Irony of Education
Although conventional wisdom suggests that education is a reliable path to wealth, the author's "poor" dad was the more highly educated of the two father figures in the book. The "poor" dad, Kiyosaki's actual father, worked as a university professor and had multiple degrees. Yet he had trouble with money management throughout his life and therefore never accumulated a lot of wealth. The "rich" dad, a father figure who was the parent of one of Kiyosaki's childhood friends, had very little conventional education. Street-smart and money-savvy, he built up a financial empire based on knowledge that wasn't taught in schools.
Irony of Counterfeiting
Robert and his friend set out to "make" money, with the full support of their parents who believe that the boys are looking for some kind of freelance employment. The boys collect empty toothpaste tubes and other items made of lead. Their parents, and most readers, expect the boys to find a way to sell their collected materials to "make" or earn money. They think about "making" money in the sense of earning it. Ironically, the boys are engaged in an illegal activity: they are melting the metal down and using it to make counterfeit coins. Their description of their activities as "making" money is literally true, but it is not what the reader or the boys' parents expect.
Irony of More Money
The author's "poor" dad is described as being constantly in debt. He believed that all his financial problems would go away if he made more money; ironically, the more money he made the more deeply in debt he became because his spending expanded to consume all his available income. One of the points Kiyosaki develops consistently in this book is the idea that more money doesn't necessarily solve a money problem. He emphasizes the management of cash flow, so that people consistently spend less than they earn. He also shows ways to direct cash flow to investments that produce even more income to the person who owns it. Even a person with very little money can invest a portion of it and receive passive income from sources besides work. This is one of the "rich" dad's strategies for accumulating wealth. Simply receiving a higher income or a bigger paycheck will not help a person become wealthy if he or she spends it all.
Irony of Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary folk hero from England who supposedly lived sometime during the late Middle Ages. An outlaw, Robin Hood was the subject of many popular ballads and stories. In these stories, he stole from the hereditary elite-- the rich-- by attacking and robbing traveling landowners, corrupt religious leaders, and others who were systematically enriching themselves by exploiting their hereditary perquisites. Robin Hood used the money he stole to feed and support his "merry men". The robberies were generally not violent: the victims were simply kidnapped and taken as "guests" to a meal served in the woods, which generally consisted of meat obtained by illegal hunting. The "guests", if they were poor, were simply treated to a meal and allowed to go free. If they were wealthy, they had to ransom themselves to be allowed to go free. This process was simplified over time until it was known as "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor". Robin Hood is therefore usually portrayed as a hero. Many people believe his forcible redistribution of wealth is a good thing.
In Kiyosaki's book, Robin Hood is a villain. To Kiyosaki, a person who is rich generally hasn't earned his or her fortune by exploiting others the way the medieval elite exploited their peasants. To Kiyosaki, a wealthy person is someone who has mastered the art of self-control enough to save, invest, and manage cash flow to accumulate wealth. For some Robin Hood to come in and take the results of such a person's labor, to redistribute those assets to others who have not worked or exercised self-control, is not desirable according to Kiyosaki. Yet presenting Robin Hood as something besides a movie hero is the opposite of what is generally expected.
Irony of Frustration
Most people expect adult mentors to cultivate positive feelings and experiences in children. Negative emotions such as frustration and anger are things most people try to avoid. For a parent figure to deliberately make a child frustrated or angry is unusual. But that is exactly what "Rich Dad" did.
"Rich Dad" intentionally put Robert into situations calculated to produce frustration with conventional work and pay. He did it as a teaching tool because he knew that if Robert became frustrated with a low-paying job he would start to think more entrepreneurially instead of associating income only with work or a job. So he deliberately underpaid Robert and, when Robert complained, took the pay away to teach him to look for money-making opportunities that did not involve exchanging labor for money. This is the opposite of what Robert expected, which was a job with "fair" pay.
