Suche books:   





• Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip
Jim Rogers

Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004 - 392 pages

average customer review:based on 89 reviews
view larger image
 for more information click here

   highly recommended  highly recommended






ENTERTAINING TRAVEL WRITING

Adventure Capitalist is an entertaining book on Jim Rogers' second trip around the world. Jim is a former Wall Streeter who made a bunch of money in the market and now does what he wants.

I think the book has three sides to it:
1. Regular travel writing - he tells us about being scared, happy, worried, touched, etc. while visiting strange and interesting places. From this portion of the book I picked up a couple of places I would definitely like to see, such as Timbuktu (yes, it does exist and he went there).

2. Investment analysis and advice - he goes around looking for investment opportunities around the world and, whenever he sees something he likes, tries to put some money in it. Examples (sucessful and otherwise) include contraceptives in Korea, diamonds in Angola, among others.

3. Economic and political prophecy - as an economist myself, I find that he has read the first chapter of the econ book and decided he knew enough about it. Though he is often correct in his analysis, at certain points he makes wild predictions that could not be swallowed by a good economist. He also exercises some political prophecy - he thinks most of the countries he visited are going to split up, among them India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Indonesia, most of Africa, etc. Though he is right that many countries face internal tensions among racial and social groups, he is too simplistic in stating that so many will break up.

Overall, this is a book to pick up if you are looking for a nice quick read. I also suggest it as a fun way to learn to spot investment opportunities. I think Jim is a great investor and he shows us why in this book; he also shows us the mediocre political scientist he is, but that is another story. Fun, fast, and not to be taken too seriously.


 for more information click here


Not as good as the first

This is Jim Roger's second book about traveling accross the globe and analyzing different economies along the way. Unfortunately, Advetnture Capitalist is not as good as the first. If you have not read the Investment Biker, read it first.

Sven Klein, Santa Barbara, CA.









 for more information click here


Cannot be Considered an Investment Book

The weight of Mr. Rogers accompolishment is what carries the book. Driving 152,000 miles over the course of three years is certainly an impressive feat.

My problem with the book was two fold.

I thought the title was misleading. Just picking the book up off the shelf I was assuming I would be getting a primer on international investing and Mr. Rogers strategies for doing it sucessfully.

I was disappointed because very few individual investors have the time and resources to follow his advice. I.E. visit a country you plan to invest in and talk to the average Joe on the street because it is cost prohibitive.

His advice also was not timely and centered around platitudes such as invest in such and such country for the long haul. His greatest enthusiasm in the book was when he spoke of China and his belief of its impending supremacy. This is a story that has been covered by many others and in the 5 - 6 years since he visited there the changes in the country and the market make this advice of little value to anyone without a long time horizon because that is how Mr. Rogers plans to invest there.

That strategy is all well and good but lends little perspective to someone who is not in a position to leave a good chunk of money in China until 2050.

My other problem with the book is the tone Mr. Rogers takes. He is very impressed with himself and his accompolishment and uses every opportunity he can to work it into the book. This really drags down the quality of his narrative and in fact makes the book almost intolerable to read at some points.

Because I found the narrative lacking it did not read well as the memoir of an adventurer.

It is worth reading though because it is quick and easy to do so and their are parts with value such as Mr. Rogers musings on investing in countries based on their political cycles and political evolution.


 for more information click here






Investment Biker is Better

Investment Biker, Jim Rogers' first book, about his motorcycle trip around the world, was so original and entertaining that I read it twice. So when I found out he had taken a sequel trip and written a new book, I couldn't wait to read it.

Adventure Capitalist just doesn't compare well to Investment Biker. Rather than take motorcycles, Rogers and his new girlfriend (the girlfriend from the Investment Biker trip is gone) take a custom-built car and a spare (car), just in case. Right away, we can see that this is not going to be the impromptu, go-anywhere journey that Investment Biker was.

From almost skidding off the road in the rain just before they start their trip, to narrowly avoiding thieves in Africa when they unexpectedly have to sleep overnight in the car, the dangers often seem self-inflicted. After all, how can you cruise around in a fancy yellow sports car (with storage trailer and support staff) and not attract attention?

I really can't blame Rogers for taking another trip, and what the heck, he's got the money, why not go first class? It's just that it doesn't make for an especially gripping book.




 for more information click here


Enjoyable and Informative; not a Guide to International Investment

I bought this book in a used bookstore in Northern Thailand, interested primarily in the insight that Rogers' can offer through his travels around the world. I haven't read its predecessor, Investment Biker, but this book offered me new insights on both travel and investment and was moreover an enjoyable read. Note that this book isn't a comprehensive guide to international finance - there are plenty of those available and this isn't one of them. Because Rogers has the ability to offer brief fiscal insights on international economies and markets with his investment experience doesn't mean to me that this book fails as a guide to investment - I don't feel that's what it is or was meant to be. I'd recommend this book first to travel enthusiasts, but maybe not at all to those with only an interest in finance.


 for more information click here


reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12



hot or not?    What's your opinion?     Write a review and share your thoughts!



recommendations

Finance, Economics and Trading
Stock Market Investing Success
Books on Investment
Investment Books




search for books
the ultimate, adventure, capitalist, road, trip, ultimate

Impressum / about us


Suche books: