In my research of Amway and Quixtar, I have learned a lot about financial self-help author Robert Kiyosaki--best known for the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book series. What I have learned is not pretty. John T. Reed, a real estate investor who rates real estate and financial gurus on his web site, has done painstaking research on Kiyosaki and has found that the emperor wears no clothes: Kiyosaki is a fraud and is "primarily a creature of Amway."
In agonizing detail, Reed exposes the following: how Kiyosaki's approach to financial matters is hazardous to your pocketbook; Kiyosaki's phony backstory about his two dads; how Kiyosaki was propped up by his association with Amway; and Kiyosaki's fictional past.Furthermore, on Reed's site, it is explained how Kiyosaki got his first big break when his Rich Dad, Poor Dad book began being used as part of the tools scheme by an Amway kingpin distributor.
Certainly, one huge strike against Kiyosaki as a financial adviser is that he has appeared at Amway rallies and endorsed the Amway business "opportunity." That alone is enough for sane people concerned about their financial affairs to put as much distance between themselves and Kiyosaki. This is horrendous advice that has been responsible for many people losing their shirts.
What makes Kiyosaki frightening is that the initial boost in book sales he received by the Amway masses encouraged non-Amway people to embrace him. This has helped to give him mainstream credibility. For instance, Kiyosaki has plugged his books on Oprah Winfrey's show. I think it's ironic that Oprah has taken great pains to denounce the fictionalized biography of author James Frey when she has accorded legitimacy to another author with a fictional biography who also gives terrible financial advice that can have real, negative consequences for those who follow his advice.
In addition, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has given Kiyosaki legitimacy. Kiyosaki has appeared on PBS during their pledge drives touting the philosophy of this Rich Dad, Poor Dad series. PBS's ombudsman is Michael Getler. I don't have much confidence in Getler (Getler was ombudsman for the Washington Post when I and others informed him about journalistic misconduct committed by one of his reporters and Getler did nothing about it). However, to Getler's credit, he has addressed controversies surrounding Kiyosaki.
Anyway, it's worth a try. Click here to register your concerns about Kiyosaki to Getler.
10 comments:
Hey Scoobie!
Congratulations with the new Amway blog.
Like you, I am nauseated at the "legitimacy" that Kiyosaki has been afforded by PBS and Oprah. In addition to that, Kiyosaki has been a regular columnist for Yahoo Finance for about the last year.
But take heart. Eventually he will fade away, as they all do. Does anyone remember John Bradshaw and his "inner child" bullshit anymore?
Oh come on, please... are your serious? What a surprise another "conspiracy theory Amway is a cult pyramid website".... dude, don't you have anything better to do with your time?
The business clearly WORKS for those who actually WORK IT. If not then how could the corporation have been around for about 50 years and be in 90 countries world wide? If it was illegal or ripped people off, don't you think it would have gone out of business by now?
If it didn't work then how come I am making money out of it? If it didn't work for my friends, why are they doing it too? Many of us are doctors, lawyers, psychologists, accountants etc.... do you really think we would something that does not work or is not ethical? Do you think that we are all misguided? Or do you think we are simply dishonest crooks? All 3.5 million of us and growing...
Do some people not make money? Sure... but then people also drop out of college, drop out of churches, drop out of social groups etc? Does that mean that these organisations don't work? No, it usually means that the person involved was not committed to making it work.
Do you really think that IBM, Coke, Nestle, Mitsubishi, Disney etc. would really be in business with Amway if the company and the people who work with it were not of the highest standard? Do you REALLY know what a pyramid vs. MLM is? Hey, why not go back to your job and ask your boss?! Okay, I am being a bit cheeky there, but the fact remains that with an Internet franchise like Amway, you can no more call it a pyramid than you can McDonald's or any other mainstream franchise.
The business works if you do. If you have failed, or know people who have failed, honestly ask yourself, did you REALLY do what it takes? Did you commit yourself over the period of a couple of years to develop yourself, to learn, to grow and to help other people improve their lives? Did you do the right thing by others even when it was not convenient? Were you honest, open and accountable to your team? Were you willing to change so you could improve your life, or did you just assume that you knew it all without actually learning how the business was built?
The business works, it's a fact. The only question at the end of the day is... did you?
Adam.
Hey Adam,
I agree with you. These guys have not researched and studied marketing plan and business strategies. MLM is a legitimate marketing plan for people who cannot afford a large capital to build a big business and pay overhead. Like any other businesses, you have to work to make it BIG!
Robert Kiyosaki has changed my mindset about money and it's working.
Well said, Adam!
Brat
Honestly...
Kiyosaki has some very interesting ways of saying things about money, but the substance of his book amounts to little more than a basic explanation about the way things work under capitalism, and he has even admitted that he only got into Amway to sell his books, and that he never made any money at the Quixstar 'business' itself.
Amway is a scam. Is it possible to make a good living? Sure, if you're willing to sell your soul and become a pyramid scheme recruiter, facilitating the endless flow of money from the 'IBO', which is a misleading word for commission sales rep, to the top-dog distributor of promotional materials, the only one who actually makes any money.
Hey guys, here's the perfect parable for Amway believers. If you haven't seen the light yet, then maybe this will help.
Hey guys, here's the perfect parable for Amway believers. If you haven't seen the light yet, then maybe this will help.http://www.amquix.info/quixtar_neg_cash_quadrant.html
Amway/Quixtar works. and yeah your comment is true Birds of a Feather Flock Together meaning LOOSERS STICK TOGETHER and make EXCUSES why the the world owes them everything. WINNERS STICK TOGETHER and eliminte EXCUSES you IDOTS who wast your time and energy to make posts and blogs to keep people out of a MULTI BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS keep trying LMAO
Any one reading all the negative information Ill say one thing to you in everything you do in life be a PROFESSIONAL FRUIT CHECKER and what I mean by that is when you take advice from people who are'nt in life where you want to be you deserve what you get.
There are some simple rules in life that we all do but dont apply them accordingly examle, would you go to the grocery story and buy SOUR strawberries or SWEET strawberries probably sweet why because you checked the FRUIT.
So if we follow this simple process of what we put into our bodies why is it that we dont do the same for the info we put into our minds.
Next thing is PEOPLE you live in AMERCIA the GREATEST country in the world there is no way I REPEAT NO WAY that with all the complaints and all the so called BLOGS on the web from LOOSERS that a business that is "SO ILLEGAL" and "SCAMING PEOPLE" can get away with that for 50 YEARS HELLOOOOOOOO.
Do something illegal example dont pay your TAXES see if you can get away with it for 20 years LET ALONE 50 years LMAO.
SCOOBIE doobie doobie doooo where are you.
SO ALL OF YOU WINNERS IN THE AMWAY/QUIXTAR BUSINESS when you living the good life these LOOSERS will be still on here posting blogs about there FAILURES.
Thanks Man!
I happened to chance upon the Robert K talks on YouTube, an 8-part series. It didn't take me more than the 1/8 to make out that this is an Amway guy, though throughout, he never said a word about Amway/MLM! What I found strange in the talk, is he speaks utter non-sense about nothing, not a single concrete fact, all indirect reference to some wealth waiting 'out there' for me to go and grab and retire in next ten yrs! What crap! I hate these characters.
If a Christian molest some kids or men, do you also said that the God do teach them to do this? A big tree sure got some rotten twigs and branches !
Its easy to say something doesnt work than to work at it. if you where working in a job say at Nike, and they fired you for non performance, would you say that nike doesnt work for you... please commit to a MLM business and it will reward you. If you cant run with the MLM big dogs then stay on the porch.
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