How Two Books Helped Me Ditch the Rules and Redesign My Life

A Journey of Financial Independence and Personal Freedom

When I was around the age of 30 I read 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' by Robert Kiyosaki.

Freshly enthused from a Tony Robbins style personal development week away in Tenerife, I was ready for a change.

I'd had a good career up to that stage working my way up the management tree. But I knew my kind of commitment and work ethic was worth more than the wage I was on.

As I read about financial IQ and independence, it occurred to me that no-one had ever taught me this stuff.

My Dad was an entrepreneur but had never discussed investing, buying or growing businesses, or even compound interest with me.

My Mum was a bookkeeper and had taught me how to run a weekly budget and live within my means, but nothing more. (Her teachings didn't always work - 3 concurrent jobs in my mid twenties to pay off loans hammered home the lesson)

By the time I reached 30 years of age, I'd been taught to play by the rules, work hard for a living and 'never a lender nor a borrower be'.

Rich Dad (aka Keith Cunningham, who the book …