I'm worried. I'm worried about our young people if teaching children about money continues to be left up to parents. It's a rare privileged few who are trained in financial management well enough to pass it on to their children. I know my parents didn't pass much on to me. I only knew how to work for money. Nobody taught me how to make money work for me. Nobody taught me how to benefit financially from work other people did. I thought only company owners and top management of large corporations benefited for the work of others. It's true. Ninety-seven percent of the population works for others. Three percent of the population knows how to create companies and networks so others can work for them.

My parents were "Great Depression" survivors. One of the frequent phrases I would hear growing up was: "We can't afford it." When I heard that, I knew the conversation was over. In my research lately, someone said that poor people spend their money on liabilities (things that depreciate and are worth less after use) while the wealthy people spend a large portion of their money on assets (things that grow in value and actually make money as time goes by). I don't remember who said that, probably many. When a person thinks to himself, "I can't afford it" it's the end of the discussion. The brain shuts off. But when a person thinks, "That would be a great asset. How can I afford (achieve) it?" Now the brain goes to work. It imagines how to not buy this or that in order to buy the asset. What can I sell, or can I work a couple extra shifts, etc. In other words, your brain begins to figure out how to meet the challenge.

Are you one of those paycheck-to-paycheck families whose paycheck doesn't usually last till the next one? And once in a while you buy something special. Once in a while you blow $500 on a Las Vegas weekend. There is value in a weekend getaway. It does a lot for the mind and heart.

However, what you need is a long-term solution. What you need is to take one of those weekends and buy an asset. You're spending all your spendable cash on liabilities. I'm as guilty as anyone else. I have a $600 set of golf clubs in my closet that I've used three times! Take one of those Las Vegas incomes and buy a home-based business. Now I don't mean a pyramid or a gifting club. Stay away from those. I don't even mean a distributorship. I recommend a real, bona-fide business that you own and can build into a really valuable source of monthly income. Find a company that helps you build a network. Networks are the key. Most wealthy people get wealthy by creating networks.  Networks are your opportunity to get people working for you. If the wealthy can do it, why can't you? Then you can go to Las Vegas every weekend. Think you can't do it?  Sure you can. What's the old adage? If you want something you've never had before, you have to do something you've never done before. That thought stimulated me to go ahead and do this.

Imagine not having to say, "We can't afford it" anymore.

I learned about assets, liabilities, networks and business ownership from Robert Kiyosaki (author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad). I wish my parents had taught me these things a long time ago.

I have provided you a little taste of a lecture Robert Kiyosaki gave at my company's international training event. I am confident that you will take away some valuable information.  Click here to watch him speak.