I was a teenager when I first read “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” and to say it had an impact would be an understatement. At home, the philosophy was simple: “Money isn’t important.” I was taught to focus on school, get a good job, and the rest would figure itself out. I’m a logical person, though, and I could see the constant stress that a lack of money created in our household. There was a clear disconnect between what I was told and what I saw.

Then I read that book.

It wasn’t just a guide about finance; it was a fundamental shift in my perspective of the world. It felt like someone had handed me a new pair of glasses. The concepts weren’t complex, but they were revolutionary to me. The simple distinction between an asset and a liability, the idea of making money work for you instead of just working for money, it all just clicked.

Little did I know then, but those pages would have a profound and lasting effect on my life. It changed where I put my attention. I began to see the world not just as a place to live and work, but as a system I could understand and participate in more deeply. My focus pivoted from simply being a good student to understanding the mechanics of wealth and a desire to build something for myself. That book is the reason I started down the path of investing, why I became the accountant of my fraternity, and why, to this day, I view every dollar as a choice. It was the starting point for everything that followed.