Unfortunately, Taiwan's stock market collapsed in 1990, and Tenren's brokerage fell into financial ruin, NT $ 3 billion in the red. To pay off the debt, Lee had to sell everything, yet his reputation actually gained from his misfortune.
不料，1990 年台灣股市崩盤，隨即天仁證券發生財務危機，李瑞河也因此欠下了 30 億元台幣的鉅額債務。為了償債，李瑞河變賣家產，天仁的股票賣到一張不剩，將天仁茗茶交由堂弟李勝治經營，自己則一切歸零，做一個「清清白白的窮人」。