John Rogers, Jr.: 'Be Willing to Talk About These Uncomfortable Issues'

Our guest this week is John Rogers, Jr. John is chairman, co-CEO, and chief investment officer of Ariel Investments, the firm he founded in 1983. John is the lead portfolio manager of the Ariel Fund and also comanages other Ariel strategies, including Ariel Small Cap Value, Small/Mid Cap Value, Mid Cap Value as well as Ariel Appreciation. John sits on several corporate boards, including the board of directors of McDonald's, Nike, and The New York Times and serves as vice chair of the University of Chicago's board of trustees. In 2008, John was given Princeton University's highest honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award, for his work in civic and philanthropic circles. John received his bachelor's degree from Princeton.

Background

Bio

DEI

“White House Advisor on Importance of Financial Education,” CNBC.com, April 14, 2014.

Ariel Community Academy

“Empowering the Next Generation of Investors Through Rapunzl,” Nasdaq.com, Nov. 12, 2020.

The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Ariel-Schwab Black Investor Survey 2020

"Chicago-Based Ariel Investments Launches 'Project Black' to Grow Minority-Owned Businesses With $200 Million From JPMorgan Chase," by Robert Channick, chicagotribune.com, Feb. 27, 2021.

"Ariel Investments’ John Rogers Jr. Pushes Corporate Boards to Have Their Own 'Jackie Robinson Moment'," by Andrew Keshner, marketwatch.com, Dec. 2, 2020.

ESG

" 'This Is the Shareholders’ Money': Billionaire Warren Buffett Argues That Companies Should Stop Making Decisions Based on Their Social Beliefs," by Ben Winck, businessinsider.com, Jan. 2, 2020.

Ariel Investments ESG Policy

Nike Sustainability Initiatives

McDonald’s Sustainability Initiatives

Market Outlook and Value Investing

“Warren Buffett Watcher Echoes Warning on Bitcoin: 'We’re Probably Near the Top of a Bubble'," by Berkeley Lovelace Jr., cnbc.com, Jan. 11, 2018.

“Martijn Cremers Unveils ActiveShare.info Fund Website 2.0,” by Martijn Cremers, prnewswire.com, Sept. 15, 2020.

“Bill Bernstein: We’re Starting to See All the Signs of the Bubble,” The Long View Podcast with Christine Benz and Jeffrey Ptak, Morningstar.com, March 10, 2021.

“These 7 Value Stocks Will Benefit From an Economic Recovery,” by Reshma Kapadia, barrons.com, Feb. 28, 2021.

“Ariel Investments’ John Rogers: Taking a Contrarian View to Beat Markets and Prejudice,” financialtimes.com, April