Three years ago someone loaned me a book from a series called Rich Dad Poor Dad. I have to admit my eyes were opened. I was in graduate school and I thought that an academic education was the key to financial success. I was wrong. Today, I have three college degrees and I still struggle to make ends meet. In 2002, I was hopelessly stuck in what Rich Dad calls "the rat race" and I didn't even know it. I now realize that good grades and hard work DO NOT guarantee finanical success. In fact, in 2002 I began to understand that I was financially illiterate! I am still in the rat race today and have over twenty thousand dollars in student loan debt. But thanks to Rich Dad, I have started a different education that includes paper investing, real estate, and business building.

I knew that it wouldn't be easy - learning about starting a real business, real estate, the stock market, and increasing my financial IQ. I began my financial journey in 2002 - learning a ton along the way but having little to show for it financially. I was still a student and worked part-time so I didn't have alot of "financial study time." I also didn't have much money. Most books I've read in-store because I didn't have enough money to buy them! Then it happened...

One Monday night in 2004, my skin began to tingle from my chest to my toes. Like a typical man, I thought it would go away. It just got worse...when I went to the doctor a few days later they admitted me the same day. It was a spinal tumor! It looked bad, at one point I was told that there was a 99% chance of cancer. Emergency surgery was the only option. Thankfully, the tumor was benign and the surgery was a success! However, I was out of work for five weeks!

I didn't go to work so I didn't get paid! What would happen to you if you were out of work for five weeks?

I had insurance so the hospital stay and surgery were covered, but I had no income. This experience reminded me that I was still in the rat race. Five days a week, I have to be at work when my employer tells me to be there. I work really hard and in return I get a paycheck. However, after my recovery from my surgery, I restarted with fresh enthusiasm my journey to learn how to make my money work hard for me.

In the Rich Dad series, there is a book called The Business School For People Who Like Helping People. Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter (the authors of Rich Dad Poor Dad) highlight "the eight hidden values of a network marketing business, other than making money." Yes, I was skeptical at first. Networking marketing companies come and go all the time and most seem to be a waste of time and money - some even break the law. However, there are many legetimate companies and many people building serious incomes from home. Income that will continue for years whether they are in the hospital, on a mission trip, or just taking a break from work. In addition to income, these people are getting a financial education that they can apply to other areas of investing. Anyway, Rich Dad convinced me to give network marketing a try.

Network marketing may or may not be right for you. What can you do today to improve your financial health tomorrow? Imagine if you were out of work for three months, six months, or even a year? Would you have enough income coming in to pay your bills and insurance premiums? The key is education but not from a university. Start studying something today whether it is network marketing, stock options, real estate, precious metals or whatever investment may be right for you.