From the Editor

Last Updated Mar 10, 2026, 1:01am EDT

  • Ray Dalio is the founder of the world's biggest hedge fund firm, Bridgewater Associates, which now manages $92 billion.
  • Dalio stepped down as CEO in 2017, retired as co-CIO in 2022 and sold off his full stake in the firm by 2025.
  • 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 more than $1 billion to philanthropic causes. His Dalio Philanthropies has supported microfinance and public education.
Wealth History
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Forbes Lists

list appearances

45

Personal Stats

Age
76
Source of Wealth
Hedge funds, Self Made
Self-Made Score
8
Philanthropy Score
3
Residence
Greenwich, Connecticut
Citizenship
United States
Marital Status
Married
Children
4
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, Long Island University; Master of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Did you know
In 2017, Dalio published "Principles: Life & Work," a New York Times bestseller that codifies his principles.
Bridgewater is known for its culture of "radical transparency," including encouraging dissent, openly airing disagreements and recording all meetings.
In Their Own Words

It's impossible to separate economics from managing money. Doing economic research makes me a better trader.

Ray Dalio
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More on Forbes

Oct 8, 2025
Forbes Editor-at-Large Maneet Ahuja sits down with legendary investor Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates—the world’s largest hedge fund. Recorded live at the NASDAQ market site, Dalio issues an urgent, unvarnished warning about the global economic landscape and the future of wealth. Dalio also discusses his latest book, 'How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle', which aims to convey the mechanics of the process behind why countries go broke and unveils the leadership strategy to which he attributes his firm's outsized success.
Oct 1, 2024
Nobody is invincible, even your heroes. This is why, when the crash hit, I went to my bookshelf for inspiration. Ray Dalio's "Principles" changed my whole perspective.