Cracking 'The Da Vinci Code' of money

Image courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

Book Review
Title: "Rich Dad's Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money"
Author: Robert Kiyosaki
Publisher: Hachette Book Group, 2009; 272 pages; $12.99 list ($10.39 on amazon.com)

I've never been a huge conspiracy theorist. Lately, though, my work on behalf of homeowners vis-à-vis their mortgage banks has given me cause to rethink that stance. Banks are uber-competent when they want to be (consider: How many times have you accidentally gotten an extra $20 at the ATM?).

So, I've started to wonder whether the extensively illogical and faux-incompetent activity as a theme of many of the loss-mitigation divisions might have an ulterior motive.

I'm just arriving at a place of wondering whether a conspiracy might be afoot. At the end of that same path is popular "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" author Robert Kiyosaki.

In his new book, "Rich Dad's Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money," Kiyosaki argues hard for his case that the banks, big industry and the ultra-rich have conspired with the federal government to create and maintain the Federal Reserve system, and to keep it flush with the funds of the average Joe -- then using those funds to capitalize their own organizations (and those of their cronies) as needed.

Whether or not you agree with "The Da Vinci Code"-esque theme, there is something inarguably powerful about where Kiyosaki goes with it. For him, the upshot of all this conspiracy-speak is twofold. First, readers should stop waiting for salvation from the government and seize control over their own financial destinies.

And second, the way to seize this control is by achieving mastery in understanding money and how it works -- or in Kiyosaki's own words, "Money is knowledge."

This "Conspiracy" book is, in large part, a financial-education primer, with not-so-common-sense money lessons and inspirational finance messages interwoven with historical chronologies documenting various large-scale financial conspiracies and dilemmas and insights submitted by Kiyosaki's audience in response to the draft chapters he posted online.

It just so happens to be organized in reference to the various conspiracies comprising Kiyosaki's theory, e.g., "The Conspiracy Against Our Money," "The Conspiracy Against Our Wealth," and "The Conspiracy Against Our Financial Intelligence."

Some readers will be put off by the excessive conspiracy-speak. My guess is that many who would have grouped these tales of large-scale, intergenerational financial conspiracies right along with UFO tales and crop-circle lore might be primed more favorably in light of the global financial events of the last couple of years.

No matter how you are inclined to feel toward the conspiracy material, the strength of this book is that you could virtually ignore it -- if it strikes you wrong, and still glean a number of thought-provoking, change-provoking insights about our collective economic history and your personal financial future. ...CONTINUED

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