Why Robert Kiyosaki's $1.2 Billion Debt Is Causing a Stir
“Rich Dad Poor Dad” author Robert Kiyosaki — the self-help guru who has made a fortune preaching the secrets of financial success — has amassed a staggering $1.2 billion in debt tied to his sprawling real-estate investments, according to a report.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.“So, I’m a billion two in debt,” he told the “Get Rich Education” podcast over the summer.He added that people “[s]hould not do what I do, right?”“Rich Dad Poor Dad” author Robert Kiyosaki has repeatedly touted being $1.2 billion in debt as part of his investment strategy. AFP via Getty Images“But I studied it since 1974… If you’re going to learn to use debt, you’d better take some education.”His ex-wife and business partner Kim Kiyosaki recently told Vanity Fair that the $1.2 billion figure has been widely misunderstood — and does not represent money the best-selling author personally owes.“We have a lot of apartment houses with our partners,” Kim told the magazine, putting the portfolio at some 1,500 units.“So technically, yes, we have all this debt,” she said, adding that the borrowing is attached to real estate and that Kiyosaki’s personal share is small.Kiyosaki has argued that debt can be a wealth-building tool when used to acquire income-producing assets. Gage Skidmore/ZUMA Press Wire / ShutterstockThe enormous debt pile is a product of Kiyosaki’s investment strategy.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.He also puts individual investments into separate limited liability companies, insulating them from one another if one runs into trouble, the magazine reported.“If it all comes to hell, you can talk to my attorney,” Robert Kiyosaki told the magazine.“Firewalls — that’s the way the rich play the game.”Vanity Fair estimated his portion of the debt could be around $30 million to $60 million if Kiyosaki’s claim that he pulls in roughly $3 million a year is accurate.Robert Kiyosaki co-authored two books with Donald Trump, including 2006’s “Why We Want You to Be Rich.” AFP via Getty Images“He loves to say things that shock,” Kim told the magazine, saying Kiyosaki uses the billion-dollar figure to grab attention before explaining “why investment debt is good.”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’s approach “a great strategy” and said carrying large amounts of property-backed debt is “actually very normal.”Perez said borrowing against a property’s 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.John Poole, founder of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based consultancy JPTD Partners, sounded a more cautionary note.“I think there’s good debt and there’s bad debt, and then there’s $1.2 billion of debt, which you better know exactly what in the world you’re doing,” he told The Post.“Leverage works beautifully on the way up, and if it’s not continuing on that way up, then it’s like a chainsaw financially coming down.”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.“It doesn’t go on forever. There has to be a payday, and be prepared for that payday, irrespective of the size,” Poole added.“[Kiyosaki] may call this the ‘Rich Dad debt,’ but for the average investor, it could turn out to be ‘Poor Dad bankruptcy’ really quickly.”“Rich Dad Poor Dad,” first self-published in 1997, has sold more than 44 million copies, according to Vanity Fair. Plata PublishingKiyosaki has built a financial-education empire around “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” which was first self-published in 1997 and has sold more than 44 million copies, according to Vanity Fair.The book contrasts the lessons Kiyosaki says he learned from his biological father — the “Poor Dad” — with those imparted by the father of his childhood best friend, the purported “Rich Dad.”Ralph Kiyosaki, Robert’s biological father, was Hawaii’s state superintendent of education and ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 1970.Kiyosaki later identified his “Rich Dad” as Richard Kimi, a Hawaii businessman who owned a chain of hotels that once included the Waikiki Biltmore Hotel.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.The Post has sought comment from Kiyosaki.
