Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio is the founder of the world's biggest hedge fund firm, Bridgewater Associates, which manages $154 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.

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.

Dalio has given about $1 billion to philanthropic causes. His Dalio Foundation has supported microfinance and inner-city education.