Investor's Library

Review of
Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers

By Jim Rogers

Reviewed by Karris Golden, Vice President, Traders Press, Inc.

The guy on the cover of Investment Biker is author Jim Rogers. He's wearing suspenders, pinstriped slacks and a bowtie. Oh, yes, he's also astride a motorcycle.

That's just the sort of unexpected image that makes a prospective reader take a second look. Add the Time magazine quote -- "The Indiana Jones of finance," -- and you have an interesting juxtaposition, indeed.

Investment Biker was a national bestseller. However, I wonder how many investors looked beyond the cover and took notice of the lessons tucked within. Perhaps, you read it as Rogers' motorcycling memoir and viewed his impressions of his travels as little more than fascinating anecdotes.

You may dismiss the cover as a gimmick, and that would be a mistake. The photo speaks the truth, and that bike is more than transportation. Instead, Rogers' ever-present BMW is a symbol of the entrepreneurial spirit that drives him through 52 countries over the course of nearly two years. He endured bad roads, prayed for gas, learned to go with the flow, rode out horrendous storms, better understood himself and finally "saw the world". The result is a travelogue cum investment odyssey that is genuine, engaging and timeless.

When you consider the investment community's perspective of how small and "flat" the world truly is, insights from Rogers are crucial because he is a titan of finance who amassed a multi-billion-dollar fortune and retired at age 37. Factor in that the book chronicles his research of developing and emerging nations -- which he did on the ground and with the benefit of all his senses -- and Investment Biker becomes invaluable.

Yet, the bookdoesn't outline a trading system, nor does it directly address the ins and outs of investing, per se. Itdoes serve up Rogers’ shrewd assessment of the changing global economy, and readers will see the motivation, passion and drive of a legendary investment expert.

Give Investment Biker a first -- or second -- look, and you'll discover that this 65,000-mile adventure reinforces that we all need to hone and guide our instincts with keen intellect. Then, we need to follow those instincts.

Rogers' personal story reinforces the lessons contained in Investment Biker. Though he attended Yale, he notes that adventure, too, is a wise educator -- whether your journey is turbo-charged or market-driven.

The book's message isn't necessarily that you need to go get a motorcycle and begin making plans to circumnavigate the globe. Instead, I believe Rogers' point is that we must take advantage of opportunities to do, be and see more.

More information and full details on this book are available at http://www.traderspress.com