#21 - Purpose-Driven Pioneer: John W. Rogers, Jr. on Founding The First Black-Owned Investment Management Firm in America, Closing The Racial Wealth Gap, and Civic Engagement

At the dinner table with his father, a Tuskegee airman, John Rogers began reading Kiplinger’s Letters and the annual reports of companies. Soon after, Rogers began being mentored by Stacy Adams, a pioneering African-American stockbroker in Chicago. In just 30 minutes, John traces in remarkable detail his own pioneering, history-making career. John discusses how Ariel Investments, the first Black-owned investment management firm in America, weathered financial crises by sticking to a values-driven approach, both in investment decisions and in leadership. He also explains how financial services firms and their leaders can help close the racial wealth & opportunity gaps, from diversifying management, to supporting financial literacy, to collaborating with other progressive and minority-owned institutions. “Optimistic about the future,” John highlights the roles of political engagement, educational leadership, and non-profit involvement in his own life as crucial ways that financial services employees & executives can make a difference. “I felt the challenge to do something special and make a difference,” John says. We think you’ll agree that his clarity of perspective and generosity of advice in this episode are yet another example of something special and difference-making added to John’s impressive list. 00:00 - Intro 2:59 - John’s Career and Story 13:53 - Racial Inequalities in Wealth and Corporate Finance 23:47 - Rapid Fire questions