There is no magician to help you get rich

Just because a money guru made it doesn't mean their advice will make you rich too, warns Nima Abu Wardeh.

Rich, poor or downright broke. Which do you choose?
I ask because I believe the time is ripe for more people to become worse off while trying to create wealth.
Especially those going the get rich quick route. You know the sort of thing - where the people sure to make money are the folks selling the dream.
I bring this up because there's a congress this month that screams, "Pay to hear me speak because I'm rich. I'll share what I know. Then you can be like me. Rich. Promise".
These people are wealthy - in part - because the likes of you and me pay to hear them tell their stories. We do this because we want some of their magic to rub off on us - to learn how to spot a great deal, buy property with no money of our own and start building up passive income.
Or perhaps we're looking to be motivated by hugely successful entrepreneurs. Fair enough, but it doesn't make us one of them.
Unfortunately, many buying the (very) expensive tickets are the least able to afford to. They're spending because they urgently need more money. So desperation clouds the mind.
The event taglines don't help - headlining moneymaking personalities who are the world's No 1 wealth coach, online wealth creator, or investor - you get the picture.
Don't get me wrong. I take my hat off to people who "make it".
What I'm cautioning against is punters who, in financial flux, think that forking out to be in their presence will make it happen for them.
The thing that especially catches the eye is the opportunity to create passive income - the holy grail of cash generation.
Who wouldn't want that? No one I know.
And that's why fortunes are built on selling the secret to it.
One such passive-income deity is the co-author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki.
I picked up his book years ago. It's an easy read - but overlooks many issues. Annoying things like risk and the downside of leveraging.
But it's not all bad. Kiyosaki's main metric is cash flow. And cash flow with capital growth is even better.
To simplify, Kiyosaki views all consumable goods as liabilities - they take money from your pocket. I like this simplification.
It's the stuff many people in the UAE fall for: the latest phone, newest car and all the other things that cost a pretty penny to buy, then strip you of more money for the duration that they're in your life and beyond. How so? Either with monthly payments or by depriving you from opportunity because you no longer have that capital in your life.
But you are saving money because you've bought a home and are paying a mortgage, I hear you say. Sorry, Kiyosaki shoots that one down because it's not paying you anything.
His definition of an asset is any­thing that puts money in your pocket.
This is the sort of thing I guess he'll be talking about at the congress.
If you are contemplating going, ask yourself what you get out of it.
It could be:
. learning something very valu­able
. meeting like-minded people - aka networking
. hearing a hero of yours speak
. you're desperate to be rich or at least get out of the mounting debt you're in and someone at this event will help you sort it out
My take:
. If you don't have the money to burn, don't go
. Read the book before buying a ticket
. Research the personality you are most interested in listening to - and read reviews. There are many online. As for the possibility of learning a secret that'll leapfrog you into the big league, it just won't happen. There'll be a carrot dangling, not a steak dinner in your tummy.
Plus, remember, the world order has changed since these people succeeded.
We are up against increasingly difficult and cash-strapped times.
So if you're looking for inspiration or an expensive time socialising, go for it. Just don't go for broke.
Nima Abu Wardeh describes herself using three words: Person. Parent. Pupil. Each day she works out which one gets priority, sharing her journey on finding-nima.com
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