7/10/2007

Meet "Rich Dad's Son"

Casey Serin's distorted half-truths and outright lies have many people coming forward to tell their side of the Casey Serin / "I Am Facing Foreclosure" events. Dustin Haywood, often referred to as "Rich Dad's Son" at IAFF, is one of those people.

Early readers of "I Am Facing Foreclosure" will recall that "Rich Dad" and "Rich Dad's Son" came into the picture in late October of 2006. The premise was that a high school friend's father was a successful real estate investor and had offered Casey Serin the opportunity to work alongside successful entrepreneurs and hopefully learn the fundamentals of business from them.

Casey Serin was to provide some technical support to the business and in return was given free office space. Casey took to calling the would-be mentor his "Rich Dad," after the Robert Kiyosaki book. His high school friend became, by extension, "Rich Dad's Son."

Around the beginning of June, I got an email from Dustin Haywood.

Aspeth,

Hi, I'm the character known on Serin's blog as Rich Dad's son.

I like your take on the whole deal and I was wondering if your readers were interested in hearing from me?

Maybe I could help flush the story out for historical posterity as I have had a small yet influential role in all of this.

I haven't had the time to keep up with his blog as much as you and most of the regular readers/posters have, so there will be many things I can not comment on. I also have only seen or spoken to Casey a handful of times since he moved out of my office early this year. I can speak to how Casey and I met and became friends, what Casey was like in school, what renting a room out to Casey was like, how and why we grew apart, exactly how and why I helped him.

Don't expect a lot of venom from me, I still consider Casey a friend and I hope things work out for him.

Just so you know, you are the first and only blogger I have attempted to contact about this. If there is any interest, please let me know.


Me being me, I was naturally cynical and decided to ask a few questions. After all, I've never sugar-coated my belief that Casey Serin is a criminal and should be incarcerated for his crimes. As a friend of the fraudster's, particularly one whose father had played a guru role to Casey (according to Casey Serin, that is) why would he want to make nice with me?

Here's how the conversation with Dustin Haywood started out:

Aspeth: Thanks for the note. To answer your question, yes, I'm sure people would like to hear from you. My question for you is, why do you want to fill in your side of it? Why now?

Dustin Haywood: I noticed just the other day that my identity, along with my fathers had been revealed on Caseypedia and I'm sure elsewhere now as well. Now that we are "out of the closet" sort of speak, I'd like the opportunity to tell our side of the story now that our name is attached to it. I also understand a great deal of people find entertainment value in Casey's saga (I know I have), and I would like to reciprocate some of the enjoyment I've received from the community. I'm also a real estate insider, having bought and sold over 45 homes in the Sacramento area since I got started in this business 6 years ago, not to mention having the opportunity to closely observe my father grow his business during the last bear real estate market of the '90s. In that regard, I might be able to answer real estate related questions as well.

Aspeth: I'm glad you like my blog, but I'm sure that you've read some of my more unkind posts about Casey. So, while I would never expect you to adopt a similar tone, I'm curious why you would want to go through me.

Dustin Haywood: Whatever you have said about Casey, I've said far worse to Casey's face. Casey knows how I feel about his actions, but I see this period of his life as a dark time that many people face at some point in their life but eventually passes. The only difference is that Casey is allowing people to watch and participate on a grand level. I'm sure if he ends up going to prison, living in exile, or somehow pulling through, he'll be a better person because of it. The pressure he's been under the last 6-12 months is an unimaginable burden that has led him to make a lot of bad decisions and hurt of a lot of people around him. I know Casey, he's a well meaning person and a good friend, if anything he's a dupe and a patsy, not a criminal mastermind. Hard to hate someone you pity.

I wanted to go through you because of your intellectual appeal. I share many of your interests and appreciate your sense of humor. As far as your tone, I wouldn't be writing you if I thought it was over the top, you have every right for moral condemnation, as do all the so called "Haterz", but you go a step farther and try to determine what makes Casey tick. That's why I've come to you! I think once people understand what drives Casey, they will be better able to understand his behavior, and perhaps in a way their own. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can think of no better blog then yours to help further that discussion in a meaningful way.

Aspeth: If you've followed the goings-on with other former associates that have come out to tell their version of events, the response from the so-called "haterz" has been overwhelmingly positive.

Dustin Haywood: I have pretty thick skin, but the haterz really don't have a legitimate reason to hate me. I did what any decent person would do by extending some help to a friend in need. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't being completely altruistic as I was also betting my time and money that Casey would bring value to our business sometime down the road. Casey didn't rise to the challenge to put forth the effort necessary to make money for our business, thus he received nothing besides a free office for a couple months, as well as advice and direction, similar to the kind the "haterz" have been espousing and Casey has been rejecting.

Aspeth: There are probably details and minutiae that people will want to know more about. You might not be comfortable with some of those questions, particularly if they relate back to your father’s business.

Dustin Haywood: I'll be happy to answer intelligent well meaning questions about myself and my part in this story. My father is the most ethical, well meaning, squeaky clean person I've ever met, so he has little if anything to hide. If there’s any question about his privacy, I’ll run it past him first.

And since my name is now public, we can use my name. I always thought the Rich Dad moniker was kind of cheesy anyway.


I’ve been corresponding with Dustin for the better part of the past month. My impression of him is that he’s intelligent, well-spoken, and incredibly level-headed. He has responded to every question I’ve asked him in a deliberate and thoughtful manner, sometimes incorporating topics that I wouldn’t necessarily have considered germane.

But in Dustin’s telling, we see a more rounded view of Casey Serin. I don’t know that anyone’s opinion will change from reading Dustin’s take, but it’s a chance to see Casey through the eyes of a close friend—one who obviously still cares a great deal about him, and wants him to succeed.

I do think the ‘haterz’ will have a newfound appreciation for the nebulous character known as “Rich Dad’s Son.” He’s not a character, not a scammer, not part of some wannabe guru family. He is, in my opinion, a hard working, bright person who provides a sharp contrast to the ideals and implementation of Casey Serin.

33 comments:

Schnapps said...

"Yeah, baby."

He's got my support. If he or you want it on the boards instead, I'll moderate the shit out of any trolls.

Anonymous said...

Brief delurk, this is very cool. Thank you. Looking forward to Dustin's perspective.

Anonymous said...

i wonder if casey will consider dustin a backstabber now

Anonymous said...

"if anything he's a dupe and a patsy, not a criminal mastermind"

I came to the same conclusion after listening to the super-secret audio tapes. A lot of the logistics were set up by people in his real estate club and apparently NRU. While Casey got cashback, the sellers, mortgage brokers, contractors, and real estate agents were taking Casey to the cleaners. Granted, it was borrowed money, but ultimately Casey is on the hook for it and not the people who benefited from the 8-house spree.

I look forward to reading Dustin's account.

Anonymous said...

OK Aspeth, thanks. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story here.

As far as Casey being a "dupe, a patsy, or a criminal mastermind". He is the all three except for the "mastermind" part.

Unknown said...

Dustin sez: " I noticed just the other day that my identity, along with my fathers had been revealed on Caseypedia"

I will happily take credit for that. :^]

If the outing (which took place on May 31st) was his impetus for writing you, then I'm especially pleased.

Bilgeman said...

Dustin;

Did "Our Zero"ever talk about his previous place of employment?

From the copious bitchfest about it on RipOffReport,it seemed to be quite the little snake-pit.

I wonder if that had anything to do with the Hobbit's "Labor Allergy".

lawnmower man said...

Cool.

It's not altogether clear from the post: is this the first part in a series covering the questions you've already asked Dustin? Or are you soliciting questions from readers?

(Or both?)

T said...

I like the fact that he came to you to tell his story. IMO, that says a lot about him so I'm willing to listen to what he has to say with an open mind.

Aspeth said...

Lawnmower man....Both. I'm trying to organize the emails into some relevant topic threads, but Dustin knows most people will have their own questions. So have at it.

To keep things fairly organized, I'll roll it into new posts so things don't get lost in comments.

Aspeth said...

T...I agree. From our email exchanges, I like the guy. He's obviously got a big heart and is incredibly intelligent.

I truly hope that, as Anon pointed out, that Casey doesn't lump Dustin in with the 'backstabbing betrayers' over this. Dustin obviously still cares a great deal for Casey.

But the reality is that Dustin and his dad have their own footnote to the story and it's theirs to tell. Let's all think back to Ramit's blog....I've never seen anyone 'out' Casey in a more significant way than he did.

Aspeth said...

Benoit...in looking through the emails, I can see that you'll get to read for yourself Dustin's thoughts on the entries. I think you'll be surprised that he's got a pretty good equilibrium about the whole thing.

Aspeth said...

Hi Cathyk...I've seen your pic in the BlogLog roll. Thanks for saying hi!

Schnapps...thank you for including a thread on the boards. Very cool :)

T said...

My most important question is why? Why does Dustin even feel the need to tell his side of the situation? Why does he even give a shit? I mean, it's been so long since Casey even "worked" for Dustin's dad.

What? Did he wake up a month a go and say, "hey, I think I'll contact someone about Casey Serin and share my story of something that happened 6 months ago?" I don't get it.

Aspeth said...

From what I know, it was seeing that "rich dad" had a caseypedia entry. I think that catalyzed him to say "okay, if people are going to talk about this, I want them to hear our side of it, not just extrapolate from KC's version of events"

Mouse And Pencil said...

"I want them to hear our side of it, not just extrapolate from KC's version of events"

That seems to be a very common theme.

Unknown said...

Whatever Casey was supposed to be doing for Dan Haywood, who wants to bet they ultimately gave up on him because all he did was:

1) take staged pictures
2) spend hours writing IAFF stuff
3) napping

Those weird "foreclosure videos" that he uploaded to YouTube in November 2006 were made at Haywood's office (Casey says so at one point during the video).

T said...

Asp,

That seems reasonable, I suppose.

Nigel's Guest Blogger said...

Aspeth, just a tip... careful on the slow reveals... people seem to go nuts on those

:\

lawnmower man said...

I'm guessing that the Haywoods weren't keen on Casey's NRU infatuation.

I'd also be interested to see if Dustin's account of why "working in Rich Dad's office" didn't work out correlates with Casey's version. Casey basically claimed that Rich Dad "wasn't geared up to provide mentoring", or something like that; I wonder.

Aspeth said...

NGB...I'm not dragging my heels here. I am trying to organize things into a logical sequence. Both of us have fairly demanding work schedules, so it can take a little while to ask and answer questions in order to get the holes filled in for any part of the story.

Gordon Sanders said...

I too am very interested in hearing his side of the story. I find it very strange that all of Casey's known associates are wanting to get their side told :-) Maybe they are implying that there may be more to the story than just Casey's?

Dont forget to ask Dustin about KC's breakdancing SKILLZ!!

...gordon

Sac RE Agent said...

aspeth, i'd love to hear from another of casey's friends. i think they fill in a few blanks in the story and complete the character we know as casey.

Aspeth said...

Gordon Sanders...omg, I'd forgotten about that. Blocked out, is probably more likely.

Sac RE...from the various prayers and good wishes I've seen on KC's myspace page, I think we wound up with the most realistic of the friends. Just a guess...

soem dood said...

Looking forward to the new information.

Excellently crafted intro, by the way.

Initially, Dustin sounds every bit as solid as Casey is squirrelly.

Should be very revealing to hear from him.

NotAnOptimist said...

Aspeth said:
Both of us have fairly demanding work schedules

Oh noez! Don't tell me you're a W-2 looser?!?!

Dustin sounds cool; I'd be interested in hearing what he has to say about Casey. Of course, those too close to someone can sometimes miss the bigger picture... or something like that.

Aspeth said...

Optimist....It's obvious that Dustin very much wants to see a big KC comeback. He and I differ there, but I don't think either side is holding it against the other.

Soem dood...That's my impression. Dustin is, in many ways, the anticasey.

Anonymous said...

Aspeth, dustin may be the anticasey. I also think that debtkid (www.debtkid.com) is also the anticasey - he has his head on straight and at least owns up to past mistakes.

does dustin think that casey can avoid legal consequences for his actions?

NotAnOptimist said...

@skittlbrau:
I think Mark Zuckerberg would be The AntiCasey.

Anonymous said...

@ notanoptimist:

then again, pretty much anybody with a positive net worth and a basic grasp of econ 101 is the anticasey.

NotAnOptimist said...

@skittlbrau:

Anyone who works is the anticasey. Anyone who goes to school is the anticasey. Anyone who's happily married is the anticasey. Anyone who didn't throw their mother under the bus is the anticasey. Anyone who doesn't carry a murse™ is the anticasey. Anyone who opens their mail is the anticasey. Anyone who isn't homeless is the anticasey. Anyone who is homeless but doesn't have a laptop is the anticasey.

Really, the possibilities are endless.

Aspeth said...

lol @ Optimist...quite a rant there. For a moment, I could have sworn you had a whole Hallelujah choir backing you up!

Anonymous said...

same dustin... https://services.saccourt.com/indexsearchnew/CaseNumberList.aspx?SearchValues=HAYWOOD,DUSTIN,SCOTT,4324758