Assets

One of my idols that always give me inspirations by his quotes which is usually about financial success is Robert Kiyosaki. I always try to learn and implement his suggestions about financial plan and hope that I can be a success person. I follow him for his ideas from a Facebook page HERE. I also have some books written by him like "Cash Flow Quadrant" and "Rich Dad Poor Dad". Some of his quotes talk about assets. These are some of them.

"Live it up! Buy everything you want… just by the assets to pay for them first."

"I use debt to buy assets. Most people use debt to buy toys and liabilities."

"Don’t buy luxuries until you have built the assets to afford them."

"If you want to predict a person’s financial future, you have to look no further than the expense column. Are they buying liabilities or assets?" 

"By making charity and investing in assets making expenses in his budget, my rich dad ensured that he would make them a priority. He called it paying himself first." 

OK.  Firstly, we must figure out what asset is. In financial accounting, assets are economic resources. Anything tangible or intangible that is capable of being owned or controlled to produce value and that is held to have positive economic value is considered an asset. Simply stated, assets represent value of ownership that can be converted into cash (although cash itself is also considered an asset).[Wikipedia] Another definition from Investopedia said that In the context of accounting, assets are either current or fixed (non-current). Current means that the asset will be consumed within one year. Generally, this includes things like cash, accounts receivable and inventory. Fixed assets are those that are expected to keep providing benefit for more than one year, such as equipment, buildings and real estate.

When we talk about assets, usually we also hear about liabilities. In financial accounting, a liability is defined as an obligation of an entity arising from past transactions or events, the settlement of which may result in the transfer or use of assets, provision of services or other yielding of economic benefits in the future. [Wikipedia] I found a resource that gives some samples about assets and liabilities so I hope that we can realize the differences between them more easily.

These are assets.

• Cash -- any physical currency and coins you have
• Funds in the bank -- all the money you have in a savings, checking, or money market accounts, and any certificates of deposit (CDs)
• Stocks, bonds and mutual funds: also list savings bonds
• Retirement accounts -- includes 401(k) funds, IRAs and any other retirement accounts
• Life insurance -- counting any cash value you have in the policy
• Motor Vehicles: the current blue book value of any cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs, etc.
• Real Estate -- the current market value of property (house, condo, land, etc.) you own, even if you have a mortgage
• Personal Valuables -- including the market value of jewelry, collectibles (from baseball cards to art) and furniture
• Money you're owed -- as long as you have a reasonable expectation of being paid back [source: Sahadi]

In reality, just because you own these assets doesn't mean you'll be able to access their monetary value today. Only cash and other highly liquid assets -- things that you can exchange for a good market value quickly -- are easily accessible. Although it might take months to turn real estate into its true cash value, use the full market value when calculating your net worth today.

These are liabilities.

• Mortgage -- the principal or amount you have left to pay on your mortgage(s)
• Home equity loan -- how much you owe if you have a home equity loan
• Automobile loan -- the amount you have yet to pay on your car(s) and other motor vehicles
• Student loans -- the amount left on student loans
• Credit card debt -- any balance owed to a credit card company

Now, I always think about how I can build assets. Then, I also always some ideas like build valuable website, manage land, make business in trading, etc.  But, Steve Job said, "Idea is cheap". Yeah, implementation is the important one. I must learn more, work more, and do the best.

"Don’t just try to find great opportunities. Find an opportunity and make it great." ~ Robert Kiyosaki 

"Rich dad is about teaching you how to mind your own business rather than having others run your life." ~ Robert Kiyosaki

References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asset
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liability_(financial_accounting)
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/asset.asp#axzz22rsUwhkJ
http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/financial-planning/net-worth1.htm