The book that changed my life

It's hard to admit that one small, thin book completely transformed my life, but it's the truth. After completing my military service in March 2003, I began exploring academic studies. After all, being the son of an immigrant from the Soviet Union whose family immigrated in the 1970s, education, enrichment programs, private tutors, books, plays, operas, and concerts were all part of my life from a very young age. My mom expected me to go to college, and I didn't want to disappoint her.

Don't get me wrong – in high school I was exposed to the fascinating world of international relations, and I dreamt of working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My English is excellent, my grasp for languages is an inheritance from my grandmother, and I was tutored weekly in English for 8 years.

I enrolled in studies at the Hebrew University for International Relations and Arabic, and I started working at James Richardson Duty-Free as a cashier. I worked there on 24/7 shifts, trying to sell the products at the cash register and snacking on the open candies that the employees always kept. One day, when I came to switch the cashier, I spotted a book with a colorful purple, blue and yellow cover, "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. I asked the cashier, "What is this book?" and she said, "Take it so have something to read." I thanked her and took the book.

I have to share something with you. The path I had set for myself at a young age, to become a foreign minister, didn't seem so certain. A fellow soldier who visited our unit told me he had just finished studying in the exact same field, but it was hard to find work, and the entrance exams for diplomatic courses were challenging. You see, I wanted to reach a position of influence and wealth. I wanted to be free from financial worries and be in a position where I could support my people with my abilities and knowledge (a slightly naive dream, or maybe not when I look back at it today).

When I came home, I stretched out on the big living room couch, and started reading. I discovered a whole new world. A world I didn't really know, a world of investments, successes, failures, challenges, and a belief in the righteousness of the path. The book essentially offered me what I wanted, but I couldn't translate it into a plan or actions. The author suggested accumulating passive income through real estate investments, investments in securities, and businesses. I felt immense euphoria and an uplifting surge that I haven't really felt befre.

The book suggested that to reach the desired goal of passive income that allows comfortable and worry-free living, I needed to "develop my financial intelligence."

Within six months of working at the Duty-Free, I resigned and decided that I wanted to focus solely on gaining knowledge about investments, real estate, and business building. I would go to the library every day, approach the business books shelf, and start reading.

I discovered a rich and fascinating world, filled with concepts and ideas I hadn't encountered before. For me, it was a completely different kind of experience. I decided to enroll in a real estate course at the Building College to learn more about real estate. During the course, I would attend a weekly class and sit with 50-70 yea-old people, listening to legal concepts about contracts and real estate. A 22-year-old sitting in a classroom with older people and listening.

The course, whose primary purpose was preparation for a brokerage license, convinced me to get licensed. I decided that the best way to learn was through hands-on experience and joined as a real estate agent at Remax branch in Rishon LeZion.

Working as a real estate agent was tough, but I learned a lot from the experience.

After a year on the job, I broke, and decided that I wanted to learn more about finance and investments, through hands-on experience. Therefore, I joined the Bank Leumi "Leumi Call" center.

There, too, I learned a lot about loans, credit, deposits, and even day trading on the stock market. I observed how people traded and the actions taken following market fluctuations. I also opened an investment account and managed to make money, but mainly managed to lose it. Options can be a very good way to lose money, like gambling...

I didn't stop reading and participating in various courses throughout my jobs, and I'm really glad I chose to invest money and, most importantly, time in this path because it has made me a knowledgeable person today. I hope to continue learning and developing 😊