Robert Kiyosaki, the author behind the best-selling personal finance book “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” posted a reflective message on his X account on July 1, 2026, that quickly went viral. In the post, Kiyosaki wrote that years ago he heard an Indian guru say: “Your body’s mission is to fulfill your spirit’s mission.” The words, he said, shook him, because at the time his body was busy making money.
He admitted it took him a long time to figure out what his spirit’s mission was. Eventually, Kiyosaki wrote, he understood that his spirit’s mission was to teach — to become a teacher. That was the last thing he ever thought he would become, he noted, because he failed at school and hated it.
The author also wrote that he knows that when it comes to money, schools lie to us.
From Humble Beginnings to a Global Influence
Robert Toru Kiyosaki was born in 1947 in Hilo, Hawaii, the eldest child of a Japanese-American family. His father was an educator who served as Hawaii’s superintendent of schools and later ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. Despite his father’s academic career, Kiyosaki himself struggled in school and was nearly expelled from high school due to poor grades.
After graduating from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, he served as a helicopter gunship pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. Following his military service, Kiyosaki tried several business ventures.
He launched a company that made nylon and Velcro wallets, but it went bankrupt. He then worked as a sales associate at Xerox before entering the motivational speaking world in the 1980s. He ran a course based on Erhard Seminars Training techniques called Money and You.
The business expanded internationally but nearly collapsed after an Australian documentary reported on emotional abuse in the course. Later, Kiyosaki founded the Rich Dad Company, which provides personal finance and business education.
One of his companies, Rich Global LLC, later filed for bankruptcy. He has also been sued in a class action by seminar attendees and has been the subject of investigative documentaries. The core of Kiyosaki’s public career rests on his book “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” a personal finance guide that contrasts the financial philosophies of two father figures.
The book argues that traditional schooling fails to teach people how money works and promotes investing in assets such as gold, silver, and real estate over saving cash.
A Rare Personal Reflection From a Financial Commentator
Kiyosaki is known for being active on social media, regularly posting investment advice. His viral posts often recommend investing in gold and silver as a way to become rich, and he has called crypto assets, especially bitcoin, a good option.
In this latest post, however, Kiyosaki did not offer investment tips but instead discussed the purpose of his life, crediting an Indian guru for helping him understand it. Kiyosaki’s influence matters because his books have shaped how millions of people think about money, investing, and financial independence. His long-running argument that schools lie about money has resonated with a large audience seeking alternatives to conventional financial advice.
That makes any shift in his personal message worth watching. When a figure known for aggressive investment tips instead writes about a guru’s words on life purpose, it stands apart from his usual commentary — and it may signal how his own thinking continues to evolve.
