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Jing Pan
Updated Oct 22, 2025
Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki has a sobering take on one of today’s hottest trends: artificial intelligence (AI).
“BIGGEST CHANGE in MODERN HISTORY,” he declared in an X post on July 1. “AI will cause many ‘smart students’ to lose their jobs. AI will cause massive unemployment. Many still have student loan debt.”
Kiyosaki isn’t alone in sounding the alarm. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic — the AI company behind the large language model Claude — recently warned that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs and push the unemployment rate as high as 20%.
But Kiyosaki isn’t worried about himself, quipping, “AI cannot fire me because I do not have a job.”
He went on to describe his own philosophy, recalling the contrasting advice he received from his poor dad and his rich dad.
“Years ago, rather than listen to my poor dad’s advice of ‘Go to school, get good grades, get a job, pay taxes, get out of debt, save money, and invest in a well diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds,’ I followed my rich dad’s advice. I became an entrepreneur, investing in real estate, using debt, and instead of saving fake money, I have been saving real gold, silver, and today Bitcoin,” he wrote.
Let’s take a closer look at these suggestions.
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From earned income to passive income
Kiyosaki’s story about rejecting his poor dad’s advice and following his rich dad’s instead highlights a simple choice: Rather than getting a traditional job, he became an entrepreneur and started investing in real estate — an asset known for generating passive income.
Once you build a reliable stream of passive income, you can worry less about AI replacing your job because you no longer rely solely on a paycheck.
Kiyosaki has frequently emphasized the importance of this approach. “I have always recommended people become entrepreneurs, at least a side hustle, and not need job security. Then invest in income-producing real estate, in a crash, which provides steady cash flow,” he wrote in an X post on May 19.
Real estate has long been a favored asset for income-focused investors. While stock markets can swing wildly on headlines, high-quality properties often continue to generate stable rental income.
Perhaps that’s why Kiyosaki once disclosed he owns 15,000 houses during an interview with personal finance YouTuber Sharan Hegde — strictly for investment purposes.
Today, you don’t need to be as wealthy as Kiyosaki to get started in real estate investing.
Investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs) offers a hands-off, affordable approach for everyday investors.
You can buy and sell REITs on the stock market through a self-directed online trading platform like CIBC Investor’s Edge, where you’ll pay low commissions on trades and have no or minimal account maintenance charges, depending on the size of your portfolio.
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Turning to precious metals
Kiyosaki didn’t mince words about his disdain for fiat currency, stating that he saves in “real gold and silver” instead of what he calls “fake money.”
That’s no surprise — the famed author has been advocating for precious metals for decades.
In October 2023, he predicted on X: “Gold will soon break through US$2,100 and then take off. You will wish you had bought gold below US$2,000. Next stop, gold US$3,700.”
Prices surged in 2024 and have continued to climb through 2025, surpassing C$4,700 per ounce in late August. Reporting by JPMorgan Chase suggests that gold could strike a high of C$5,500 per ounce by the second quarter of 2026, if current trends continue.
Amid growing market uncertainty, Kiyosaki now believes a crash is imminent, and he is betting on precious metals, among others, to come out on top.
“I’ve been buying real gold, silver, and Bitcoin…. Oil, and cattle….for years….Because I plan on getting richer during the coming crash and next Great Depression,” he wrote in a post on X on Aug. 7.
Gold has long been viewed as a safe-haven investment. It’s not tied to any one country, currency or economy. It can’t be printed out of thin air like fiat money, and investors tend to pile in during times of economic turmoil or geopolitical uncertainty — driving up its value.
Getting some skin in the precious metals game isn’t solely reserved for the Kiyosaki-level rich. With CIBC Investor’s Edge, you have the opportunity to invest in precious metals like gold and silver without the worry of storing and protecting actual bars of them — or managing their mines.
CIBC Investor’s Edge offers these investments in the form of gold and silver e-certificates that you can use to top up your savings.
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Bitcoin
Kiyosaki said he also saves in Bitcoin — no surprise, given that he has long been a vocal supporter of the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
He recently described Bitcoin as “people’s money” and predicted it could soar to “US$500K to US$1 million.”
He’s not alone in that view. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey said in May 2024 that Bitcoin could hit “at least” US$1 million by 2030 — and possibly go even higher.
The recent strides in the crypto industry — such as the passing of the GENIUS Act and President Trump paving the way for inclusion of crypto in retirement accounts — propelled Bitcoin to hit an all-time high of just over US$120,000 on Aug. 13.
Are you spending more than you need to?
While building passive income streams can help you prepare for the “biggest change” Kiyosaki warns about, it’s just as crucial to understand where your money goes each month. Try tracking all your expenses for 30 days, then sort them into two categories: necessities — like rent, groceries, utilities and health care — and discretionary spending, such as dining out, entertainment, shopping and hobbies.
You can use Monarch Money to both build and follow your budget to ensure you’re staying on track.
Within the Monarch Money app you have the option to choose either Category or Flex budgeting depending on your preference. The first involves assigning an amount of money to specific spending categories, and the second works by tracking your spending in flexible categories each month.
Whichever is best for you, Monarch Money keeps budgeting simple so you spend with intent. Plus, Moneywise readers get 50% off their first year with code WISE50.
This breakdown gives you a clear picture of your spending habits and helps identify areas where you can cut back. But trimming waste isn’t just about skipping lattes or takeout.
Even in essential categories, you may be spending more than you need to. The good news? With a bit of research, those costs can often be significantly reduced.
If you end up cutting costs and finding extra savings in your budget, consider parking this cash in an account that pays you a higher interest rate than a regular savings account — so that your idle cash can continue to make you money.
For example, open a personal account with EQ Bank and in just a few minutes you get access to the best features of a chequing account combined with a high-interest savings rate.
When you fund your account and set up a direct deposit, you can earn 3.00% on every dollar deposited into the account.
The account has $0 monthly fees and no minimum balances. Plus, you can withdraw from any ATM in Canada — for free.
— with files from Em Norton
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Sources
1. Axios: Behind the Curtain: A white-collar bloodbath By Jim VandHei and Mike Allen (May 28, 2025)
2. J.P Morgan: Will gold prices break $4,000/oz in 2026? (June 10, 2025)
Jing Pan
Investment Reporter
Jing is an investment reporter for Money.ca. Prior to joining the team, Jing was a research analyst and editor at one of the leading financial publishing companies in North America. Jing has covered numerous aspects of the financial markets, from blue chip dividend stocks to small cap tech stocks to precious metals and currency. An avid advocate of investing for passive income, he wrote a monthly dividend stock newsletter for the better half of the past decade. In his spare time, Jing plays basketball, the violin and the ukulele.
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