The Secret VS Rich Dad Poor Dad
Verdict DROP IT DROP IT
The Reality The book's philosophy had a real, documented, tragic test case. Kim Tinkham, diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after appearing on Oprah's Secret-themed episodes, publicly announced she was forgoing chemotherapy to rely on the book's Law of Attraction philosophy, combined with an unrelated 'pH Miracle' alkaline-diet regimen with zero reliable scientific support. Oprah brought Tinkham back on air specifically to urge her not to 'ignore all the advantages of medical science.' The Law of Attraction itself has no basis in physics or medicine recognized by mainstream science, and Tinkham's case became a widely cited cautionary example of the real-world danger in applying the book's central claim to medical decisions rather than only goals like career or finances. Real-estate investor and author John T. Reed conducted an extensive, published investigation into Kiyosaki's claims and concluded 'Rich Dad' is fiction -- Reed found no evidence Kiyosaki ever got rich by any means other than selling financial-success seminars and books, documented numerous inconsistencies in the book's stories and advice, and reported that Forbes' own investigation into Kiyosaki's claimed Florida real-estate profits could not find a trace of him in Florida real-estate records. Kiyosaki has never publicly named or produced verifiable evidence of the 'rich dad' individual's real identity.
SHORT ANSWER
The Secret: The Secret's Law of Attraction claim has no scientific basis, and its real-world application to serious illness has a documented, tragic case: Kim Tinkham publicly cited the book's philosophy in her decision to forgo chemotherapy for treatable breast cancer.
Rich Dad Poor Dad: A published investigation by real-estate author John T. Reed found no verifiable evidence that Kiyosaki's 'Rich Dad' mentor existed as described, and Forbes' own check of Kiyosaki's claimed Florida real-estate profits found no trace of him in public records.