What Can We Learn From Donald Trump?

Donald Trump. Even his name is impressive. The trump card has the highest value, the biggest number. It was as though he was destined to be The Man. But it wasn't his name that got him where he is today. It was sound financial planning. Sound investing. And it's no big secret. Even though the information about his Trump University is vague, it is pretty easy to read between the lines.


What can we learn from Donald Trump? Well let's look at the language of his section of http://www.worldwidelearn.com/trump/trump-university.htm to find out.

It states, for instance, that he possesses an "unmatched knowledge" of the marketplace. He knows how to spot a deal and how to successfully close it. Knowledge, folks. It's knowledge that got Trump where he is today. Knowledge of the market and of deal-making. It's education that makes it possible. You have to educate yourself financially and then you can begin to invest and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Mental labor.

The side also mentions his "theory of calculated risk." Calculated risk. Everything in life that we do is risky, from driving a car to playing a sport. But if you minimize the risk through learning how to do it properly, chances are you'll be fine. Real estate investing is exactly the same. There is risk involved, but the biggest risk is jumping in with no knowledge of what you're getting yourself into, no knowledge of the process. If you don't take the time to educate yourself, and then take baby steps toward being the kind of investor you want to be, then you are putting yourself at risk. But if you approach investing intelligently, you are building a foundation for your financial future.

Let's take another look at Trump's name. There may be something to it after all, at least on a symbolic level. If a man's name contains his essence, as many ancient cultures believed, then this name is a symbol for this man's essence. He IS the "trump." He IS the high number. His success lies, not just in what he does, but in what he is. It lies not just in the fact that he knows how to "do" wealthy, but in the fact that he knows how to "be" wealthy. What you are is what you think and you can only think what you know. It's all in education. In learning. When you start educating yourself to know what a real estate investor knows, you will learn how to think like a real estate investor. And once you do that, you are on your way to making money.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich Dad book series, laid it all out in black and white, right there in "Cash Flow Quadrant."

"Rich Dad's Cash Flow Quadrant is about being not doing," Kiyosaki said. "The good news is that it does not cost much money to change your thinking."

Kiyosaki's approach is a holistic one. He says himself that he has not written a "how to" guide. His principles can be used to "strengthen" your thinking for any endeavor. Even becoming rich.

The other good news is, your name doesn't have to be Trump for you to learn how to hold the trump card.