Since I'm not the only stacker who identifies as a libertarian, I thought this little reminiscence would be of interest for some of you.
I was a politically homeless lawyer in my late 20s when I discovered libertarianism", classical liberalism, or anarcho-capitalism, whatever you choose to call the current political movement inspired by the Austrian school of economics, Ayn Rand, and others.
I was on my lunch break, wandering around Borders Books, a now extinct chain bookstore, when I found Anarchy, State And Utopia by Robert Nozick. I was intrigued by the title. That's all it took for me to begin a years long, bitcoin-like obsession.
The Junto
When I began hanging around with different groups, I started hearing about this Junto that was sponsored by some big hedge fund founder in New York City. I listened, but I had no idea how to go about getting invited to these meetings. The Junto was legendary. Victor Niederhoffer sponsored the event at his New York City office.
Admission was free, and everyone was provided a good meal at no charge.
You just needed to join the email list and reserve your spot before each meeting. My friends and I began attending fairly frequently.
The name Junto was taken from Ben Franklin's discussion group:
The Junto, also called The Leather Apron Club, was established in 1727 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. The Leather Apron Club's purpose was to debate questions of morals, politics, and natural philosophy, and to exchange knowledge of business affairs.
Jim Rogers and Tibor Machan
I remember two of these events very well. One featured Jim Rogers, who at the time was publicizing his book Investment Biker. I really liked that book, and I liked Rogers' politics and investment ideas. If you're not familiar with him, he is a character.
I also recall hearing Tibor Machan give a talk.
I read his book Individuals And Their Rights and really enjoyed it.
He was a brilliant scholar who was involved with just about every libertarian think tank of his time. He wrote a memoir named The Man Without A Hobby
Niederhoffer was the perfect host. It was obvious that he enjoyed these get togethers as much as anyone. He is a very intelligent man who has led an exciting, bold life. He wrote an autobiography, The Education Of A Speculator
If you are interested in trading, you should read up on this man and his many successes and failures.
I found this listing online:
It has always struck me as very strange that both Jim Rogers and Victor Niederhoffer worked with George Soros at one point or another. Talk about heading in different directions.