Chapter

Better Than
Winning the Lottery
THOMAS G. KOTULA
St. Cloud, Minnesota

For seven and a half years I toiled in a dead-end job sorting mail at the post
office. I logged overtime hours whenever I could—like evenings, weekends, and
holidays—to earn a few extra dollars. With bills due, there was no choice. My
wife and I lived from one payday to the next. Often I worked a second job and
also put in overtime at whatever I was doing: driving a school bus, delivering
pizza, performing odd jobs at a golf course—the list goes on. I don’t recall a
single job that was satisfying. What I lacked was motivation to make a change. I
also lacked faith in myself. I thought that my lack of experience would hold me
back. That, coupled with a tendency to procrastinate, was the obstacle facing me.
Eighteen months ago, before I discovered the tools and hope to change our
lives, my bank account was essentially empty. When I allowed myself to think
about retirement, I figured that the post office would require nineteen more years
of my reluctant presence before I could collect a pension. My post office
retirement account, filled with mutual funds, was our sole investment.
The future didn’t look too bright for us.
Today, thanks to Rich Dad, our bank account contains about $90,000 and
we’re secure enough financially that I could literally get by for ten or more years
without a job if I chose to do so. I’m a Navy veteran who studied speech and
management at college for three years. Thirty-three years old, I’m the father of a
three-year-old son. I plan to retire by the time I’m forty.

A Fresh Look at an Old Subject