account and browse available properties here to start investing today.
Another option is Arrived, which allows everyday investors to tap into America’s real estate market without buying an entire property themselves.
Backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100 — all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants. No midnight maintenance calls over burst pipes here.
The process is simple: Browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares you’d like to purchase and then sit back as you start receiving any positive rental income distributions from your investment.
For a limited time, when you open an account and add $1,000 or more, Arrived will credit your account with a 1% match.
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Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
The Rich Dad Channel/ YouTube (1); The Iced Coffee Hour/ YouTube(2); Yahoo Finance (3); @theRealKiyosaki/ X (4), (5)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
