Taxes are a necessary evil in our society, and for many it seems natural to grouse about having to pay a large percentage of our earnings to the government while those who have more money seem to be bearing less of the burden than they ought. It's certainly disheartening that it works this way - as the fortunate shirk their obligations through legal loopholes, the rest have to pick up their slack. It's frustrating and unfair, and there's no question that many of the complaints against the upper class are quite legitimate.

Well, the fact is, no amount of grumbling and complaining is going to make the powers that be suddenly make things fair for you. This is because of the Golden Rule: "He who has the gold, makes the rules." Chances are, they are going to make the rules in their favor. They're going to keep all the good tax breaks to themselves. They are going to tell you there just isn't enough money to go around, even as you watch so many people drive around in so many expensive cars and eat in so many posh restaurants. Even politicians who promise tax breaks to the downtrodden masses - even the ones who are sincere in their desire to help the average working stiff - are limited in their ability to affect the system.

In order to not be one of the many who are getting the short end of the stick, you're going to have to step up and take the advantage for yourself. It's true - you can get tax breaks like the rich do. You simply need to know how, and put forth the effort to get them.

Robert Kiyosaki, who authored the rich Dad, Poor Dad series, has this advice for those who would like to join the ranks of the wealthy: look at what the wealth are doing, and do that! What did the rich do to make their fortunes, and how do they continue amassing more and more money? The answer's simple: they invest.

"One of the reasons I chose to work predominantly in the B and I quadrants are the tax advantages," he says in his book, "Cash Flow Quadrant." The cash flow quadrant, after which he named the book, is his rich dad's diagram of the four different kinds of people, with respect to where they get their money and their philosophy about procuring money which, oddly enough, match up. In other words, people who are Employees have one set of values while the people who are Self-employed have another.

In Robert Kiyosaki's opinion, the most money is in the business and investment quadrants, largely because these quadrants allow individuals to take advantage of more tax breaks.

It's best to take an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," attitude towards the wealthy - there's no way you're ever going to beat them, so the next best thing is to become one of them. Know also that the rich aren't simply lucky; if you follow the examples set by rich people, you can become one of them, and you can get the tax breaks that they are able to get.

The path to riches is actually very simple; all you've got to do is start investing, or join the 'I' quadrant. If you have a high-paying job, you may be able to do this without leaving the 'E' (employee) or 'S' (self-employed) quadrants, but Robert Kiyosaki advises that you move into the 'B' or business quadrant, devising a system that will make you money regardless of whether you are putting time into it or not.

So, invest - invest in apartments, condos, vacation homes, whatever suits your fancy. This is the true, time-tested road to wealth.

Alexandria P. Anderson is a Minnesota Investment Property specialist who helps First Time Home Buyers In Minnesota to find and purchase properties in MN. Get a free copy of "The Investors' Rental Guide"