
Let me guess: “Rich Dad Poor Dad” was the first book on finance you ever read. Okay, maybe I’m just projecting because it was mine. It’s a classic.
I didn’t exactly love to read at the time, but the pocket size and the catchy title won me over. In a little under 250 pages, Robert Kiyosaki told his story as a boy who had two dads – “poor dad” who was his real father, and “rich dad”, a mentor who helped him understand money and business.
He wove this story to expatiate Rich Dad’s nuggets to him and took every opportunity to show the relevance of each piece of Rich Dad’s advice in today’s context. Poor Dad had the spotlight for a while, but only for as long as he illustrated what you should not do if you wanted to build sustainable long-term wealth and bask in financial freedom.
There are a lot of nuggets from Rich Dad that everyone needs, honestly, but they can’t all fit into this post, so here are 6 that really stood out and I’m sure would resonate with you:
1. Make money work for you
The difference between the rich and the poor is that the rich see money as a tool to make more money, unlike the poor who see money as an opportunity to spend even more.
Money is a finite resource, so it should never be idle or you would run out. Deposit it in a high-interest savings plan. Get safe and secure investments that earn returns in your sleep. Put it to work.

2. Your mindset may just need a reset
A simple switch from thinking, “I can’t afford it” to “How can I afford it?” can change a lot for you financially. The latter opens your mind to the possibilities and challenges you to work towards them.
Wealthy people take risks. They’re brave enough to ask questions that challenge their minds. If you sit there saying “I can’t afford it” instead of making sure you can, then maybe you’re not really interested in having financial freedom.
3. Financial literacy is not optional
Whoever came up with the saying that “knowledge is power” must have seen this light. You can’t control what you don’t know. Financial literacy and intelligence would help you maintain your wealth. Make effort to stay abreast of information about money.
Read blogs, consume short-form content on social media, download guides, and subscribe to newsletters that teach you about money. Cowrywise ticks all these boxes, and we’re very intentional about helping you to make sense of money. Don’t be left out.
4. Work to learn, not just to earn
Wait, hear me out. I’m not in any way suggesting that you work for free, or for “exposure”, because these things don’t pay the bills. My point is, value varies in different scenarios.
Feel free to take up an unpaid internship to gain life skills and understudy how that industry works. The insight you may get from there could come in handy for you when you’re building your business. Knowledge sometimes has more potential value than money in the long run. Take such opportunities when they come.
5. Assets and liabilities make the difference
In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki explains that “an asset is something that puts money in your pocket and a liability is something that takes money out of it”. It’s that simple.
As we already discussed earlier, the rich focus on using their money to make more money (acquiring assets) and the poor use their money to incur liabilities. It’s important to note though, that an asset to one, can be a liability to another. There’s no one size fits all.
6. Your company matters
Not every day, “Hey, let’s go shop at that mall that just opened.” Sometimes, “Hey, gentle reminder to top up your savings plan”. Your company matters.
Surround yourself with people who have the right kind of mindset and are constantly looking for ways to solve problems with new ideas. Keep company with people who are headed where you are, so they don’t slow you down.

Phewww, I can keep going, because Rich Dad Poor Dad has more than just 6 gems on financial intelligence and freedom. It explains taxes, savings, mindset and money in a way you probably haven’t seen before. I highly recommend you read this short book, as it would open your mind to a lot of things rich people teach their children that poor people don’t (well, because they can’t).
Have you read Rich Dad Poor Dad? What is one thing that stood out for you? Let’s talk about it in the comments. If you’d be reading it, let me know too.
Share this post if you found it helpful. Plug your friends.
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Simple and educative. Thank you Ope.
Thank you. I’d like for you to explain how the “sell unit” option on Cowrywise works
Hello Ega, when you invest in a mutual fund you buy slices of the fund (units). When you sell units, it means you are taking your money out of the fund.
It is the option you use to withdraw from a mutual fund.
Great innovation from Ope;Cowrywise,just pray it works out well.
Nice educative piece.
Hi, hum how long does it take to get my money back when I sell my units
Is this related to buying shares in firms while cowrywise is the stockbroker?
No please.
Thank you Ọpẹ. This is really simple and enlightening. The pizza analogy made me understand the intricacies of mutual funds.
A very good investment idea.
Like a previous question, how long does it take to get my money back after selling my unit?
Thanks Ope
Everyday I go to my dash board to see how my funds are growing. happy and greatfull to this platform and the decision I took. More investment!!!
Hi Adetoun and Racheal, it takes about one working day to get your funds back.
What a nice write up.
Please keep the flag flying.
You guy are doing a great job.
Thanks
If by chance ah can’t sell the unit expected yet ensure dat my deposit is automatically withdrawn every day what the risk involve there?
I am sold to this idea already. Well done.
Thank you
That’s very explain Tory and educating as well but being a newbie in investment market,
1. Is mutual fund as flexible as T-bill, if the rates on a particular investment increase in a country’s stock market will ROI on the investment mutually increase across board..
2. What’s the duration on mutual fund, it’s it annually or your company’s has a fixed duration before one’s unit can be recoverd, need more clarification on that .
Hello, when a share unit is sold, is the investor still available to receiving dividends?
That depends on the fund type.
Good write up. I know little more than the words. My questions are 1.what’s the tenure of the investment?
2. What’s the interest rate?
3. Can I terminate the investment anytime?
Hello ope, thank you for the explanation.
Does this mean that money can not be lost on mutual funds due to market change?
For money market mutual funds, yes.
Thank you Ope
Pls explain the ‘sell unit’ in Cowrywise and how it works. Thanks.
If you want to withdraw from your mutual fund, selling the units helps you do that.
Can I continue to save in my mutual funds without buying units can it run in auto pilot?
Thanks ope
My question is what is duration time can I terminate my investment , what is the percent interest rate on investment and what is tenure of investment..
The duration is a personal choice you have to make. I play for the long term though.
Thanks Ope dear!
Good write up. My questions are: if I invest 100k, what’s my interest rate? Secondly, if there is an interest rate, how often does it flow into what I have invested? And lastly, how long is the tenure?
Hi there, this depends on the mutual fund you choose. Have you checked them out.
Thank you Ope for the briefing on Mutual funds.
You’re welcome
Thank you Ope, i’ve been to trying to understand this for a long while now i have it like a box of pizza
Sir,
If invest in money market fund,what will be my expected interest?
This is really interesting,I always had a thing for mutual funding but I couldn’t get any better explanation than this,I once had an account with cowrywise but I lost the phone and eventually forgot the password,guess i would have to create one for this
If cowrywise are inactive on NSE, will it affect my investment with them and why are some stockbrokers that were active now inactive?
Very good explanation. Have been saving with cowrywise for some time it has been going I think I will now switch to the investment colum. Thank guys
Many of the questions on my mind have been answered.
Thanks, Ope for the simple explanation.
I’m definitely going to start one today!
Good explanation
Thanks for reading, Adewale
Very Interesting,
My questions now are
1.what’s the tenure of the investment?
2. What’s the interest rate?
3. Can I terminate the investment anytime?
What are the chances of losing money on this platform. Please I need a very clear and understanding response.
Good morning Ope.
Hi Odeniyi.
You don’t lose money with any of our Savings Plans.
For Mutual Fund investments on Cowrywise, there are different ways to earn.
I’ll recommend you begin investing in Money Market Funds as those are low-risk funds.
Thanks federal government for helping us
Thanks … I’ll like to know how possible is it that I’ll earn with out the fund managers selling my units in this platform.
Thanks
Hi Solace.
If you would rather not sell your units, you may also earn through dividends which are paid periodically, depending on which fund you’ve purchased on the platform.
Please let me know if you need any more clarification.
I have alot of questions to ask but just want to ask with these few…
1.what does the sell unit stand for?
2.is it the investor that gets to choose how long the investment would stay….
What’s the minimum amount to start with investing
Hi Ope, Saving on cowrywise has helped me but now I Intend to invest in mutual funds. If I no longer want the funds, can I sell them on cowrywise?
If yes, how long will it take to sell and get my investment back?
Very good write up…. thank you for the information
You’re welcome
So how would I see my profit….
Please I need more information about the dollar mutual funds on cowrywise, the difference between both and which to invest in(talking about Nigeria eurobonds and arm eurobonds)
Please I need more information about the dollar mutual funds on cowrywise, the difference between both and which to invest in(talking about Nigeria eurobonds and arm eurobonds)
Hello Ope, you said “Distribution in this case, would mean waiting on the fund manager to deduct the ₦100,000 gained and pay it to you without selling your units.” does this mean you still have your ₦200,000 phone [which you can still sell and gain another ₦100,000 which still enjoying your ₦100,000 gained from your fund manager?
A
Thank you for this insightful piece.
In case of appreciation of the fund, what would the fund manager do, since I am not monitoring the market fund? Since I don’t want to withdraw yet, what happens next to the fund and the gain, will the fund manager automatically increase my fund with the gain or will he send it to my account?
Thanks for the information, please how do I redeem my mutual fund?I invested in money market fund on the 7 of February,I requested to withdraw from my money but it’s saying I haven’t redeemed my mutual fund
Thanks Ope for this education.
Please, is mutual fund the same as index fund? If no, do we have in index fund in Nigeria?
Thank you again
How long does it take to get your money back after selling your units?
And, what happens if you only sold a certain percentage of it, not 100% of the units?
Very educative Ope, thanks. I hope we can get on clubhouse someday, so much opportunity there
How long does it take to sell your unit
Please Ope I need more clarification on this money market mutual fund. If I invest #5000 this month and continue same in other months just like savings do I still stand a chance of getting gains. Please explain more
How do I sell on mutual investment fund?
Please do I need to invest every day or just once. And too I needed to know more about investing. Finally don’t you have agricultural products investments?
Educative and insightful.
Hello Ope, it was quite insightful.
My question is under *capital appreciation, at what point would the fund manager distribute the gains if I decide not to sell my units, as there an agreed period like in the case of *periodic distribution. Is it going to be at the fund manager discretion?
I
Thanks
Thank you for always simplifying your write up, it’s very informative and educative.
I really want to invest but I kinda still need more explanations, maybe in an ABC way.
And I want to know which investment to go for. Thank you.