Rich Dad Poor Dad is a starting point for anyone looking to gain control of their financial future

How the Quest for a Financial Dream Turns into a 
Financial Nightmare
The classic story of hardworking people has a set pattern. Recently 
married, the happy, highly educated young couple moves into one of 
their cramped rented apartments. Immediately, they realize that they 
are saving money because two can live as cheaply as one.
The problem is the apartment is cramped. They decide to save 
money to buy their dream home so they can have kids. They now have 
two incomes, and they begin to focus on their careers. Their incomes 
begin to increase.

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Chapter Two: Lesson 2
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As their incomes go up, their expenses go up as well.
Assets
INCOME STATEMENT
BALANCE SHEET
Liabilities
Income
Expenses
The number-one expense for most people is taxes. Many people 
think it’s income tax, but for most Americans, their highest tax is 
Social Security. As an employee, it appears as if the Social Security tax 
combined with the Medicare tax rate is roughly 7.5 percent, but it’s 
really 15 percent since the employer must match the Social Security 
amount. In essence, it is money the employer can’t pay you. On top
of that, you still have to pay income tax on the amount deducted from 
your wages for Social Security tax, income you never received because
it went directly to Social Security through withholding.
Going back to the young couple, as a result of their incomes 
increasing, they decide to buy the house of their dreams. Once in 
their house, they have a new tax, called property tax. Then they buy 
a new car, new furniture, and new appliances to match their new 
house. All of a sudden, they wake up and their liabilities column is 
full of mortgage and credit-card debt. Their liabilities go up.

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Rich Dad Poor Dad
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