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第10部分（第2页）

As　an　adult；　I　have　difficulty　explaining　it　to　other　adults。　Why？　Because　adults　are　smarter。　In　most　cases；　the　simplicity　of　the　idea　escapes　most　adults　because　they　have　been　educated　differently。　They　have　been　educated　by　other　educated　professionals；　such　as　bankers；　accountants；　real　estate　agents；　financial　planners；　and　so　forth。　The　difficulty　es　in　asking　adults　to　unlearn；　or　bee　children　again。　An　intelligent　adult　often　feels　it　is　demeaning　to　pay　attention　to　simplistic　definitions。

Rich　dad　believed　in　the　KISS　principle…〃Keep　It　Simple　Stupid〃…so　he　kept　it　simple　for　two　young　boys；　and　that　made　the　financial　foundation　strong。

So　what　causes　the　confusion？　Or　how　could　something　so　simple　be　so　screwed　up？　Why　would　someone　buy　an　asset　that　was　really　a　liability。　The　answer　is　found　in　basic　education。

We　focus　on　the　word　〃literacy〃　and　not　〃financial　literacy。〃　What　defines　something　to　be　an　asset；　or　something　to　be　a　liability　are　not　words。　In　fact；　if　you　really　want　to　be　confused；　look　up　the　words　〃asset〃　and　〃liability〃　in　the　dictionary。　I　know　the　definition　may　sound　good　to　a　trained　accountant；　but　for　the　average　person　it　makes　no　sense。　But　we　adults　are　often　too　proud　to　admit　that　something　does　not　make　sense。

As　young　boys；　rich　dad　said；　〃What　defines　an　asset　is　not　words　but　numbers。　And　if　you　cannot　read　the　numbers；　you　cannot　tell　an　asset　from　a　hole　in　the　ground。〃

〃In　accounting；〃　rich　dad　would　say；　〃its　not　the　numbers；　but　what　the　numbers　are　telling　you。　Its　just　like　words。　Its　not　the　words；　but　the　story　the　words　are　telling　you。

Many　people　read；　but　do　not　understand　much。　Its　called　reading　prehension。　And　we　all　have　different　abilities　when　it　es　to　reading　prehension。　For　example；　I　recently　bought　a　new　VCR。　It　came　with　an　instruction　book　that　explained　how　to　program　the　VCR。　All　I　wanted　to　do　was　record　my　favorite　TV　show　on　Friday　night。　I　nearly　went　crazy　trying　to　read　the　manual。　Nothing　in　my　world　is　more　plex　than　learning　how　to　program　my　VCR。　I　could　read　the　words；　but　I　understood　nothing。　I　get　an　〃A〃　for　recognizing　the　words。　I　get　an　〃F〃　for　prehension。　And　so　it　is　with　financial　statements　for　most　people。

〃If　you　want　to　be　rich；　youve　got　to　read　and　understand　numbers。〃　If　I　heard　that　once；　I　heard　it　a　thousand　times　from　my　rich　dad。　And　I　also　heard；　〃The　rich　acquire　assets　and　the　poor　and　middle　class　acquire　liabilities。〃

Here　is　how　to　tell　the　difference　between　an　asset　and　a　liability。　Most　accountants　and　financial　professionals　do　net　agree　with　the　definitions；　but　these　simple　drawings　were　the　start　of　strong　financial　foundations　for　two　young　boys。

To　teach　pre？teen　boys；　rich　dad　kept　everything　simple；　using　as　many　pictures　as　possible；　as　few　words　as　possible；　and　no　numbers　for　years。

〃This　is　the　Cash　Flow　pattern　of　an　asset。〃

The　above　box　is　an　Ine　Statement；　often　called　a　Profit　and　Loss　Statement。　It　measures　ine　and　expenses。　Money　in　and　money　out。　The　bottom　diagram　is　the　Balance　Sheet。　It　is　called　that　because　it　is

supposed　to　balance　assets　against　liabilities。　Many　financial　novices　dont　know　the　relationship　between　the　Ine　Statement　and　the　Balance　Sheet。　That　relationship　is　vital　to　understand。

The　primary　cause　of　financial　struggle　is　simply　not　knowing　the　difference　between　an　asset　and　a　liability。　The　cause　of　the　confusion　is　found　in　the　definition　of　the　two　words。　If　you　want　a　lesson　in　confusion；　simply　look　up　the　words　〃asset〃　and　〃liability〃　in　the　dictionary。

Now　it　may　make　sense　to　trained　accountants；　but　to　the　average　person；　it　may　as　well　be　written　in　Mandarin。　You　read　the　words　in　the　definition；　but　true　prehension　is　difficult。

So　as　I　said　earlier；　my　rich　dad　simply　told　two　young　boys　that　〃assets　put　money　in　your　pocket。〃　Nice；　simple　and　usable。

〃This　is　Cash　Flow　pattern　of　a　liability。〃

Now　that　assets　and　liabilities　have　been　defined　through　pictures；　it　may　be　easier　to　understand　my　definitions　in　words。

An　asset　is　something　that　puts　money　in　my　pocket。

A　liability　is　something　that　takes　money　out　of　my　pocket。

This　is　really　all　you　need　to　know。　If　you　want　to　be　rich；　simply　spend　your　life　buying　assets。　If　you　want　to　be　poor　or　middle　class；　spend　your　life　buying　liabilities。　Its　not　knowing　the　difference　that　causes　most　of　the　financial　struggle　in　the　real　world。

Illiteracy；　both　in　words　and　numbers；　is　the　foundation　of　financial　struggle。　If　people　are　having　difficulties　financially；　there　is　something　that　they　cannot　read；　either　in　numbers　or　words。　Something　is　misunderstood。　The　rich　are　rich　because　they　are　more　literate　in　different　areas　than　people　who　struggle　financially。　　So　if　you　want　to　be　rich　and　maintain　your　wealth；　its　important　to　be　financially　literate；　in　words　as　well　as　numbers。

The　arrows　in　the　diagrams　represent　the　flow　of　cash；　or　〃cash　flow。〃　Numbers　alone　really　mean　little。　Just　as　words　alone　mean　little。　Its　the　story　that　counts。　In　financial　reporting；　reading　numbers　is　looking　for　the　plot；　the　story。　The　story　of　where　the　cash　is　flowing。　In　80　percent　of　most

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