ROGER BLACKWELL financed his education by working at radio and television stations and a newspaper in Missouri. After receiving his Ph. D. at Northwestern University, he joined the faculty of The Ohio State University where he taught 65,000 students and co-authored Consumer Behavior, a textbook used throughout the world in multiple languages and editions, and 30 other books. He also lectured and conducted research in 40 countries on seven continents, observing in-person why people are poor or prosperous. While a professor, he was on the boards of fourteen public corporations. Currently, he serves on boards of private organizations and teaches seminars about economics in the U.S. and Canada.