Jim Rogers isn't quite as famous (or as rich) as his former partner George Soros. That's because once he made enough money to never need to work again, he found his joy in other pursuits. Rogers became an educator, went on epic world travels, and wrote several bestselling books.
However, in his prime, he was one of the most successful investors of his time. In less than a decade, the fund that he and Soros co-founded, Quantum Fund, gained an astounding 4,200%, obliterating the meager 47% return of the S&P 500.
Here's a closer look at Jim Rogers, his investment approach, and what we can learn from his life.
Who is Jim Rogers?
Who is Jim Rogers?
Jim Rogers gained notoriety by helping found the Quantum Fund with George Soros in 1973. He met Soros while working at investment bank Arnhold and S. Bleichroder. Rogers started at the bank in 1970 and left with Soros in 1973 to form Quantum Fund, which became one of the first global hedge funds.
Quantum Fund was a smashing success. The pair's portfolio gained an incredible 4,200% from 1973 to 1980. Rogers retired at age 37 because he made so much money that he never needed to work again.
After leaving Quantum Fund, Rogers continued to manage his own portfolio while pursuing other interests. He became a guest professor of finance at the Columbia Business School, moderated a few television programs, and traveled the world.
In the early 1990s, Rogers embarked on an epic motorcycle journey across the globe. He covered more than 100,000 miles across six continents, a feat that earned him recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records. He wrote about this journey in his best-selling book Investment Biker.
He went on another record-breaking journey later that decade, driving through 116 countries over three years in a custom-made Mercedes with his wife. He also wrote a book about these travels, Adventure Capitalist.
Rogers has remained an active investor over the years, often giving his view of the markets to the financial media. One of his areas of expertise is commodities. In 1998, he founded the Rogers International Commodity Index to track commodity futures contracts across several international exchanges.
Jim Rogers' personal stats
Jim Rogers' personal stats
- Age: 80.
- Source of wealth: Investing.
- Marital status: Married.
- Residence: Singapore.
- Children: Two.
- Education: Balliol College (BA); Yale University (BA).
"First of all, no, diversification is not something I am keen on. Diversification is something that brokers thought of so that they do not get sued. If you want to be successful, you do not diversify. You focus, you focus, you focus. You have to be right. If you are wrong, you are going to go broke. But if you want to be rich, you have to focus narrowly in the right things. So please, I know everybody talks about diversification, but I am not going to talk about diversification."Jim Rogers, in a 2023 interview with The Economic Times.
Jim Rogers' investment approach
Jim Rogers' investment approach
Rogers focuses on a specific country, commodity, or theme he believes has profit potential. For example, he predicted a real estate and consumer debt bubble forming in the early 2000s, leading him to short U.S. financial stocks, homebuilders, and Fannie Mae. Meanwhile, Rogers turned bullish on commodities, raw materials, natural resources, and agriculture after the Great Recession on the belief that Asia would see tremendous growth.
Fannie Mae
Jim Rogers' investments
Jim Rogers' investments
Jim Rogers has been investing privately since leaving Quantum Fund in 1980. He doesn't have to disclose his holdings publicly. But he told The Economic Times in an interview in early 2023 that he wasn't buying anything because he expected bad times to come. He said:
"Well, I am not buying anything. As a matter of fact, I, too, was swept away. Like everybody else, I was expecting bad times to come this year. I know bad times will come sometime in the next few weeks or months, so I have basically done nothing for a while, and now I am sitting here saying I regret it."
However, he did note that he owns commodities, including gold and silver, adding, "If I had to buy something, I would buy silver. Silver is much cheaper than gold on a historic basis."
More from Jim Rogers
More from Jim Rogers
Jim Rogers has authored several books on investing and his travels, including:
- Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers (1994)
- Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip (2003)
- Hot Commodities: How Anyone Can Invest Profitably in the World's Best Market (2004)
- A Gift to My Children: A Father's Lessons for Life and Investing (2007)
- A Bull In China: Investing Profitably in the World's Greatest Market (2007)
- Street Smarts: Adventures on the Road and in the Markets (2013)
Rogers will also occasionally appear in interviews with the financial media. For example, he made headlines in early 2023, predicting the worst bear market of his lifetime, higher interest rates, and trouble with the U.S. dollar. He also noted that he remained bullish on commodities, including silver and gold.
Commodities
Jim Rogers made a fortune and realized it was enough
Jim Rogers made a fortune and realized it was enough
Jim Rogers was one of the best investors of his time. He and Soros delivered astounding returns in the 1970s by making focused investments that paid off spectacularly. He made enough money during that time that he'd never have to work again.
Investors can learn some valuable lessons from Jim Rogers' story. Focused investing can be very profitable if you know your niche exceptionally well. A potentially more important lesson from Rogers' life is to know when you have enough. Rogers could have remained at Quantum Fund and become a multibillionaire like Soros. Instead, he left once he realized he had enough money to pursue his other passions, which include teaching and travel.
Jim Rogers FAQs
What is Jim Rogers' net worth?
Jim Rogers has an estimated net worth of about $300 million. While that is a tremendous amount of money, it pales when compared to the wealth of his former partner at Quantum Fund, George Soros. According to Forbes, Soros has an estimated net worth of $6.7 billion as of early 2023. Rogers could have stayed at Quantum and eventually become a multibillionaire. However, he realized he'd made enough money at age 37 that he never had to work again, leading him to retire and pursue his other passions.
What is Jim Rogers famous for?
Jim Rogers is famous for co-founding the Quantum Fund with George Soros. During the 1970s, the portfolio gained 4,200% while the S&P 500 returned less than 50%. Those outsize returns made Rogers one of the best investors of that period.
Rogers is also a best-selling author who has written about his epic journeys around the world. He's a three-time entrant in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Is Jim Rogers a U.S. citizen?
While Jim Rogers lives in Singapore, he has remained a U.S. citizen.
