Robert Kiyosaki Says Bitcoin Is Money Governments Cannot Print

• Robert Kiyosaki says he prefers Bitcoin, gold and silver because governments cannot create them like fiat currency.
• Bitcoin has gained about 73% over five years, but endured a maximum drawdown of nearly 77%.
• One BTC currently buys roughly 20.6 ounces of gold, giving another measure of Bitcoin’s relative purchasing power.
• Kiyosaki pairs scarce assets with income-producing holdings, including oil wells and rental property.

Robert Kiyosaki is again making the case for owning money outside government control, putting Bitcoin alongside gold and silver as protection against monetary and economic disruption.

The Rich Dad Poor Dad author said on Oct. 3 in X that he only wants money governments cannot print. He compared owning Bitcoin, gold and silver with carrying insurance: protection purchased before something goes wrong rather than after the damage has occurred. Kiyosaki also highlighted an oil well he owns that generates income, adding a productive asset to a portfolio better known for its exposure to crypto and precious metals.

For Bitcoin investors, his argument can be tested beyond the familiar 21 million supply cap. Five-year returns, drawdowns and BTC’s purchasing power against gold show how the crypto asset has actually performed as an alternative to fiat savings.

Bitcoin’s Scarcity Comes With a High Price in Volatility

Bitcoin provides the clearest expression of Kiyosaki’s preference for money that governments cannot create.

The network limits total issuance to 21 million BTC, with the rate of new supply governed by protocol rules rather than monetary policy. Governments can regulate Bitcoin markets, tax transactions or restrict access, but they cannot independently increase the protocol’s maximum supply.

That scarcity has not translated into price stability.

From Oct. 4, 2021 through Oct. 4, 2026, Bitcoin returned approximately 72.6%, equivalent to an annualized gain of about 11.5%. A hypothetical $10,000 investment over the period would have grown to roughly $17,255 before fees and taxes.

The path was considerably rougher than the final return suggests.

Bitcoin’s maximum drawdown during the five-year period reached 76.6%, spanning the decline from the November 2021 peak into the 2022 bear market.

Scarcity constrained new issuance throughout that collapse. It could not prevent investors from repricing the existing supply.

Gold Has Won the Five-Year Comparison

Gold has delivered the stronger performance over the same broad window.

The metal traded around $1,750-$1,760 per ounce in early October 2021 and closed at approximately $4,140 on Oct. 2, 2026. That puts its five-year appreciation at roughly 135%, depending on the precise starting price and benchmark used.

The contrast is substantial:

• Bitcoin: approximately +73% over five years
• Gold: approximately +135% over the comparable period
• Bitcoin maximum drawdown: approximately -77%
• Gold: about 23% below its January 2026 closing high as of Oct. 2

The Bitcoin-gold ratio adds another perspective because it removes the dollar from the comparison.

At the time of writing Bitcoin was trading at $85,305.99 on Oct. 4 in the Coinbase chart from TradingView, while gold closed Friday around $4,140 per ounce.

Using those prices, one BTC buys approximately 20.6 ounces of gold.

A rising BTC-gold ratio means Bitcoin is gaining purchasing power against gold, while a falling ratio means the traditional hard asset is outperforming BTC. For Kiyosaki’s argument, it provides a useful benchmark because both sit on the non-fiat side of his portfolio.

Bitcoin Has Rebounded More Than 40% From Its Summer Low

The five-year comparison does not capture Bitcoin’s sharp recovery over the past few months.

BTC was trading at approximately $85,306 on Oct. 4, up 0.67% on the day in Coinbase trading. The cryptocurrency has recovered from roughly $59,000-$60,000 during its July decline, putting the rebound at more than 40%.

The recovery accelerated in September as Bitcoin moved back through $80,000 after spending much of the summer well below that level.

It remains far from its previous peak.

Bitcoin reached approximately $125,000 in 2025 before the subsequent decline pushed it below $60,000. At $85,306, BTC is still roughly 32% below that high.

Gold has also retreated substantially from its own record. Its Oct. 2 close of $4,140.52 was 23.4% below the January closing high of $5,405.

The comparison undercuts the idea that either asset behaves like conventional insurance. Both can lose significant value even when the economic risks they are supposed to hedge remain present.

Kiyosaki’s Oil Wells Add What Bitcoin Cannot

Kiyosaki’s portfolio does not rely entirely on assets appreciating in price.

In his latest comments, he said he owns oil wells and receives income from their production, even pointing to governments as large oil consumers. He has previously discussed rental apartments alongside U.S. oil interests, while his broader asset preferences have included Ethereum as well as Bitcoin, gold and silver.

That separates his holdings into two different sources of return.

Bitcoin and physical gold produce no operating cash flow simply from being held. An oil well can generate revenue as its production is sold, while rental property can provide recurring tenant income.

U.S. tax treatment creates another difference.

The IRS states that a working interest in an oil or gas well held directly, or through an entity that does not limit the owner’s liability, generally is not treated as a passive activity, regardless of whether the owner materially participates. Oil and gas investments can also be subject to separate depletion and at-risk rules.

That does not establish which tax benefits Kiyosaki personally receives. His precise ownership structures would be needed to determine that.

It does show why oil serves a different purpose from BTC in the same portfolio: one can generate operating income, while the other’s return primarily depends on its market price.

Ethereum Does Not Fit the 21 Million Argument

Ethereum adds another wrinkle to Kiyosaki’s strategy.

He has previously included ETH among his preferred holdings, but Ethereum does not have Bitcoin’s fixed maximum supply. ETH issuance is combined with the burning of transaction fees, so its net supply can expand or contract depending on issuance and network activity.

Governments still cannot unilaterally create ETH, but its monetary structure is different from Bitcoin’s absolute supply ceiling.

Kiyosaki’s portfolio therefore is not simply a collection of assets with permanently fixed supply. It combines Bitcoin’s programmed scarcity, precious metals, crypto network exposure and assets capable of producing income.

Kiyosaki’s Insurance Analogy Faces a Market Test

Kiyosaki’s insurance comparison describes his motivation for owning Bitcoin more accurately than BTC’s financial behavior.

Insurance provides a defined contractual benefit when specified conditions are met. Bitcoin offers no guaranteed payoff when inflation rises, government debt increases or economic conditions deteriorate.
Its supply is predictable. Its price is not.

The past five years make that distinction particularly visible. Bitcoin appreciated about 73% but subjected holders to a drawdown approaching 77%. Gold delivered roughly 135% over the comparable period and has recently faced a sizable correction of its own.

Bitcoin’s recent rebound adds another side to the comparison. A move of more than 40% from the summer low demonstrates how quickly the asset can recover when demand returns.

For Kiyosaki’s thesis, the 21 million BTC limit is the constant. The variables are investor demand, liquidity and the willingness of existing holders to sell.

With Bitcoin now near $85,300 and worth roughly 20.6 ounces of gold, those variables provide a more useful test of its monetary premium than the supply cap alone.