“Rich Dad Poor Dad” (《穷爸爸富爸爸》) （By Robert T. Kiyosaki）
by 如山
书中的道理，思考问题的方法发人深省。
他说，在面临一个生活走向或投资决定时，人类是在恐惧和贪婪之间徘徊（……human emotions named fear and greed.P41）。我们在很想获得某些东西的同时，又很害怕因此而失去某些东西，从而不敢行动。
“You spent a life playing it safe, doing the right things. But the truth is, you let life push you into submission. Deep down you were terrified of taking risks. You really wanted to win, but the fear of losing was greater than the excitement of winning”. (P.33)
在拍卖场上碰到这种情况的不少。有些人在开拍以后，看没那么多人竞投或听旁人说些负面的意见，就临时退出或降低自己原先设定的最高竞投价。这种害怕的心理谁都有。尤其是当只有一个人去投一个物业时，常常会想，是不是我看错了？为什么这么多人都不认为值得买，而我还认为它的价值远远大于开拍价，并预先将我的竞投价设定很高？他们都不是愚蠢的人呀？这时候，我总要对自己说，别怕，相信自己的调查和判断力。这样我才能成功买得。像这种有很高潜在价值的物业，一般都不会那么容易就看得出来。就算你做了充分的调查（不可能全部，因为这些都需要雇请专业人士和花上几个月的时间），也是没法百分之一百肯定。
“I have never met anyone who really likes losing money. And in all my years, I have never met a rich person who has never lost money. But I have met a lot of poor people who have never lost a dim…..investing, that is.
“The fear of losing money is real. Everyone has it, Even the rich. But it’s not fear that is the problem. It’s how you handle failure that makes the difference in one’s life. That goes for anything in life, not just money。THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RICH PERSON AND A POOR PERSON IS HOW THEY HANDLE THE FEAR.”（p.147）
“So for most people, the reason they don’t win financially is because the pain of losing money is far greater than the joy of being rich. Another saying in Texas is, “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.””(P.149)
“Winning means being unafraid to lose.” (P.149)
决策的胆量是可以通过有意识的锻炼而提高的。我自认为是一个思维细密，并非鲁莽行事的人。我历来都反对盲目行事。但是，我们常常会面对不可能清楚作出利弊和优劣分析的情况。这时候就是要体现所谓判断力和胆量上。在这种根据现有资料无法准确判断的时候，我往往就是用Common sense 来做判断依据。有时候，不作为对于你就是一个最适当的选择。但是，很多时候，不作为不是一个最优的选择。
在财务决策的胆量上，我并不需要很长时间去提高。有1万的时候，我不怕失掉1万；有5万时，我不怕失掉5万；有10万时我敢于失掉10万；到了有100万时，我虽然不敢失掉100万，但依然敢失掉30到40万。
关于富人和专业人士，Robert T. Kiyosaki说：
“Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of accountants who aren’t rich? And bankers, and attorneys, and stockbrokers and real estate brokers. They know a lot, and for the most part are smart people, but most of them are not rich.”(P.6)
“The world is filled with talented poor people. All too often, they’re poor or struggle financially or earn less than they are capable of, not because of what they know but because of what they do not know. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger. Maybe McDonald’s does not make the best hamburger, but they are the best at selling and delivering a basic average burger.”(P.140)
当听取别人投资意见时，他有精妙的说法：
“A WARNING: Don’t listen to poor or frightened people. …..they are the “Chicken Littles” of life. When it comes to money, especially investment, “The sky is always falling.” They can always tell you why something won’t work. The problem is, people listen to them, but people who blindly accept doom-and-gloom information are also “Chicken Littles.” As that old saying goes, “Chickens of a feather agree together.”（P.170）
“There are so many “intelligent” people who argue or defend when a new idea clashes with the way they think. In this case, their so-called “intelligence” combined with “arrogance” equals “ignorance”. Each of us knows people who are highly educated, or believe they are smart, but their balance sheet paints a different picture, A truly intelligent person welcomes new ideas, for new ideas can add to the synergy of other accumulated ideas……Too many people think with their mouth instead of listening to absorb new ideas and possibilities, They argue instead of asking questions.” (P.169)
看看他如何描述关于把握机会和做决定：
“Great opportunities are not seen with your eyes. They are seen with your mind.”(P.125)
“Opportunities come and go. Being able to know when to make quick decisions is an important skill.”(P.29)
“Most people have an opportunity of a lifetime flash right in front of them, and they fail to see it. A year later, they find out about it, after everyone else got rich.” (P.114)
“Smart investors don’t time markets. If they miss a wave, they search for the next one and get themselves in position. Why this is hard for most investors is because buying what is not popular is frightening to them. Timid investors are like sheep going along with the crowd. Or their greed gets them in when wise investors have already taken their profits and moved on. Wise investors buy an investment when it’s not popular. They know their profits are made when they buy, not when they sell. They wait patiently…they do not time the market. Just like a surfer, they get in position for the next bug swell.”(P.171)
“There are many people who want to do, instead of think, and then there are people who think but do not do. I would say that I am both. I love new ideas and I love action.”（P.187）
里面还有很多相当精彩的话夹着生动的例子。我曾经推荐过给很多人去读。可是各个人的反应不一。有的很喜欢，像我一样，受启发而采取行动。有的没啥感觉。有的甚至反感，说是里面充满对打工一族的歧视 (我觉得这是误解)。
顺着“Rich Dad Poor Dad”这本书推荐的相关书，我又读了另一本对我影响很大的书：“Creating Wealth” by Robert G. Allen (“Nothing Down” 的作者) 。
房地产是一个古老的行业。但也是一个永远都有人赚钱的行业。让我们看看Robert G. Allen这位房地产大师又是怎么说的：
Wealth Principle 6: Choose Investments That Are Both Powerful and Stable
By power, I mean the ability of an investment to grow at high wealth-producing rates. What make an investment powerful? The reasonable use of leverage, or debt.
What make real estate so stable? It is the law of supply and demand. Real estate, especially residential property, is a commodity in critical shortage and one for which there is an enormous demand. It is a necessity, not a luxury. People can’t print up a hundred thousand homes as they might print up s stock offering.（P.32）
但是，是否无论谁和无论什么时候，什么价格，只有进入这个行业去买就能成功呢？当然不是。正是因为有它的难度，才使专心致志于房地产的人有了赚钱、赚大钱的机会。请看Robert G. Allen怎么说。
So what makes real estate tick?
First of all, the real-estate marketplace is an imperfect market. It’s not like the stock, bond, or commodities markets-all perfect markets-……..A real estate investor is never really sure what his property is worth. And to find out may take months of marketing. It is precisely this uncertainty that creates opportunity.
In addition, real estate is a very complex beast. There are intricacies that the average speculator rarely takes the time to learn. And when times get harsh, these quick-buck folks are the first to get burned. Stories abound about how everyone is losing his shirt. The amateurs head for the sidelines. That leaves the entire marketplace to the experts. The competition is gone. It is veritable gold mine. （P.32）
也有不少人问过我，做房地产（出租房子，新建筑中管理那些contractors等等）有没有烦恼，压力？是不是整个过程都只有乐趣？
Robert G. Allen也有一段话很好地回答了这个问题：
“I Hate Real Estate!
…………
I love to buy it. It’s fun and exciting. But once I sign the final closing documents, it’s all downhill for me……
The worst part of all is dealing with tenants……..
If I hate all these hassles, why do I buy so much real estate? Because the good points far outweigh the bad ones. Real estate is a vehicle that takes a person to wealth.”( P.139)
我所写的故事都是从我的经历中提炼出有趣的部分，并经过语言的加工。实际生活中，那能都是一片欢歌，没有一点压力和烦恼呢？不同的是，你怎样去对待和处理压力与烦恼而已。有时候碰到一个难题想不出解决办法，我就自己放松自己，去做运动，做Sauna ，出一身汗relax。每次我感到Frustrated 一阵子，一场运动和睡完一觉后又是一条好汉。改天往往就找出办法了。每解决完一个棘手的问题，我都有一种成功感，有一种增加知识，增加经验和能力的满足感。当然，有时候的“解决”就是想通了。例如做了错误的判断，造成了亏损。其“解决”办法，就是安慰自己，错误总是会发生的，错误也给了我宝贵的经验，同样也是学到了东西。只要是我做成功的（盈利的）大于失败的（亏损的）我就前进了。要是成功的（盈利的）远远大于失败的（亏损的），我的前进速度就不会减慢。有时候克服自己心理上的挫折感和失败的沮丧感更为重要，也是更大的成功。其实，生活往往就是一种态度。你要是能够正面去对待，那结果往往也是正面的。
我买过一块地，买下之后开始申请建筑才被City告知这块地不能建。然后我经历了2年多的不懈努力，才拿到Building permit。在这2年多解决这个棘手问题的过程中，我所获得的经验和学到的知识对我后来的快速成长起到了重要的奠基作用。我有时甚至很感激生活给我的挑战和困境，克服以后，我既有成功感又加快我知识积累的速度。因为正是这种挑战，我才比别人在同样的单位时间内学到更多的东西，也令我比同期进入同行业的人更有经验和进步更快。
是的，正是这二本书，尤其是“Rich Dad Poor Dad”，令我抛弃了原来准备报考CPA 的打算，义无反顾地投入了经营房地产的不归路。后面的是历史。
现在，由美国的房地产泡沫而引至的全球经济危机还没有过去。就全美以至全球总体而言，是房地产的低潮时期（要不是历史上的最低潮的话）。有人说现在美国的房地产是一个千载难逢的好机会；也有人说美国的房地产像几年前的荣景不再，最少是20年内不会见到。不管哪一种说法，假如你认为房地产是一个行业的话，作为这个行业的商人（不说投机者）或投资者，是什么时候都能做才对。只要有交易就有市场；只要有市场就有机会赚钱。有容易与不容易赚钱之分；没有能与不能赚钱之说。要是说不能，如山认为那还不算这个行业中的一个真正商人或真正投资者。只要你不过度使用财务杠杆，做到胜时不娇，败时不馁，进退有据，你就能任凭风浪起，稳坐钓鱼船。不光是很容易度过难关，还可以照样发展。
我觉得，一个人的“聪明”程度的分别并没有人们想象的那么大。能不能做下去和是否能做成功一件事的差别往往不在于一个人的“聪明”与否，或是有没有运气，而是在于坚持。
我选择做房地产作为我谋生的行业，是因为我根据自己的情况认为这是最适合于我的行业。但绝不是说，只有房地产才是最好的Business, 或最好的投资。有很多人做不同的行业，不同的投资， 一样做得很好，甚至更好。举两个我身边的例子，一个是做IT业（也就是打工），进公司两年后，公司上市，光股票选择权就换回一百多万。还有一个，就我的邻居，亚裔，毕业后在学校当老师，同时开了一个公司，发明一些电脑方面的东西（我不懂）。三年后，卖掉公司，纯收几千万。从此，不当老师，只做Venture Capital。空余时间很多，除了隔天约我打一次网球外，还自己动手，将他的地下室装修成很有专业水准的电影院和音乐厅。相信读者也能举出很多身边的例子来。此所谓“行行出状元”是也。更何况，在房地产里面，我远远算不上“状元”。
就算你不做任何投资，但你有很好的收入，没有财务的困境，没有将来退休的后顾之忧，做你喜欢做的事，也是很好的生活。当然，统计调查显示，挣扎在贫困线以下的人，愉快的比例是很低的。
“成功” 的定义本身就很难介定。事业成功以什么为标准呢？就算事业做得好，你的身体健康吗？心理健康吗？你的生活呢？家庭生活、感情生活、以及性生活愉快吗？要是成功没带来愉快，那这所谓“成功”又有什么用呢？只是给别人看的吗？我相信大多数读者跟我一样都是凡人，不必像“以天下为己任”的伟人一样，“居庙堂之高则忧其民；处江湖之远则忧其君”。更何况，“笑到最后的人，笑得最好”。成败得失，人的一生还没到盖棺都不能定论。更不用说曾经叱咤风云的人物，就算到了盖棺往往也不能定论。
所以我真的认为，最重要的还是你身体健康，每天都过得愉快，这就是像我一样的凡人的最大成功。
“Rich Dad Poor Dad”：
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
------The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost (1916)” (P.18)
