Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio is the founder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world by assets under management, and one of the most influential thinkers in modern finance. From a middle-class upbringing on Long Island, Dalio built Bridgewater from his two-bedroom apartment in 1975 into a firm that would manage over $150 billion in assets and generate more absolute returns for investors than any other hedge fund in history. His systematic, principles-based approach to investing and management has influenced countless investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders around the world.

Dalio's investment philosophy is rooted in understanding the fundamental economic machine — how credit cycles, debt, inflation, and productivity growth drive markets and economies over time. His flagship Pure Alpha fund has delivered outstanding risk-adjusted returns over nearly five decades, and his All Weather strategy pioneered the risk parity approach that has been adopted by institutional investors worldwide. His 2018 book 'Principles: Life and Work' became a global bestseller, sharing the management and decision-making frameworks he developed at Bridgewater.

Beyond investing, Dalio is one of the most thoughtful and generous philanthropists of his generation. Through the Dalio Foundation, he has donated over $5 billion to causes including ocean exploration, education in underserved communities, and mental health research. His partnership with OceanX, a marine research initiative, has produced groundbreaking ocean exploration that has expanded humanity's understanding of the deep sea. Dalio's combination of investment brilliance, intellectual curiosity, and philanthropic commitment makes him one of the most remarkable figures in modern finance.

Raymond Thomas Dalio was born in 1949 in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, the son of a jazz musician and a homemaker. He bought his first stock — Northeast Airlines — at age 12 with money earned caddying. It tripled when the company merged, hooking him on investing. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1973 and founded Bridgewater Associates from his two-bedroom apartment in 1975, at age 26.