Donald Trump is rich. Really, really rich. And you’re not.

And there’s a very simple reason.

No, it’s not because he works harder than you. It’s not because he’s smarter, tougher or better informed either.

It’s not because he has mastered “the art of the deal.” It’s not because he dreams bigger than you. It’s not because he’s a “winner” and you’re a “loser.” It’s not even that he had a rich daddy, and you didn’t (although that helps).

Donald Trump is rich, and you’re not, because he knows one the biggest secret to making a fortune, and you don’t.

The secret?

Other people’s money.

10 wealthiest couples in the world

The fastest and surest way make money these days is by getting your hands on other people’s money — and then putting it to work for you.

It’s really that simple.

Trump borrowed billions from bankers and used the money to put up buildings like Trump Tower and open casinos like the Taj Mahal. In his books, Trump says that by the early 1990s he owed more than $9 billion.

When things turned sour his companies filed for bankruptcy. Twice. The lenders had to eat the losses.

Too bad. What a bunch of losers!

He then raised more money from bankers, bondholders and even stockholders along the way. On two more occasions his companies filed for bankruptcy. Lenders and investors got hosed.

“Out of hundreds of deals & transactions, I have used the bankruptcy laws a few times to make deals better,” he said recently on Twitter. “Nothing personal, just business… It’s a very effective & commonly used business tool.”

No kidding.

“Like many great business people,” he says, “[I] have used the laws to corporate advantage — smart!”

(His career raises some questions: For example, if his companies went into chapter 11 in the early 1990s owing $9 billion, as he says, and today he’s worth $4 billion, according to Forbes, what happened to the other $5 billion?)

Now here’s the good news.

You can put this secret to work for you, too — just like “The Donald.”

Yes, even if you’re just a regular Joe or Joanna, an ordinary working stiff, you can get “smart” and put this very “effective & commonly used business tool” to help make you rich.

As Trump might say: Stop being a “loser” and start being a “winner.” Stop being a “dummy” and start being “smart.”

Thanks to our great country, its great financial system and its great laws, you have tons of opportunities to get your hands on other people’s money, quite legally and legitimately, and put it to work for you.

And like The Donald, you get to keep the upside — and let the others eat the downside.

Going to college? Don’t be a sucker and take out a student loan. Thanks to the U.S. laws, those student loans will haunt you for years. Instead put it on a credit card — then file for bankruptcy!

Credit card debt is wiped out in bankruptcy. So long as the banks can’t actually prove outright fraud — and they rarely can — you can walk away free and clear.

I weep when I think of all those kids working summer jobs and saving money for college. If you want to be a winner, the reason to work a summer job is to generate income so you can start getting credit cards!

Paying rent on a home? Don’t be a loser. Buy a home with as little down as possible. If real estate prices go up, you get the upside. But if they collapse, just walk away and send the bank the keys.

Half of U.S. states actually have “non recourse” laws so banks cannot even legally come after you for the difference. In the other half, they’ll only do so if you have a lot of money. It’s criminal how many hard-working stiffs kept on paying their mortgages honorably in the housing slump instead of walking away.

What a bunch of “losers.”

“ You don’t need to build Trump Plaza to live high on other people’s money. Just keep piling up the credit card debt. ”

The fun doesn’t stop there. U.S. banks are really, really stupid. Greedy, but stupid. They send out credit cards based on “algorithms” that have nothing to do with whether or not you’re going to pay them back. All they care about is that you’re punctual about paying the monthly minimum. If you have lots of credit lines, and you’ve been borrowing money for years, they even like you more.

You don’t need to build Trump Plaza to live high on other people’s money. Just keep piling up the credit card debt. Roll the debt from one card to another. Just keep paying the monthly minimum on time and the banks will keep on lending.

Cha-ching!

Even better: You can actually save money while borrowing, and put other people’s money to work. When you file for bankruptcy, your 401k and IRAs are sheltered from your creditors. They can’t be touched! (Nor, for that matter, can anything that the courts don’t know about! How about that gold bullion!). Depending on the state in which you live, there are other ways to shelter your money too. In Florida and Texas, you can keep your primary residence. What a deal: You can have a $20 million home and $50,000 in credit card debt, and the banks can’t touch your home. In other states you can shelter things like life insurance policies, a valuable “family shotgun,” and a “family Bible,” even if it’s an original Gutenberg.

Borrow $20,000 a year and invest it in the stock market and by the time you’re old you’ll probably have about $10 million. So long as you do it right, you can wipe out the debt and keep the investments.

Worried about living costs in retirement? Be a “winner” and make sure you die $500,000 in debt, too. What are the banks going to do, dig up your body and sue you?

Other people’s money. It’s difference between the schmucks and the honchos. The “losers” and the “winners.”

It’s time to get smart. If you want to get rich, take a chapter out of the Trump Book of Business. The only chapter that matters — Chapter 11.