Book Review: A Gift to My Children by Jim Rogers

I was wandering around Kinokuniya after having lunch with my friend at Orchard today and stumbled across the book shown below. I picked up the book and read the whole book there and then. I enjoyed the book quite a bit, but I had aching legs after that (old age). See below for some pointers that I have picked up from this book.

a) Jim Rogers retired at the age of 37

Its pretty impressive for someone to retire before the age of 40. He retired in the age of 37! My target is actually to retire by 39, he did it 2 years earlier! 

b) Buy low and sell high

When it comes to investment, this mantra is always repeated and emphasized again and again. It is a simple concept but it is pretty hard to do. You basically have to go against the flow to do this successfully.

c) Form your own opinions

To be able to be a successful contrarian, one must be able to form his own opinions in the area of investments. To do this, one must perform his own research and look into every single detail to ensure that nothing is missed out.

d) Travel 

Travel extensively to see the world and understand how different cultures work. Find things out for yourself and experience it. This was how he decided to invest in China after being there and couldn't help noticing the high savings rates which the Chinese people have. Do not be afraid to come out of your comfort zone.

e) History

Know your history! Frankly I hate history because it reminds me of the times in school where I had to memorize facts and figures from the textbook. But he does have a point. History does help one to know the future better.

Overall, its a pretty good read and its not a very thick book like the intelligent investor. I like the way he wrote this book like leaving some of his life lessons to his 2 daughters. It makes it very personable and left a very good impression on me. If I have children of my own in the future, I would definitely make sure to buy this book for them as a birthday present and encourage them to read it! It has valuable life lessons in it and who better to learn from than someone who retired at the tender age of 37!