It takes a few days to read a huge biography of a famous person, but in reality, it can be narrowed down to something more simple. Like a chart, for example. 

Let’s see what a chart of George Soros would look like.

Name: George Soros, born Schwartz György

Date of birth: 12/08/1930

Net worth: $8.6B

Starting point: He was born to a Jewish family who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary. Having lived through a tough time of antisemitic tendencies and occupation of Hungary, the family had to change their last name to Soros. They were also forced to change jobs, and forge documents indicating their descent and religion.

Higher point: In 1947, he moved to England and started his studies at the London School of Economics.

Low point: He had to work as a waiter and as a railway porter to get by.

High point: He got his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in philosophy by 1954

Higher points: 

  • In 1954, he started his career as a clerk at the merchant bank Singer & Friedlander of London.

  • Later on, one of his colleagues gave him recommendations for F. M. Mayer (brokerage house) as an arbitrage trader in New York.

  • Then, in 1959, he moved to Wertheim & Co., while planning to come back to England later, after he saves some money.

Spoiler: he didn’t come back

Low point: Despite him becoming a vice president of Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder in 1963, the business was not the most prosperous one. Due to Interest Equalization Tax, Soros’ European trading was becoming less successful. But he had a plan, and he started experimenting with his trading strategies in 1966.

Higher points:

  • In 1969, he set a hedge fund Double Eagle with the capital of $4M, including his own quarter of a million. 

  • In 1970, he founded Soros Funds Management and became its chairman.

Lower point: He had to resign from his Double Eagle hedge fund due to the conflict of interests.

High point: By 1981, the fund had $400M (which makes 100 more than his initial one 12 years ago; quite impressive).

Higher point: In 1992, George Soros managed to secure one of the biggest short deals in pounds sterling. Overall, the position’s worth was $10B.

Lower point: however, this success initiated conspiracy theories concerning George Soros’ influence on the international economy and his intervention with other countries.

High point: By 2013, his fund made $5.5B, which made it the most successful hedge fund in history.

Curious facts:

  • His last name is a palindrome: you can read it backwards and it will still be the same.

  • He speaks Esperanto - a constructed language invented by scientists in the late 19th century.

  • He is the owner of Open Society Foundations that helps people all around the world.

  • He has 5 children.

And, as this wise man once said:

Once we realize that imperfect understanding is the human condition there is no shame in being wrong, only in failing to correct our mistakes.