‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ author sends bold message on gold, silver

Gold has been one of the best places for investors to make money in 2025. While a weak economy and trade war have taken a sledgehammer to stocks, bonds, and the U.S. Dollar, the yellow metal has delivered gold bugs double-digit returns.

Since the start of the year, gold has surged 25%, including a roughly 15% gain in April. The move in the precious metal has been so significant that gold traded at record highs this week because of strong demand from central banks and Main Street investors.

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The move in gold may have surprised many people, but not Robert Kiyosaki, the author of the best-selling book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” Kiyosaki, a long-time bull on gold and silver, has been recommending it regularly over the past year. 

Now that his bullishness has paid off, Kiyosaki updated his gold and silver outlook this week. Given his success so far, it may be worth paying attention to what he thinks happens to gold and silver next. 

Gold stocks have surged in 2025 amid recession worries and a falling U.S. dollar.

Image source: Costaseca/Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Gold rocks higher as Fed falls behind curve

Sticky inflation, rising unemployment, and trade war headwinds could mean the U.S. economy is headed for stagflation or, worse, a recession.

While inflation has declined from above 8% in the summer of 2022, it remains troublesome. In March, the Consumer Price Index showed inflation of 2.4%, which is still north of the Federal Reserve’s 2% inflation target.

Related: Veteran analyst sends blunt 11-word message on gold stocks

Worse, tariffs imposed by the White House this month suggest prices could soon be heading higher, further crimping consumers and derailing business spending.

The so-called “Liberation Day” tariff announcement included import taxes much higher than economists expected. While most tariffs have been paused for 90 days, key taxes remain. 

For example, a 10% tariff is in place on all imports, and Mexico and Canada face 25% tariffs. Autos are similarly subject to a 25% import tax. Even more striking, the U.S. has slapped a 145% tariff on Chinese imports that’s likely to cause surging inflation on everything from clothing to electronics. 

The prospect of inflation chipping further away at budgets isn’t lost on consumers, given that sentiment has fallen off a cliff. 

The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Survey results plummeted 8% in April from March to 52.2. That’s the fourth-worst reading in the month of April since 1952. The all-important expectations component of the survey has retreated 32% since January, the worst three-month drop since the 1990 recession. Americans now expect inflation in the year ahead to hit 6.5%, up from 5% last month, and the highest reading since 1981. 

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The employment situation doesn’t help. 

Unemployment has crept up to 4.2% from a low of 3.4% in 2023. In Q1, 497,000 layoffs were announced, the largest first-quarter reading since the Great Recession in 2009, according to Challenger, Gray, & Christmas. And it’s harder to find a new job than it was one year ago, given that the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey shows there are 877,000 fewer unfilled positions.

Inflation and job losses mean the Fed is stuck. Cutting interest rates risks fueling the inflationary fire, and raising them to battle inflation means more job losses and a greater risk of a recession. 

The problem isn’t lost on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, who said last week, “We may find ourselves in the challenging scenario in which our dual-mandate goals are in tension.”

Ultimately, the Fed may not have a choice but to cut rates. The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow forecasting tool currently pegs first-quarter GDP at negative 0.4% when adjusting for surging gold imports and exports.

Robert Kiyosaki offers blunt gold and silver forecast

Given the backdrop, it’s little wonder that folks are heading to safe havens. Gold and silver have particularly benefited from the rush to safety this time because investors are increasingly nervous about owning other safe-haven alternatives like Treasuries and the U.S. Dollar.

Related: Veteran analyst who predicted gold prices would rally offers a blunt new forecast

Foreign investors are major owners of Treasuries, and the U.S. Dollar has historically benefited from global trade imbalances. Given the trade war, foreign interest in financing the U.S. mountain of debt via Treasuries has slid, and their need for U.S. Dollars has declined.

The setup has created a perfect storm driving demand for precious metals.

“In 2025 credit card debt is at all-time highs. U.S. debt is at all-time highs. Unemployment is rising. 401ks are losing. Pensions are being stolen. USA may be heading for a GREATER DEPRESSION,” wrote Kiyosaki on X. “For those who take action today, when the crash crashes, those who invest in just one Bitcoin, or some gold, or silver…. You may come through this crisis a very rich person. It’s not too late, if you take action.”

Kiyosaki is confident that the U.S. economy is destined for a painful reckoning. If he’s correct, then precious metals may remain in vogue, helping them climb to even loftier levels.

“I strongly believe, by 2035, that… Gold will be $30k and silver $3,000 a coin,” wrote Kiyosaki. 

Those are pretty shocking forecasts, particularly given that gold currently trades at about $3,300 and silver trades at $33. Nevertheless, Kiyosaki appears to be putting his money where his mouth is, especially regarding silver.

“I am buying more silver eagles today,” wrote Kiyosaki. “Silver is still 50% below its all-time high….today about $35. I believe silver will 2X to $70 this year.”

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