SECOND CHANCE: For Your Money, Your Life and Our World is written by Robert T. Kiyosaki, the author of the international bestseller Rich Dad Poor Dad. Money is no longer money, then what is money? Knowledge is the new money. In the book SECOND CHANCE: For Your Money, Your Life and Our World, the author raises such questions and answers them.
Q: So if money is knowledge, you’re saying that many who are poor and middle class today, have the opportunity to become the new rich of tomorrow?
A: Exactly. In the past, the rich were those who controlled land and resources such as oil, weapons, or giant corporations. Today things are different. Today we live in the Information Age—and information is abundant and often free.
Q: So why isn’t everyone rich?
A: It takes education to process information into knowledge. Without financial education, people cannot process information into personal wealth.
The author relies heavily on the works of Dr. Richard Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983), who is recognised for his work on the Geodesic Dome and regarded as the grandfather of the futurist. In fact, he dedicated this book to Fuller. He quotes Dr. Fuller, which echoes the current times and the impact of social media in our lives: “The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages prison has no steel bars, chains, or locks. Instead, it is locked by misorientation and built of misinformation.”
The book raises the issue of ‘entitlement mentality’: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life. The other way to help people is enable them to become independent, not dependent on someone or something. The author stresses ‘Teaching people to become self-reliant begins with words of empowerment rather than words of entitlement.’
The American author reminds the mentality of his fellow citizens: “Americans are individuals who left their countries of birth for freedom from oppression and for the opportunity of a better life. A shot at the American Dream. This made the DNA of Americans too strong, too independent, and too ambitious to be subservient to the rich and powerful. Those critical of Carnegie and Rockfeller believed that before the rich and powerful—people like Rockfeller and Carnegie—could gain further control over Americans and the wealth of America, the American spirit had to be weakened and Americans made dependent upon the government for financial support.”
INFORMATION AGE:
The author charts the evolution of wealth through the four ages of humanity: the Hunter-Gatherer Age, the Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age, and the Information Age. “The Information Age caused wealth to evolve yet again. Today there is a new type of real estate: invisible real estate. Some people call it “cyber real estate.” Cyber real estate is why there are 19-year-old billionaires who never finished school and 59-year-old college-educated executives out of work and looking for a job.”
What is the answer: “I believe that anyone can take control of their financial future—if they are willing to learn, take action, make mistakes, learn from those mistakes and remain unstoppable. I’ve proven that a not-so-school-smart kid from Hilo, Hawaii could beat the odds… and I know you can, too. There can be a second chance for you, if you believe in yourself and are willing to put action behind the knowledge you gain.”
The author pinpoints how kids are programmed to go to school, to get a job, work hard, save money, buy a house, get out of debt, and invest for the long term in the stock, which he says are blinded by words. So, how should they be trained or programmed: Employee, saver, taxed income, liability, self-employed, paycheck, gambler; or, employer, debtor, tax-free income, asset, entrepreneur, cash flow, investor. Programming to think lies the answer.
SECOND CHANCE’S highlights: “Most people see only the chaos or crisis in an emergency. The opposite side of the coin is the opportunity that you can leverage in creating your second chance.”
You have, your second chance, excel.