Laura Bogart

Mon, May 19, 2025, 6:16 AM4 min read

The harder you work, the more you think about early retirement. There’s no shame in that. Like any career-driven professional who enjoys their job and takes great satisfaction in putting their nose to the grindstone, you probably still daydream about taking that cruise, sitting on the beach, or just enjoying a pleasant afternoon at home reading instead of doing expense reports.

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But some of these people have found a way to turn their dream of early retirement into a reality.

People who retire early often follow distinct strategies for building wealth. Some take inspiration from Robert Kiyosaki, the entrepreneur behind the “Rich Dad Poor Dad” empire. Known for his aspirational yet pragmatic approach to money, Kiyosaki’s advice resonates with those aiming to fast-track their financial freedom.

He outlines many of his principles in the book “Retire Young, Retire Rich,” which, for many early retirees, serves as a guidebook to do just that. They’ve taken the following money habits from Kiyosaki’s book and put them to work — and so can you.

If there’s one thing early retirees have in common, it’s that they’ve developed their financial literacy to the point that they know their IRAs like their ABCs. Kiyosaki is a strong proponent of financial literacy, emphasizing that traditional schooling often prepares people to become employees, not investors.

Early retirees spend time cracking open books (or tuning into podcasts) to learn about assets, liabilities, cash flow and investments — all of which can help them achieve financial independence at a younger age. They don’t necessarily spend money to do it, either. A library card, free podcasts and reputable financial blogs are often all they need to get started.

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Kiyosaki frequently says that financial education isn’t just about facts and formulas — it’s about changing how you think about money. In “Retire Young, Retire Rich,” he stresses the idea that getting rich requires you to shift how you think about money.

People who retire early have unlearned what Kiyosaki regards as poor and middle-class beliefs — such as the idea that you must always work for money, rather than letting your money work for you. They push past fear and self-doubt, adopting a more empowered financial outlook that leads them to save consistently and invest strategically.