pect　had　a　great　impact　on　these　men　and　their　lives。

　The　point　is　this：　Today　we　live　in　times　of　greater　and　faster　change　than　these　men　did。

　I　suspect　there　will　be　many　booms　and　busts　in　the　next　25　years　that　will　parallel　the　ups　and　downs　these　men　faced。

　I　am　concerned　that　too　many　people　are　focused　too　much　on　money　and　not　their　greatest　wealth；　which　is　their　education。

　If　people　are　prepared　to　be　flexible；　keep　an　open　mind　and　learn；　they　will　grow　richer　and　richer　through　the　changes。

　If　they　think　money　will　solve　problems；　I　am　afraid　those　people　will　have　a　rough　ride。

　Intelligence　solves　problems　and　produces　money。

　Money　without　financial　intelligence　is　money　soon　gone。

Most　people　fail　to　realize　that　in　life；　its　not　how　much　money　you　make；　its　how　much　money　you　keep。

　We　have　all　heard　stories　of　lottery　winners　who　are　poor；　then　suddenly　rich；　then　poor　again。

　They　win　millions　and　are　soon　back　to　where　they　started。

　Or　stories　of　professional　athletes；　who；　at　the　age　of　24；　are　earning　millions　of　dollars　a　year；　and　are　sleeping　under　a　bridge　by　age　34。

　In　the　paper　this　morning；　as　I　write　this；　there　is　a　story　of　a　young　basketball　player　who　a　year　ago　had　millions。

　Today；　he　claims　his　friends；　attorney　and　accountant　took　his　money；　and　now　he　works　at　a　car　wash　for　minimum　wage。

He　is　only　29。

　He　was　fired　from　the　car　wash　because　he　refused　to　take　off　his　championship　ring　as　he　was　wiping　off　the　cars；　so　his　story　made　the　newspaper。

　He　is　appealing　his　termination；　claiming　hardship　and　discrimination　and　that　the　ring　is　all　he　has　left。

　He　claims　that　if　you　take　that　away；　hell　crumble。

In　1997；　I　know　so　many　people　who　are　being　instant　millionaires。

　Its　the　Roaring　20s　one　more　time。

　And　while　I　am　glad　people　have　been　getting　richer　and　richer；　I　only　caution　that　in　the　long　run；　its　not　how　much　you　make；　its　how　much　you　keep；　and　how　many　generations　you　keep　it。

So　when　people　ask；　〃Where　do　I　get　started？〃　or　〃Tell　me　how　to　get　rich　quick；〃　they　often　are　greatly　disappointed　with　my　answer。

　I　simply　say　to　them　what　my　rich　dad　said　back　to　me　when　I　was　a　little　kid。

　〃If　you　want　to　be　rich；　you　need　to　be　financially　literate。

〃

That　idea　was　drummed　into　my　head　every　time　we　were　together。

　As　I　said；　my　educated　dad　stressed　the　importance　of　reading　books；　while　my　rich　dad　stressed　the　need　to　master　financial　literacy。

If　you　are　going　to　build　the　Empire　State　Building；　the　first　thing　you　need　to　do　is　dig　a　deep　hole　and　pour　a　strong　foundation。

　If　you　are　going　to　build　a　home　in　the　suburbs；　all　you　need　to　do　is　pour　a　6…inch　slab　of　concrete。

　Most　people；　in　their　drive　to　get　rich；　are　trying　to　build　an　Empire　State　Building　on　a　6…inch　slab。

Our　school　system；　having　been　created　in　the　Agrarian　Age；　still　believes　in　homes　with　no　foundation。

　Dirt　floors　are　still　the　rage。

　So　kids　graduate　from　school　with　virtually　no　financial　foundation。

　One　day；　sleepless　and　deep　in　debt　in　suburbia；　living　the　American　Dream；　they　decide　that　the　answer　to　their　financial　problems　is　to　find　a　way　to　get　rich　quick。

Construction　on　the　skyscraper　begins。

　It　goes　up　quickly；　and　soon；　instead　of　the　Empire　State　Building；　we　have　the　Leaning　Tower　of　Suburbia。

　The　sleepless　nights　return。

As　for　Mike　and　me　in　our　adult　years；　both　of　our　choices　were　possible　because　we　were　taught　to　pour　a　strong　financial　foundation　when　we　were　just　kids。

Now；　accounting　is　possibly　the　most　boring　subject　in　the　world。

　It　also　could　be　the　most　confusing。