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Robert Kiyosaki's Inflation Wake-Up Call: When $100 Bought 8 Months of Groceries, Not Just Lunch

MarketDash Editorial Team
8 hours ago
The "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" author argues that $100 lost over 97% of its purchasing power since 1900, dropping from eight months of groceries to barely covering a meal today. His controversial advice: stop saving cash and start buying assets before inflation eats everything.

Robert Kiyosaki has built his entire brand on a single provocative idea: wealthy people don't save money, they buy assets. Some dismiss his market crash warnings as drama. Others treat him like a prophet who spots economic disasters before the rest of us even notice the smoke.

Last week, he posted a question on X that sounds simple but cuts deep:

"HOW MUCH WILL $100 BUY?"

Then came the breakdown that makes you reconsider everything your parents told you about money.

  • In 1900, $100 bought eight months of groceries
  • In 1960, that same $100 was worth $37
  • In 2000, it dropped to $6
  • In 2025, it's down to $3.80

These numbers might sound wild, but they're rooted in actual data. The U.S. Consumer Price Index tracks how much everyday goods cost over time, and the math is brutal: $100 from 1900 has lost more than 97% of its purchasing power. Cumulative inflation has climbed past 3,700%, steadily destroying the value of cash year after year.

That $100 bill that once kept a family fed for months? Today it might cover a few days of basic groceries for one person—rice, beans, vegetables if you're lucky. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates a typical family of four now spends over $1,200 monthly on food. What used to stock a pantry barely fills a shopping cart anymore.

This is where Kiyosaki's argument lands hardest: if you're saving cash, you're slowly losing money. Quietly. Predictably. Inevitably.

The conventional wisdom—save your money, park it in the bank, watch it grow—doesn't hold up in today's economy, according to the best-selling author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad." In an era of persistent inflation and minimal yields, that mindset doesn't build wealth. It actively drains it. If someone tucked away $100 in 1900 and passed it down through generations untouched, it wouldn't be a blessing today. It'd be nearly worthless.

That sets up his real message, which he delivers with characteristic bluntness.

"Money tip #2: Stop being a loser."

"Losers are losers because they continue to think… using old $ ideas… taught them by their mommy and daddies."

"Losers in this crashing economy will fight like dogs… hanging on to old $ ideas… like the rest of the world's losers."

Kiyosaki doesn't just preach this philosophy—he claims to live it. He says he bought a $4.5 million home in 2025 using $450,000 worth of gold he originally purchased back in 2000. That's a 10x return, powered by hard assets and patience. While inflation destroyed the value of cash, his gold appreciated steadily.

Then he hammers the point home one more time:

"Stop thinking like an OG loser."

"Open your mind… seek new $ ideas. Old ideas are expensive. New ideas are FREE."

The term "OG" usually means "original gangster," but Kiyosaki isn't trying to sound hip. He's targeting old-school financial thinking—the advice handed down from previous generations, designed for an economy that no longer exists. Save cash, build up a bank balance, earn interest, ride it out. In his view, these aren't just outdated habits. They're financially dangerous.

Whether his confrontational style resonates with you or not, the underlying message is hard to ignore: the rules have fundamentally changed. The dollar you're carefully saving today may not hold the value you expect when you finally need it—at least not in the way you think it will.

Back to News

Robert Kiyosaki's Inflation Wake-Up Call: When $100 Bought 8 Months of Groceries, Not Just Lunch

MarketDash Editorial Team
8 hours ago
The "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" author argues that $100 lost over 97% of its purchasing power since 1900, dropping from eight months of groceries to barely covering a meal today. His controversial advice: stop saving cash and start buying assets before inflation eats everything.

Robert Kiyosaki has built his entire brand on a single provocative idea: wealthy people don't save money, they buy assets. Some dismiss his market crash warnings as drama. Others treat him like a prophet who spots economic disasters before the rest of us even notice the smoke.

Last week, he posted a question on X that sounds simple but cuts deep:

"HOW MUCH WILL $100 BUY?"

Then came the breakdown that makes you reconsider everything your parents told you about money.

  • In 1900, $100 bought eight months of groceries
  • In 1960, that same $100 was worth $37
  • In 2000, it dropped to $6
  • In 2025, it's down to $3.80

These numbers might sound wild, but they're rooted in actual data. The U.S. Consumer Price Index tracks how much everyday goods cost over time, and the math is brutal: $100 from 1900 has lost more than 97% of its purchasing power. Cumulative inflation has climbed past 3,700%, steadily destroying the value of cash year after year.

That $100 bill that once kept a family fed for months? Today it might cover a few days of basic groceries for one person—rice, beans, vegetables if you're lucky. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates a typical family of four now spends over $1,200 monthly on food. What used to stock a pantry barely fills a shopping cart anymore.

This is where Kiyosaki's argument lands hardest: if you're saving cash, you're slowly losing money. Quietly. Predictably. Inevitably.

The conventional wisdom—save your money, park it in the bank, watch it grow—doesn't hold up in today's economy, according to the best-selling author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad." In an era of persistent inflation and minimal yields, that mindset doesn't build wealth. It actively drains it. If someone tucked away $100 in 1900 and passed it down through generations untouched, it wouldn't be a blessing today. It'd be nearly worthless.

That sets up his real message, which he delivers with characteristic bluntness.

"Money tip #2: Stop being a loser."

"Losers are losers because they continue to think… using old $ ideas… taught them by their mommy and daddies."

"Losers in this crashing economy will fight like dogs… hanging on to old $ ideas… like the rest of the world's losers."

Kiyosaki doesn't just preach this philosophy—he claims to live it. He says he bought a $4.5 million home in 2025 using $450,000 worth of gold he originally purchased back in 2000. That's a 10x return, powered by hard assets and patience. While inflation destroyed the value of cash, his gold appreciated steadily.

Then he hammers the point home one more time:

"Stop thinking like an OG loser."

"Open your mind… seek new $ ideas. Old ideas are expensive. New ideas are FREE."

The term "OG" usually means "original gangster," but Kiyosaki isn't trying to sound hip. He's targeting old-school financial thinking—the advice handed down from previous generations, designed for an economy that no longer exists. Save cash, build up a bank balance, earn interest, ride it out. In his view, these aren't just outdated habits. They're financially dangerous.

Whether his confrontational style resonates with you or not, the underlying message is hard to ignore: the rules have fundamentally changed. The dollar you're carefully saving today may not hold the value you expect when you finally need it—at least not in the way you think it will.