"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" Personal-finance author and lecturer Robert Kiyosaki developed his unique economic perspective through exposure to a pair of disparate influences: his own highly educated but fiscally unstable father, and the multimillionaire eighth-grade dropout father of his closest friend. The lifelong monetary problems experienced by his "poor dad" (whose weekly paychecks, while respectable, were never quite sufficient to meet family needs) pounded home the counterpoint communicated by his "rich dad" (that "the poor and the middle class work for money," but "the rich have money work for them"). Taking that message to heart, Kiyosaki was able to retire at 47. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, written with consultant and CPA Sharon L. Lechter, lays out the philosophy behind his relationship with money.

"Guide to Investing" Rich people have a different mindset about money and don't just invest passively in the stock market. They certainly don't work for other people. They control their money more intensely by starting businesses and buying real estate, and then managing their assets with tried-and-true business principles. More than a how-to audio, this program lays out the life and money decisions all individuals make, consciously or not, and provides just enough supporting details to make the issues crystal clear and provocative. Watch out if you have any ambition because these possibilities could change your life direction.

"Cashflow Quadrant" This is one of the best of the Rich Dad Poor Dad audios. The core idea in this series is that being an investor or business owner gives one more freedom and a higher upside than being someone else's employee or being an owner-operator of a business. With vivid personal stories, the authors show that many people, including the author's "poor" dad (an educational administrator), choose working for others because of insecurity or misguided trust in organizations. One builds true financial freedom by accumulating assets that make money, especially rental property. Though others have offered this advice, it's clearer and more potent here, and worth listening to many times if your financial insecurity or complacency needs a push.

"Retire Young, Retire Rich" The RICH DAD, POOR DAD author urges us to shift from a wage-earner mentality to the fast track of creating assets that make money for us. He shows that presumably safe methods like a steady job and blue chip stocks are flawed; he recommends educating oneself and taking a few risks. The program focuses on rental property, building a small business, and network marketing as good ways to create a money machine. The tone of the program and the author's personal success stories are very convincing. For a break from buy-and-hold financial advice that really gets at the heart of why we work and invest the way we do, few other personal finance writers are as clear, concise, and influential.

"Rich Kid, Smart Kid" The authors are famous for articulating the difference between saving, investing, owning a business, and being someone's employee. In this audio, they offer the rationale and techniques for passing these distinctions on to children. Their bias is toward being independently wealthy, and they do a marvelous job describing how to introduce young people to that way of thinking: It's all about ownership and accountability for the way one earns, borrows, spends, and invests money. Though their ideas are far from revolutionary, they're fresh and inviting in this production. A must hear for anyone wanting their children to have the habits and attitudes necessary for financial freedom.