Alain de Botton set off the warning bells to the hazards of the culture of envy in his book Status Anxiety. "One of the things that's happened in the modern world is that we believe our societies are more or less fair - if you have talent, and you've got energy and got something to say, you can make it to the top. But this creates a horrible nasty streak - if you genuinely believe those at the top deserve their success, you have to believe those at the bottom deserve their failure." The likes of Kiyosaki seems to assert those at the bottom deserve their failure. One of his sayings is "Winners are not afraid of losing, but losers are." But for a fee he'll show you how to drag your sorry arse out of the ghetto of mediocrity.

His three-hour seminar costs $75. His three-day workshop costs $7000. But will it make you a winner? On his last tour of Australia he spent two hours talking with the South Sydney Rabbitohs. And where are they now? I haven't had time to check out their real estate portfolios, but I can tell you they're poor when it comes to points on the NRL ladder. Despite his poor record with the Rabbitohs, Kiyosaki sold out his latest Sydney seminar, thanks to slick marketing and cushy interviews. Rarely is there scrutiny of the results he gets, the methods he uses and the platitudes he peddles. As the Dalai Lama once said, "Beware of people selling enlightenment." And that's a worthy sentiment applicable for those looking for spiritual as well as financial salvation. John T. Reed, an investment adviser in the US, suggests we should all beware of Kiyosaki. "I do not know anything about Australian real estate. It is likely that Kiyosaki and I share that characteristic, although he no doubt learnt a little during his speaking visit. There is an old saying that an expert is someone who carries a briefcase and is at least 50 miles from home. By that standard, Kiyosaki and [investment guru John] Burley must be absolute geniuses in Australia."

On the website johntreed.com, Kiyosaki cops plenty of scrutiny - 43 pages of it. Reed levels numerous allegations against Kiyosaki. "Rich Dad, Poor Dad is one of the dumbest financial advice books I have ever read. It contains many factual errors and numerous extremely unlikely accounts of events that supposedly occurred," Reed says. We should be wise to these guys by now. Five years ago there was a big seminar on at the Entertainment Centre called "The World Masters of Business". On the bill, among others, were Brad Cooper, Rene Rivkin, "Chainsaw" Al Dunlap and Kevin Trudeau.

At that time Chainsaw Al had already been sued for cooking the books at Sunbeam - for inflating profit margins and misleading investors. He settled with shareholders out of court for $15 million and has since been given a lifetime ban from serving as an officer or director of any public company. Trudeau had been jailed for credit card fraud and busted for pyramid selling. His Mega-Memory informercials were banned in NSW for making false claims. Later on we found out more about Cooper's ideas on wealth creation during the HIH royal commission. Rivkin ended up giving free information on his investment strategies at his trial for insider trading. So beware the prophets of profit. If someone is heard mouthing wealth creation platitudes on a stage at a convention centre, assume they're talking rubbish.

Either that or take my advice on making money. Rich people are often tightwads. If you want to learn about how they made their money, do it for free. Go to the library and borrow their books. That's what Kiyosaki would do. His staff at the Rich Dad seminars don't even get paid. They have to volunteer. So if they're not getting paid, why should he? Steve Cannane is a Triple-J broadcaster.