The father of Korean ETFs, the current head of an asset management company, shares his thoughts.
Practical Ways to Grow Wealth in the Age of Technological Innovation
“Invest in long-term future growth!”

● Fail-safe investments from the founder of South Korea's ETF and a pioneer in tech investment.
How to become rich through two basic principles: direction and time.
● Change the investment paradigm, stand on the shoulders of the giant called 'ETF' and see a wider world!

Everyone wants to be rich.
But the reality is not easy.
People try various investment methods, but only a very small number of people manage to find wealth.
But here is someone who shouts, “Anyone can become rich.”
This is CEO Bae Jae-gyu, known as the 'father of Korean ETFs.'
Having worked in the asset management industry for over 25 years and acquired numerous investment methods and know-how, he says that the reason people fail at investing is not because of a lack of effort or will, but because of a wrong investment 'method'.
His investment philosophy, which states that anyone can succeed in investing if they correctly understand direction and timing, can be summarized in one word: "Invest for the long term in future growth."


"Anyone Can Get Rich Through Investment" teaches you how to become truly rich through investment, not how to make money with a single investment.
This book covers everything from the investment principles of legendary investment gurus to how the market reacted, recovered, and changed during major crises like the financial crisis, COVID-19, and the dot-com bubble, and, most importantly, how the investment market will operate during the current transformational period, when AI is once again shifting the world's paradigm.
It's the investment bible of our time, offering a path to success that can be implemented without being an expert or having to look at the markets every day.

"Anyone Can Become Rich Through Investment" will have different meanings for different readers.
For the average investor, it presents a simple yet powerful strategy that anyone can consistently implement.
For professional investors, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the continuities and disconnects between value investing and tech-focused growth investing.
For those in the asset management industry, this will serve as a reminder of the fundamental shift in the industry, moving from the "art of stock selection" to the "science of product planning and marketing."

--- From the prologue, “Anyone Can Become Rich Through Investment”

I propose the following four new investment principles for the tech age:
First, read the trends of the times and allocate capital to the tech industry, which is at the center of structural growth.
We are moving beyond the manufacturing-centric era and are at a turning point where platforms, AI, semiconductors, cloud computing, and bio are redrawing the map of wealth.
AI, in particular, is a key driver of reshaping the economy and society in the coming decades.
Second, create a structure that overcomes short-term volatility.
By utilizing ETFs that encompass entire industries, sectors, and themes rather than individual stocks, you can reduce individual company risk and gain the psychological stability of a portfolio that won't fail.
Third, don't be swayed by the noise of the market, but invest your time and capital in industries that will create the future and enjoy the benefits of compound interest.
Fourth, save time on investing and invest in yourself.
Investing in knowledge, health, and networks leads to ultimate success in life.

--- From Chapter 1, “Three Questions to Open the Door to Wealth”

While the Korean market may have the potential for a short-term rebound through institutional reform, it must also be considered that structural limitations to institutional reform remain.
Unless the complex weaknesses of slowing growth, backward systems, profit monopoly structure, and non-expert-centered management are resolved, its long-term appeal will be limited.
The days when 'patriotic investment' was taken for granted, as in the past, are long gone.
Individual investors, known as "Seohak Ants," are entering the world's most powerful capital market.
This trend is not a fad, but a structural shift toward a better investment ecosystem.

--- From Chapter 3, "World? Major? Market? Analysis"

In reality, many investors suffer investment failures due to emotional failures, where they are swayed by market volatility and end up missing out on investment performance.
But in reality, most mistakes made repeatedly in investing stem from choosing the wrong target in the first place.
In other words, it is an error in logical judgment.
In other words, ‘failure to choose’ is more common than ‘failure to wait.’
From now on, I would like to organize the mistakes that investors are likely to make in the process of making logical decisions, namely, 'Things not to do when investing.'
This is the most important topic that must be addressed to improve investment performance.

--- From Chapter 4, "Seven Traps That Block Successful Investment"

We are currently standing on the threshold of the AI ​​era.
Artificial intelligence is emerging as a new paradigm that will reshape all industries and society, transcending a single technology.
However, this massive transformation was ultimately made possible by semiconductors. High-performance semiconductors underpin every process by which AI learns, infers, and communicates with humans.
AI is permeating human civilization in a wide range of fields, from autonomous driving and robotics to healthcare and life sciences, and even the AI+X (Physical AI) era.
It is not just a continuation of digital expansion, but a paradigm shift where the very operating principles of human civilization are being changed by the addition of intelligence called AI.

--- From Chapter 5, "Invest in Technology Stocks"

Passive management has now become the dominant approach in the global asset management market.
This is because the advantage of active management has virtually disappeared as the academic verification of active management strategies, which had been shrouded in secrecy for a long time, and the information asymmetry was resolved with the implementation of the FD (Fair Disclosure) system in the United States in 2000.
Here, active funds are increasingly failing to keep up with market returns despite their high fees.
On the other hand, passive strategies have led to fund inflows by providing stable performance at low costs.

--- From Chapter 6, "The Beginning of Passive Investment (The Fall of Active Investment)"

The Korean asset management market has now entered a clear turning point.
The future of some asset managers who remain centered on active funds is difficult to be optimistic about. Asset managers not currently engaged in ETF operations should either expedite a strategic shift toward ETFs or actively explore expansion into alternative assets.
(Omitted) The Korean ETF market has achieved remarkable quantitative growth so far.
Now is the time to move towards qualitative evolution.
If changes like reforming the retirement pension system, strengthening platform-based distribution, expanding investor education, and engaging in sensible competition among ETF operators are implemented together, ETFs will go beyond simple investment products and become a key tool for Korean investors to accumulate wealth over the long term.

--- From Chapter 7, "ETFs as a Crystal of Finance? Innovation?"

I believe that a flywheel structure centered on customer value is essential for the sustainable growth of asset management companies.
The flywheel is a virtuous cycle where customers are first helped to succeed, that success breeds trust, and based on that trust, long-term relationships are formed, which in turn naturally attracts more customers.

--- From Chapter 9, "Asset Management in a Transitional Period"

Wealth in the future (abbreviated as 'Wf') can be expressed by the simple formula below.
It's a simple formula, but it holds a surprising truth within it.
That's the power of compound interest.
The effects of compounding work exponentially over time.
Anyone, even an ordinary person, can accumulate wealth if they deeply understand this formula and apply it to their own lives.
The key is how quickly you start, how long you stick with it, and what kind of consistent returns you can achieve.

--- From "Chapter 10 'The Formula of Wealth'"