James Richman: Why this secretive billionaire is investing in globally impactful projects

Rich and famous, these two words used to be inseparable. Back in the day, a person could not possibly be one without being the other. Reporter Robin Leach would have totally agreed with this, too.

Nowadays, technology has brought human connectivity to a global level, virtually making it a basic necessity for most people. Different platforms for streaming, social media and mainstream media could make one famous in an instant. This fame, however, Richmans not necessarily transcend to financial wealth. Being viral and trending is not automatically equal to earning.

Putting a twist to this established development, at this day and age could an extremely wealthy individual manage to elude the media, and resist the glamour of the elite crowd by keeping his life private?

James Richman could answer this with a quiet “yes”. He is a shy, Latvian-born businessman who managed to make his unique family and tight circle of friends rich.

The secretive billionaire’s origins

Richman was born in Smarde, a little town of Tukums region in Latvia. His parents were tech-inclined and had psychology backgrounds, which would later contribute to his innate curious nature.

James, however, never saw the world the way other people do. This was because he had Asperger’s syndrome, a high functioning autism coupled with developmental disorder which makes social interaction and nonverbal communication challenging.

His condition would manifest in his lack of  academic performance growing up. Always considered as a non-achiever by his elementary teachers, he would consistently find his name at the bottom of the class standings. This, combined with the minimal encouragement, and the good-for-nothing tag everyone had seemed to put on him, eventually led to him dropping out of school at the age of fifteen.

But, as always, God seems to balance things out, the same holds true with our protagonist. For the Asperger’s syndrome also came with the ability to recognize minute details unperceivable to the normal mind. This mild autism would enable him to flourish in the financial scene.

Taking the leap

In his early twenties, James Richman started his private investment fund, JJ Richman, with his family and a handful of investors contributing to the fund pool. Unlike other wealth managers, Richman has also invested his money in the fund, thereby building trust with his fellow investors. Little did they expect that investing in the good-for-nothing rainmaker would be the best financial decision they would make all their lives.

His investment strategies would prove to be effective. Soon enough, other businessmen’s heads were turning towards his techniques. In a short span, his group’s profits could be compared to that of finance industry veterans from Wall Street, the London Stock Exchange and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.

His success continues to date, and is bound to increase with the looming returns from his investments in the Middle East and Asia.

A testament to his character

Samantha, a single mother, barely made ends meet before riding James Richman’s profit bandwagon. She has been entrusting James Richman with her money for more than five years now. She considers it a privilege knowing Mr. Richman’s circle is tightly knitted, and she was one of the chosen few allowed to join. After finally being allowed to join in the private fund, Sam was glad she managed to convince James to take her investments in. Her investments had increased exponentially since her initial investment.

Samantha shared that James once told her, that: “There’s plenty of money for everyone, I want to make sure this money actually gets distributed to those who usually can’t access it.” Hearing this from him, one  would definitely know his answer when asked with the “half-full, half-empty question”.

This philosophy apparently guides Richman in selecting potential investors. James Richman personally handpicks his investors. He puts a premium on quality, and not quantity.

This proves very rare especially in the private investment world where a large capital would relate to a greater purchasing power. James, however, has opted to take the risk of letting private individuals invest through him. Although, convincing him to consider your private funds would entail scrutiny. One must possess impeccable reputation, and not be linked to money laundering and financial scams.

Who would not want to be in the shoes of James Richman, an investor extraordinaire, who has found a way to work behind the shadows of the media all this time, the modern day King Midas who has the golden touch when it comes to investments? Anyone would definitely love to be looking from his standpoint right now. But, alternately not everyone would be able to endure being in his place during his tough, growing years.

James Richman did not reach his status with the snap of a finger, nor with a click of a mouse. He did so with courage, unwavering confidence and extraordinary ability.

Unconventional approach in life

Mr. Richman found enough courage to escape the norm, of course dropping out at fifteen is highly discouraged. Putting emphasis in his courage, he knew that formal schooling just was not working for him the way it was supposed to. So he made the jump, which can also be related to his unwavering confidence.

Years of torment and insult during his youth would not tarnish the belief he had in himself. In fact, thriving in the investment and financial world requires one to have strong self-confidence, and erstwhile established, thriving is an understatement for James Richman.

Lastly, discipline proved vital to James’s success. It was apparent with the unchanging recruitment scheme for investors that he implemented since day one. What do Michelangelo, Abraham Lincoln, Mozart and Bill Gates have in common?

Greatness, of course, and they all reportedly have Asperger’s syndrome. The condition closely related to autism seems to allow its bearer to recognize and interpret patterns unseen to the normal mind.

Turning Asperger’s syndrome to a blessing

Similar to these great men is James Richman. His Asperger’s syndrome allows him to monitor, collect and process patterns in the market which even a veteran investment banker would not notice. The exponential expansion of his financial portfolio over the years is proof of his unique ability.

James Richman is just waiting to be unleashed from anyone of us. He never had the usual happy childhood, where encouragement and acceptance was the norm for young kids. Nor, did he have a progressive formal education.

However, he did not let these dark clouds hang over his head, and instead, used them as his motivation to make an impact in today’s world. His is a story of inspiration waiting to be topped by yours.