While traditional financial advice often focuses on growing your net worth, Kiyosaki has suggested the real key to financial freedom is consistent and positive cash flow. He has stressed that you should prioritize assets that generate regular income — like rental properties, dividend-paying stocks or businesses — over simply accumulating assets that might not be producing income.

“While this may be helpful for someone who is retired, cash flow is not the primary focus for a young accumulator who already has their W-2 income to live off of,” said Filip Telibasa, a certified financial planner at Benzina Wealth. “Instead, this person is better off finding aggressive growth stocks that do not necessarily pay a dividend or cash flow. Holding these positions in a tax advantaged vehicle like a Roth IRA further compounds long term benefits.”