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Today, I’d like to talk a little about Jim Rogers’ autobiography. Doesn’t an autobiography mean a biography recorded by oneself? But I’m sure many of you are asking, "Has Rogers ever actually written one?" To be honest, I didn’t know either that Jim Rogers had written an autobiography. However, when I visited Korea recently, I bought a book called *Street Smart*.
It was published in March 2019, but it turns out it was actually published once before in 2014. Back then, it was released under the title *Pay Attention to the Mega Trends of the World Economy*. Looking at both the title then and now, neither gives off the feeling of being an autobiography at all. And nowhere on the cover does it mention an autobiography.
So, just by looking at the cover, reading the advertisements, and so on, you wouldn't know at all that * Street Smart* is Jim Rogers’ autobiography. It means you ca n't really tell. However, the first thing I see is the preface interview for the Korean edition. Originally published in 2014, it was reissued this year, and the source and publisher released a new version early this year as the second volume.
The interview content is included here as the Korean edition's preface. Starting from that content and reading through Chapter 1 step by step, I realized that this book is Seth Rogers' biography, or rather, his autobiography. As we know well, a biography requires a structure that is distinctly his own.
Generally speaking, it should start from birth, cover childhood and adolescence, include periods of social activity and various social experiences, and contain a wealth of stories about his personal daily life. And this book fully captures that content. Honestly, after reading Seth Rogers' book and looking at countless broadcasts, interviews, newspaper articles, and materials about him, I was quite curious about what kind of life he had actually lived.
I wanted to be more honest about his life and his life story... I had always wanted to read such intimate records, and lo and behold, the highlight of this book was exactly that. Reading about his birth in the U.S., his childhood, his journey to high school, and his admission to Yale University, as well as his stories with his parents, I found myself thinking, "Ah, I really want to go back to my childhood home and see how he grew up." I also heard the story of how he suddenly left for England, specifically to Hawksford.
Furthermore, Jim Rogers proudly recounts how he served as the rower for Canoe while attending Yale, and how he continued to lead the rowing team at Oxford—even laughing at the story. Reading these stories, I realized he was a figure who lived with great passion, and I thought that he lived his prime years particularly interestingly.
After graduating from Yale and Oxford graduate school, Jim Rogers went to Wall Street. The first step he took toward Wall Street... They say that in 1968, the United States was in a period of great delusion. However, just as he was beginning his career on Wall Street, the massive collapse of the second bubble occurred in 1970—he records the historical facts of this event.
So, in a way, his personal life and the history of finance in the U.S. overlap, unfolding into incredibly interesting stories. I really enjoyed being able to look into Jim Rogers' personal history while simultaneously reading the financial history of the United States. Honestly, while reading this book, I was reminded once again that Jim Rogers is a truly honest and unpretentious person.
In this book, he tells his story about his marriage and love life without hiding anything. He recounts the story of his first marriage, which he hadn't shared for quite a long time, stories about the precious relationships he formed along the way, and finally, even the story of his wife, Paige, with whom he currently lives in Singapore.
He shares these aspects of his personal life without any mentorship. Watching him reveal those aspects, I thought, "Ah, he is quite charming as a person." Another part that I found very interesting was the story related to his meeting with George Soros in 1970. It tells the story of how he first met Soros, and how the three of them—just the three of them with a secretary—found the Korn Fund in that small office.
It also recounts the hidden history behind how the Korn Fund, after many twists and turns, achieved a truly record-breaking return of a whopping 4,200% over the course of ten years. It was incredibly fascinating. Unfortunately, the book also introduces the decisive reason why Seth parted ways with George Soros due to stubbornness.
If you read this book, you will get a taste of the behind-the-scenes stories regarding the relationship between Seth and George Soros, particularly concerning the Korn Fund, and how Soros acted out of stubbornness. And the part I envied most while reading this book was that Seth really loved traveling; in particular, he took three trips around the world.
I was so, so envious of that story of a child who traveled to over 100 countries. Uh, uh, as you may already know, Roger [is writing] is introducing [Ross], who circumnavigated the vast world—once by motorcycle and once by car. [Late Night Snack] I thought to myself, " This incredible spirit of challenge is truly amazing.
It would be incredibly difficult to do this without a tremendous passion for travel." In fact, Roger [Ross] seems like a truly great figure, possessing a great sense of adventure, a spirit of travel, and immense curiosity about the world he hasn't seen. I had those thoughts a lot while reading the entire book.
I realized that [Ross] is a person with incredibly strong curiosity, and a passion for new worlds and a truly strong spirit of challenge. If my physical stamina held up, I would really love to travel to [the] countries, but I am still stuck here in [the] country. There are so many places worth visiting and cities I want to go to within Korea, but honestly, I haven't been able to put it into action yet.
Of course, I have visited several cities and regions... The point is that even though I have been there, there were still so many things I hadn't been able to try. However, there was one passage that really caught my eye. It was the conclusion Jim Ross reached after traveling around the world to over 100 countries: "The next 100 countries will be China." That is the gist of it.
Of course, this book doesn't explain the specific reasons for that. So, while traveling to over 100 countries around the world, he was n't someone who simply went on a package tour like we do—staying at hotels and visiting tourist attractions. As he crossed borders, he made sure to visit places like black markets to assess the country's situation and economic conditions.
He investigated whether the regulatory situation was good or bad. He really scoured the country's intimate economic landscape from the ground up—literally grasping the reality of a nation from the streets and the bare ground. It was a kind of investment trip. Which country is likely to rise in the future?
Among the records I found very interesting, there was Jim Ross's extensive travels in Africa... There isn't a single region he hasn't visited—Asia, North America, South America, Africa, you name it. He has truly traveled around the world, but he says that when he entered a particular country while traveling in Africa, he received a very different impression compared to other African nations.
I won't reveal the name of this country; it will be revealed if you read this book. Jim Rogers saw that African country and instinctively felt that it was a nation with immense potential for future growth. So, while he was there, he immediately gathered various materials from his home country in the U.S., opened an account, and started investing right away.
He bought stocks listed on that country's stock market. Eventually, he held those stocks for about 17 years before selling them, and I heard he made a huge profit. Also, I found the story of how Jim Rogers ended his life in New York and moved to Singapore to be very exciting to read. The reason I am recommending this book so highly is that, honestly, I haven't received any advertising offers or sponsorship from the publisher; I am purely recommending it as a reader myself.
I am doing this broadcast right now with the intention of sharing my feelings and thoughts with you all. I really hope you all read this book at least once. It is filled with truly autobiographical records showing what kind of person is meant to be written, and I highly recommend it to you, my smart readers.
I will wrap up today's broadcast by introducing you to the passage that left the deepest impression on me while reading this book. It appears on page 45: " I loved every moment of investing. I loved every moment of investing."
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