Play The Cashflow Game

This piece of advice is coming from a beginning investor, but it seems like it makes sense, regardless of your investment experience level.

Play the Cashflow game. I'm serious!

Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad (RDPD) is an extremely polarizing figure. People seem to love this guy (almost in a cult-like fashion) or absolutely hate him. Personally, I think he has some excellent ideas, particularly the Cashflow Quadrant concept, an awesome brander, and he gives a lot of people hope. However, I acknowledge that his RDPD group seems to carry itself similarly to the way you would expect a snake oil salesman to behave, inviting a lot of resentment toward ALL of his products, services, and ideas.

The Cashflow game is very expensive, about $200.

One good thing about paying that much...I make sure I play it. To contrast, I bought Scrabble a few months ago for about $15. I've played it TWICE. At $7.50/game, did I really enjoy it as much as I would a movie?

I've played Cashflow, at least, twenty (20) times, and I will be playing it many more.

Why?

1. It's fun! It really is.

2. If you get together with Cashflow groups, you meet other people. From both the game and them, you will get ideas, not to mention contacts.

3. You can experiment with different investing styles and make mistakes--WITHOUT losing your REAL MONEY.

I've learned a lot by playing it.

I suggest that you play Cashflow with a group of people, before spending your own money on it. $200 is very expensive for a game, and if you aren't sure whether you will like it, this will allow you to "try before you buy."

Even if you do not like Robert Kiyosaki or get sick of hearing the mindless drones of people who try to quote RDPD (and they are really annoying), the game is really a good one. I've played with different people, and I've learned some things, often as a teacher of the game.

So, again, play the Cashflow game. You'll really like it. More importantly, you will learn something new each time.

Let me know if you would like any examples of things I've learned by playing.

Don't Understand Everything? Don't Worry!

I am writing this post from a beginner's perspective.

Have you ever gone to a talk, especially about real estate, and it seemed like you didn't understand everything?

I can't speak for anyone else, but this happens to me a lot.

Last Thursday evening, I went to the Oakland REIA. It covered real estate-releated legal updates and advice. A lot of people were saying how great this talk was, and it probably was. However, I could not take advantage of everything she was saying.

So did I waste my time? Other people may disagree, but I say, "NO!"

Why?

Because I understood about 30% of it, I was discouraged, at first. Then I realized that most of what little I understood on Thursday, I would not have understood AT ALL a year ago. Even if you don't know everything, you can learn things an managable increments, little by little. It accumulates quickly.

Plus, it gives me an opportunity to write down a couple of things to look up later. I may not understand during the talk, but I know something that I have to learn. I can learn it at my pace. Even if I don't understand it today, the next time I hear something about it, I will be in a better position to receive that same or similar info.

Lastly, I love meeting people at these events. You get a chance to learn their insights and experiences. Plus, the better people are there to encourage you. One person, in particular, just told me, "Just start." Obviously, you should do your due dilligence before making ANY investment, but it gives me hope that real estate is less complicated than my beginner's mindset might be making it.

So go to as many talks and talk to as many people in the field as you can. You might not understand everything, but you still can get something from it. More importantly, it will accelerate your learning--meaning that it puts you closer to your goal more quickly.