Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio is the founder of the world's biggest hedge fund firm, Bridgewater Associates, which manages $160 billion.Working to make sure Bridgewater survives him, Dalio moved in 2018 to turn Bridgewater into a partnership and give employees more of a stake in the firm. His firm has posted mixed results in recent years. His big Pure Alpha hedge fund performed well in 2018, but his key All Weather fund lost money.Dalio grew up in a middle class Long Island neighborhood and started playing the markets at age 12, getting tips from golfers for whom he caddied.In 1975, after earning an MBA from Harvard Business School, he launched Bridgewater from his two-bedroom New York City apartment.Ray Dalio has given $768.9 million to philanthropic causes over his lifetime. His Dalio Foundation has supported microfinance, inner-city education, nature conservation, and promoted meditation to groups under stress.