- BUSINESS LEADERS
- RICH and POWERFUL
John Rogers is an investment manager and the founder of Ariel Investments
John W. Rogers, Jr., is founder, chairman, co-CEO, and chief investment officer of Chicago-based Ariel Investments, founded in 1983. He is also the lead portfolio manager of its flagship Ariel Fund.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- John Rogers is the founder and lead portfolio manager of Ariel Investments.
- Rogers looks for undervalued companies he believes will realize their full potential over three, five, or seven years.
- He has been recognized as one of the best money managers of the modern era, alongside Warren Buffett and John Templeton.
- In 1996, Rogers founded the Ariel Community Academy, a public school in Chicago that works to improve financial literacy among inner-city minority youths.
Googlawi / Lara Antal
Early Life and Education
Born in 1958, John Rogers grew up on Chicago's South Side, the only child of John Rogers Sr. and Jewel Stradford Rogers (later Jewel Lafontant-Mankarious). The senior Rogers flew more than 100 combat missions as one of the original Tuskegee airmen in World War II and later became a Cook County judge. Rogers' mother was the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Chicago Law School and went on to become a prominent lawyer and a key figure in Republican politics. His parents divorced when he was three years old.
Rogers Jr. started learning about stocks and investing at the age of 12 when his father began buying him shares of blue-chip stock as birthday and Christmas gifts. He studied their quarterly reports and enjoyed the dividend checks. When he was a young teenager, his father introduced him to his stockbroker, Stacy Adams, who was one of the first African American brokers in Chicago. "He became my role model. He became my mentor," Rogers recalled in a 2022 speech. "I'd just go and sit with Stacy and watch the ticker tape go by."
Rogers attended Princeton, where he studied economics and played on the basketball team. His education furthered his interest in investment management, but his experience as the captain of the basketball team influenced the way he approaches his business.
John Rogers on the important lessons he learned from his coach Peter Carril at Princeton:
Shortly after graduating in 1980, Rogers joined William Blair and Company as a stockbroker. After two and a half years there, he struck out on his own to start Ariel Investments in 1983.
Notable Accomplishments
Ariel Investments
Rogers started Ariel Investments against the advice of his mentors, including the former chair of William Blair and Company, Ned Jannotta. But he followed his passion and turned $10,000 into more than a billion dollars in 20 years. He has never wavered from his most basic investment principles, which are encapsulated in his firm's motto: "Slow and steady wins the race."
Rogers values patience as he looks for undervalued companies he believes will realize their full potential over three, five, or seven years. He has been recognized as one of the best money managers of the modern era, alongside Warren Buffett and John Templeton.
John Rogers on how he has changed as a leader:
Charitable Work
Rogers has served on the boards of numerous civic, educational, and arts organizations. Some of the organizations with which he's been involved are the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, and the Oprah Winfrey Foundation.
Ariel Community Academy
Rogers has long advocated for greater diversity in upper-level corporate positions. He has devoted much of his time, money, and energy to improving financial literacy among inner-city minority youths. In 1996, he started the Ariel Community Academy, a public school with an emphasis on financial education.
As Black Enterprise magazine explained in a 2022 article, "The school offers pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students opportunities to practice financial literacy by managing stock portfolios and creating business plans. Kindergarten classes start with $20,000 and watch their portfolio grow throughout their school years. When students graduate from 8th grade, they receive a portion of the profits. The original $20,000 goes back to fund the following year's kindergarten class portfolio."
Rogers told the magazine, "To me, financial literacy is not just about saving, credit cards, retirement, and home mortgages. All those things are important. But equally important is understanding how to invest in the equities market and compound money. Long-term stock market returns have substantially outperformed the returns on savings accounts."
How Much Is Ariel Investments Worth?
Ariel Investments had $14.9 billion in assets under management in early 2024.
Who Founded Ariel Investments?
John Rogers founded Ariel Investments in 1983, three years after graduating from Princeton University.
What Was the First Black-Owned Mutual Fund Company?
Ariel Investments, founded in 1983 by John Rogers, was the first Black-owned mutual fund company in the United States.
Who Is Co-CEO of Ariel Investments with John Rogers?
Mellody Hobson serves as co-CEO of Ariel Investments with John Rogers.
The Bottom Line
John Rogers is a successful, respected entrepreneur and portfolio manager who gives back to the community through his charitable work and his advocacy. Of particular note is his founding of the Ariel Community Academy, a public school that puts an emphasis on improving the financial literacy of inner-city minority youths.