Robert Kiyosaki says he’s $1.2B in debt — and isn’t worried. He uses debt to buy this 1 asset and ‘pay no tax legally’

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For most people, carrying $1.2 billion in debt would be a terrifying prospect. But for Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, it's no cause for concern. And an August 2026 Vanity Fair profile offers some important context behind that eye-popping figure.

Kiyosaki doesn't personally owe $1.2 billion, according to his former wife and longtime business partner Kim Kiyosaki. Rather, the debt is held by a group of real estate investors, including Kiyosaki and his partners, tied to roughly 1,500 apartment units. His personal share is reportedly much smaller (1).

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In a prior appearance on The Iced Coffee Hour podcast, the hosts asked Kiyosaki a blunt question: "How much debt do you have?" Kiyosaki didn't hesitate. "$1.2 billion," he replied (2).

The figure may be eye-popping, but it fits neatly with Kiyosaki's long-running philosophy: Use borrowed money to acquire assets that can generate income and appreciate over time.

When asked on the podcast whether that amount made him nervous — or worried about defaulting — Kiyosaki laughed.

"Are you sh-tting me?" he said. "No. I'll tell you why. If you owe the bank $20 million and you can't pay it back, you got a problem. But you owe the bank $1 billion and you can't pay it back, it's their problem."

That quip, a modern echo of J. Paul Getty's famous line, reflects Kiyosaki's philosophy on money: Use debt strategically, not fearfully. When asked why the bank gave him such an astronomical loan, he needed only two words — "real estate."

Indeed, investing in property often requires leverage, whether you're buying your first rental unit or scaling a portfolio. For Kiyosaki, that mindset goes back decades — and runs counter to conventional wisdom.

"Debt is money. My poor dad always says, 'Get out of debt,' Dave Ramsey says, 'Get out of debt.' My rich dad says, 'Only lazy people use their own money — your job is to borrow money,'" Kiyosaki explained in a recent interview with Hannah Hammond (3).

And he's clearly followed that advice. "We're always buying real estate because we use debt — and we pay no tax legally," he said.