Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla, scientist Albert Einstein, writer Mark Twain, business magnates Henry Ford and Bill Gates, music composer Mozart, former US President Abraham Lincoln, physicist Sir Isaac Newton, naturalist Charles Darwin, poet Emily Dickinson, and entrepreneur Peter Thiel all have a common denominator.
They all are famous and accomplished individuals known to have been on the high-functioning autism spectrum. Individuals who fall under the high functioning autism spectrum and exhibit behavioral patterns are characterized by marked deficiencies in social and communication skills. Many of them who grapple with the Asperger syndrome usually have a general lack of normal interest in people around them, yet usually, also display certain talents and strengths from such an early age.
Like all the legendary innovators and entrepreneurs cited to fall on the high functioning autism spectrum, one such person with “aspie” who has been both blessed and gifted with Asperger’s syndrome is a private investor and wealth manager to ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWI) James Richman.
The Latvian-born billionaire private investor who has made a name and fortune for himself and others through his investment acumen has previously struggled in school due to his disinterest in traditional education.
Special and specific interests
Interestingly, individuals with Asperger’s syndrome are highly motivated to engage in their special interest. Individuals on the high functioning autism spectrum acknowledge that the pursuit of their interests are fundamental to their every day normal existence.
For many “aspies,” math or the arts is the special interest, but for Richman, it is a unique pattern recognition capability. He built his name and fortune through his interest in the investment world, economy, and financial markets. Together with his incredible focus, logical, and critical thinking skills it’s worked well for him.
Often silent and misunderstood, this private billionaire investor has made the money of his close friends and business acquaintances grow. His mind is constantly buzzing and fascinated by patterns. He is one of those spectacularly unorthodox individuals who took a deep interest in unlocking the secrets of how money moves around the world.
Successful aspies in business and science
Many individuals with high functioning autism may manifest strong long-term memory skill; a special ability in mathematics, computers, music or arts; thinking in a visual way; hyperlexia, which is decoding written language at an early age; detail-orientedness; average to above average intelligence; extensive knowledge in certain fields of study; logical thinking that can be very useful to decision-making, the list goes on.
For example, Einstein initially displayed many autistic traits – he did not learn to speak until he was three and is known to have repeated sentences obsessively until he was seven years old. PayPal founder Peter Thiel maintained that a psychological condition usually thought of as a disorder — Asperger’s syndrome — provides a startup advantage.
Therefore, it can be said that every age has a defining psychiatric malady. Then and now, it is interesting to find how certain people on the autism spectrum excel and soar in their chosen fields of study.
Hurdling setbacks
In retrospect, for Richman, he grew up hurdling numerous setbacks. During his younger years, he struggled with adapting to his environment. He ran away from home at the age of 16. He later found himself being married at a young age, and not so long after that, he lost his daughter due to a faulty healthcare system in his country. In fact, he struggled to the point of becoming homeless.
During these times of losing almost everything, only one thing remained constant: his fascination for patterns and logic. That proved to be the ace in his sleeve.
Years down the line, Richman found himself being entrusted by a group of wealthy businessmen to manage their wealth for their future generations, which he grew exponentially through his natural ability to crunch numbers and discern market patterns – a skill which not only comes naturally to him but also something that became a refuge during times when he struggled with societal expectations.
The billionaire was able to overcome life’s complexities and discovered his niche, and eventually used his gift to help others grow their wealth. His previously perceived weakness has helped him immensely with his trading and investing, enabling him to help his clients grow their generational wealth.
Ás we’ve learned during a recent exchange with one of Richman’s clients, Samantha, she took a leap of faith and personally invested around $500,000 in his private hedge fund after Richman had previously made a number of stock recommendations which were usually contrarian to others advice that panned out well for her.
Samantha told me that she was fortunate enough to have cajoled Richman to have her join the fund as the former never solicits business from anyone and does not necessarily let anyone in the private fund beyond people connected to him and the fund
Penchant for sustainable investments
Like Michael Burry, the financial guru who was featured in the Michael Lewis book, “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine,” this reclusive wealth manager whom Samantha entrusted with her hard-earned savings has an obsessive trait – he possesses a mind that had no temperate zone: he was either possessed by a subject or not interested in it at all.
Another thing that makes Richman a cut above the rest is that he ensures that he makes sustainable investments. He supports crucial programs that benefit members of the community. He is known to participate directly in philanthropic causes such as buying a wheelchair for a handicapped man who has long been struggling and transitioning to strike it out on his own.
He is rumored to have bought several parcels of land for several families that have been tilling the soil for generations as he believes that everyone deserves a shot in their life, as he was once given a crucial shot through people who believed in him early on.
By integrating environmental, social and governance considerations into his investment processes, he has attracted people who want to put their money in sustainable companies and that share the same values.
