{"id":7853,"date":"2026-09-01T17:09:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T17:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7853"},"modified":"2026-09-01T17:09:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T17:09:59","slug":"rich-dad-poor-dad-self-help-author-robert-kiyosaki-is-1-2-billion-in-debt-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7853","title":{"rendered":"‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ self-help author Robert Kiyosaki is $1.2 billion in debt: report"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cRich Dad Poor Dad\u201d author Robert Kiyosaki \u2014 the self-help guru who has made a fortune preaching the secrets of financial success \u2014 has amassed a staggering $1.2 billion in debt tied to his sprawling real-estate investments, according to a report.<\/p>\n

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The 79-year-old scribe has repeatedly touted the eye-popping figure while arguing that borrowing money to buy income-producing assets is a strategy used by the wealthy.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I\u2019m a billion two in debt,\u201d he told the \u201cGet Rich Education\u201d podcast over the summer.<\/p>\n

He added that people \u201c[s]hould not do what I do, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I studied it since 1974\u2026 If you\u2019re going to learn to use debt, you\u2019d better take some education.\u201d<\/p>\n

His ex-wife and business partner Kim Kiyosaki recently told Vanity Fair that the $1.2 billion figure has been widely misunderstood \u2014 and does not represent money the best-selling author personally owes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of apartment houses with our partners,\u201d Kim told the magazine, putting the portfolio at some 1,500 units.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo technically, yes, we have all this debt,\u201d she said, adding that the borrowing is attached to real estate and that Kiyosaki\u2019s personal share is small.<\/p>\n

The enormous debt pile is a product of Kiyosaki\u2019s investment strategy.<\/p>\n

As his properties rise in value, he borrows additional money against the increased equity and treats the loan proceeds as tax-free income, according to Vanity Fair.<\/p>\n

He also puts individual investments into separate limited liability companies, insulating them from one another if one runs into trouble, the magazine reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it all comes to hell, you can talk to my attorney,\u201d Robert Kiyosaki told the magazine.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirewalls \u2014 that\u2019s the way the rich play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vanity Fair estimated his portion of the debt could be around $30 million to $60 million if Kiyosaki\u2019s claim that he pulls in roughly $3 million a year is accurate.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loves to say things that shock,\u201d Kim told the magazine, saying Kiyosaki uses the billion-dollar figure to grab attention before explaining \u201cwhy investment debt is good.\u201d<\/p>\n

David A. Perez, an enrolled agent and founder of Tax Maverick AI who said he uses a similar strategy as a multifamily real-estate investor, called Kiyosaki\u2019s approach \u201ca great strategy\u201d and said carrying large amounts of property-backed debt is \u201cactually very normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Perez said borrowing against a property\u2019s equity generally produces a tax-free loan because the property has not been sold, though the additional borrowing can increase mortgage payments, interest costs and reduce cash flow.<\/p>\n

John Poole, founder of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based consultancy JPTD Partners, sounded a more cautionary note.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s good debt and there\u2019s bad debt, and then there\u2019s $1.2 billion of debt, which you better know exactly what in the world you\u2019re doing,\u201d he told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeverage works beautifully on the way up, and if it\u2019s not continuing on that way up, then it\u2019s like a chainsaw financially coming down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poole said borrowing against appreciated assets can make sense in limited circumstances, including as an estate-planning tool, but warned against relying on the strategy indefinitely.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t go on forever. There has to be a payday, and be prepared for that payday, irrespective of the size,\u201d Poole added.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Kiyosaki] may call this the \u2018Rich Dad debt,\u2019 but for the average investor, it could turn out to be \u2018Poor Dad bankruptcy\u2019 really quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kiyosaki has built a financial-education empire around \u201cRich Dad Poor Dad,\u201d which was first self-published in 1997 and has sold more than 44 million copies, according to Vanity Fair.<\/p>\n

The book contrasts the lessons Kiyosaki says he learned from his biological father \u2014 the \u201cPoor Dad\u201d \u2014 with those imparted by the father of his childhood best friend, the purported \u201cRich Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Ralph Kiyosaki, Robert\u2019s biological father, was Hawaii\u2019s state superintendent of education and ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 1970.<\/p>\n

Kiyosaki later identified his \u201cRich Dad\u201d as Richard Kimi, a Hawaii businessman who owned a chain of hotels that once included the Waikiki Biltmore Hotel.<\/p>\n

Kiyosaki has preached investing in cash-producing assets such as real estate while minimizing taxes and distinguishing between debt used to acquire investments and borrowing used to fund expenses.<\/p>\n

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The Post has sought comment from Kiyosaki.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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