You will never lose money on a deal you didn't do. So when you miss an opportunity, don't beat yourself up. Instead, consider what you learned and move forward.

Don't worry about the deals that get away. Focus on making the ones you are doing as profitable as possible.

But with that said, it's important that you and your spouse set some rules so that you keep your business activities in perspective and proportion with the rest of your lives. Don't spend the whole day working on your business and then the whole evening talking about it. You have to turn it off. You have to spend time on your personal relationship and your family.

When you and your spouse become business partners as well as life partners, set some ground rules. Be clear on when you're working and when you're not. And always allow enough time to nurture the feelings that brought you together in the first place.

To know whether or not a particular investment will work for you, you must know your market. There are no shortcuts or exceptions to this rule. You must get out in the field and look at all types of properties. Looking does not commit you to buying and each time you look at real estate, you learn more.

Read the real estate section of your local newspaper. Get comfortable with the language of real estate and the jargon most investors use. Know what the current market values are in various parts of your community for both property prices and rents. Establish relationships with several real estate agents. Join and be active in your local real estate investors’ organizations.

When you know your market, you will be able to recognize and take advantage of bargains and great deals when they come your way.

So what are the five reasons why Kim Kiyosaki thinks you should be rich? Click here to read her article and find out.

You put your money to work by investing it wisely. Putting your money in a basic bank account is like putting your best, hardest-working employee in jail. The jail (bank) will put your employee (money) to work for its own benefit, and you’ll see little if any of the results.

Think about what your money can do for you and get the most out of it that you possibly can.

Here are a few bits of wisdom Robert offered:

"The biggest thing about financial intelligence is knowing when to save and when not to save." (He pointed out that in today's economy, he's not saving -- he's investing!)

"Banks will always give me money for real estate." (Banks typically won't give you money to invest in stock)

"If you’re going to invest today, invest globally."

"The tax code incentivizes the entrepreneur and punishes the employee." (Become an entrepreneur to build your wealth and to take advantage of the tax breaks the tax code offers.)

In a comment about today's political situation, Steve Forbes noted: "Never underestimate the power of politicians to muck things up."

A concise summary of the discussion is: Increase your own financial IQ so that you can take care of yourself regardless of what happens to the economy.

HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) is currently offering Grant-Writing Workshops all around the county. These workshops are free of charge and open to the public. The classes will discuss topics such as organizational capacity building, grant proposal writing techniques, accessing government funds, HUD common factors for award, and tips on working with local government agencies. The following is a list of upcoming workshops in May and June:

Workshops for May/June:

May 28-29: Baltimore, MD
email contact: James.C.Shay@hud.gov, Baltimore HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 2-3: Pittsburg, PA
email contact: Cynthia.L.Haines@hud.gov, Pittsburgh HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 9-10: Norfolk, VA
email contact: Anne.Davis@hud.gov, Richmond HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 12-13: South Bend, IN
email contact: Teresa.M.Jeternewburn@hud.gov, Indianapolis HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 18-19: Shepardstown, WV
email contact: Evelyn.Young@hud.go, Charleston HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 18-19: Warwick, RI
email contact: Ernest.Zupancic@hud.gov, Rhode Island/New Hampshire HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 24-26: Culpepper, VA
email contact: Anne.Davis@hud.gov, Richmond HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 30-July 1: Erie, PA
email contact: Cynthia.L.Haines@hud.gov, Pittsburgh HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 30-July 1: Chicago, IL
email contact: David.K.Cole@hud.gov, Chicago HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 2008: Salt Lake City, UT
email contact: Pauline.Zvonkovic@hud.gov, Salt Lake City HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 2008: Rochester, NY
email contact: Michele.E.Bernier@hud.gov, Buffalo HUD CFBCI Liaison

June 2008: Wyoming
email contact: Christian.Stearns@hud.gov, Casper HUD CFBCI Liaison

For a list of later workshops (July-September), please consult the following site: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fbci/grantwriting08.cfm

For other information about HUD's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, consult the site here: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fbci/

1. Positive cash flow. When you buy and hold a property for cash flow, take your total income and subtract all of your expenses. If you have money left over, that’s positive cash flow, and you have made a profit.

2. Appreciation. You profit when your property increases in value, even though you do not actually receive the cash until you sell. There are two types of real property appreciation: natural, which is the amount the market goes up and forced, which is adding value with improvements or a change of use.

3. Equity buildup. As the principal balance of your mortgage is reduced, your equity in the property increases. If the property is rented and you are using the rental income to make the mortgage payments and reduce the principal balance, you can consider the equity you gain part of your profit.

4. Tax reduction. Owning investment property entitles you to use a number of tax reduction strategies, including deductions for depreciation, interest, maintenance, and other expenses related to the management of the property.

5. Financing. If you hold all or part of the mortgage on property you sell, you can profit from the interest on the loan.

On May 22, 2008 Forbes.com will hold its first-ever virtual investor conference that is designed to help investors navigate the current turbulent market environment.

Prospering during times of uncertainty takes more than just patience and investor fortitude, it requires smart, actionable investment advice. This day-long online event begins at 10:00 a.m. and goes to 6:00 p.m., and will feature Steve Forbes and an all star panel of investment advisors and experts, including Robert Kiyosaki. The event is free to all investors and is accessible via any Web-connected computer.

In addition to speakers and discussions, you can visit an exhibit hall with booths and information about the sponsors. There is also a resource center, opportunities to network, receive advice through chat rooms and message boards and the opportunity to win prizes just for attending!

Robert Kiyosaki and Steve Forbes will present Stocks, Politics and the Economy: Prudent Strategies for Turbulent Times at 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Click here for more information and to register for this valuable free event.

“Robert and I never have the money to do our deals, so the excuse of ‘I don’t have money’ doesn’t fly.”
— Kim Kiyosaki, author of Rich Woman

In the context of her presentation, Kim was saying that she and Robert never invest their own money and they never wait until they have cash available to find deals. When they find the great investments, they find the money.

“You have two professions today: What you do to earn your money and what you do to manage and grow your money.
— Kim Kiyosaki

We need to start building our wealth and financial independence by earning money. Then we have to manage and grow that money. If you like what you do to earn money, you can choose to continue doing it even if you don’t need to. Just understand the difference.

“Success is the result of good judgment. Good judgment is the result of experience.”
— Adam Ginsberg

“If you’re not good at what you do, you achieve mediocrity by choice.”
— David Shamy

“Be prepared for your product to become obsolete.”
— Jacquelyn Lynn

“The most important skill in business is knowing how to sell.”
— Blair Singer

On Your World with Neil Cavuto, Robert talked about how his earlier predictions have come true and discussed the current real estate market, including explaining how he chooses where to invest. His real estate investments follow the job market—in other words, he buys properties where the job market is strong because workers need places to live. He said: “We don’t have a real estate crisis, we’re having a financing crisis.”

At the end of the interview, Neil Cavuto said: “Robert Kiyosaki – he has been right every step of the way.”

When Robert appeared on Fox Business Network’s Happy Hour, he repeated that this is a great time to look for investment bargains. But, he cautioned, you need to be smart about it. “Financial intelligence is your greatest asset,” he said. “Invest in your intelligence first before you go buy a stock or bond or gold or silver.”

He was critical of financial “gurus” who tell people to cut up their credit cards. He pointed out that you need credit cards to function in today’s economy—to rent a car, check into a hotel, purchase merchandise online, and so on. The key is to use credit cards responsibly. When people get into financial problems because of credit cards, the fault is not the credit cards, but the person using them.

Some lucky folks also won more tangible prizes. They are:

Tibor Kelemen of Irvine, California was the grand prize winner and will choose from one of four vehicles: Mini Cooper, Nissan Rogue S, Honda Civic Hybrid, and VW Beetle S convertible.

Raquel Warfield of Colorado Springs, Colorado, won $2,500 to spend or invest any way she likes.

Michael Muniz of Elk River, Minnesota, won an ISIS Puzzle.

Congratulations to these winners and to all the winners who have committed to improving their financial literacy and becoming financially independent.