Thirty-Three Places I'Ll Visit After I Die (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781728301389)

After having been raised on a farm outside of a town of two hundred and fifty people in Iowa, over the years, he has become a "world citizen" by traveling to over fifty countries on five continents. Following four unproductive years at a university, the next four years were spent in the U. S. Army, rising in the ranks from private to captain, including serving one year in the war in Vietnam. Next, after obtaining his college degree and spending several years as a stockbroker, he, along with two partners, formed what quickly became the largest "penny stock" brokerage firm in the United States, with revenues in the tens of millions of dollars. As happens in many endeavors, quick gains and success turned into rapid losses. Such was the case, and the damage was more than just money; friends, prestige, power and, for a short time, freedom vanished. To supplant the anguish of the ensuing void, Kim turned to endurance sports, to include mountain climbing on three continents, distance running, bicycling and swimming, culminating in the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii at the age of 46. After a hiatus from business for almost ten years, he returned as a partner in a successful Denver, Colorado-based investment banking firm for nine years. Retirement, for the last decade, has led to visiting over thirty-five countries and living for extended periods several times in tiny villages in both Mexico and Italy, while learning to become part of those communities where little or no English was spoken. Throughout these endeavors, he was instrumental in helping raise three delightful, loving children. Relative to most, Kim has led several lives, each of which is an adventure. While experiencing both extreme highs and crippling lows, he has achieved what should be the dream of everyone, happiness. Reading this book could prove to be a "roadmap" for others searching to make their lives more complete. It's been a "hell of a ride."