Ray Dalio
American hedge fund manager; founder of Bridgewater Associates
| Ray Dalio
| |
|---|---|
| Image | .jpg) Ray Dalio in 2017 |
| Born | 8 August 1949 (Forbes) |
| Nationality | American |
| Residence | Greenwich, Connecticut (Forbes) |
| Occupation | Investor, author |
| Known for | Founder of Bridgewater Associates |
| Children | 4 (Forbes) |
| Education | BA, Long Island University; MBA, Harvard Business School (Forbes) |
Ray Dalio (born 8 August 1949) is an American investor who founded Bridgewater Associates, which Forbes describes as the world's biggest hedge fund firm.[1] He stepped down as chief executive in 2017, retired as co-chief investment officer in 2022 and had sold his entire stake by 2025.[1] On 10 November 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Ray Dalio 144th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$18.9 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as hedge funds.[1][2] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Ray Dalio 188th, at US$15.4 billion.[3] Dalio is known for his book Principles and for long-standing investment and philanthropy in China. Since leaving Bridgewater he has opened a family office in Abu Dhabi and become an adviser to Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund, Danantara.[1][4][5][6]
Early life and education
Dalio grew up in a middle-class neighbourhood on Long Island. He started trading at 12, using tips from the golfers he caddied for.[1] He holds a bachelor's degree from Long Island University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.[1]
Bridgewater Associates
In 1975, after Harvard, Dalio launched Bridgewater from his two-bedroom flat in New York City.[1] Forbes says the firm manages US$102 billion and is known for a culture of "radical transparency", which includes encouraging dissent, airing disagreements openly and recording all meetings.[1] He stepped down as CEO in 2017 and retired as co-CIO in 2022.[1] In 2023 Fortune reported that he was receiving US$1 billion a year from the firm under an exit package. Bridgewater was then led by chief executive Nir Bar Dea.[4] Business Insider described Dalio at that time as an official mentor to Bridgewater's three co-chief investment officers.[7] By 2025 he had sold his full stake.[1]
Writing
In 2017 Dalio published Principles: Life & Work, which became a New York Times bestseller.[1] He has also written Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail and Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises.[4][7]
Wealth
Forbes lists his source of wealth as hedge funds and classes him as self-made. It quotes him as saying: "Doing economic research makes me a better trader."[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 19 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2008. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list, and, where applicable, the rank and estimate in the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.[3][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) | Forbes 400 rank | Forbes 400 net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | – | – | 82 | 4.0 |
| 2008 | 260 | 4.0 | 78 | 4.5 |
| 2009 | 261 | 2.5 | 65 | 4.0 |
| 2010 | 212 | 4.0 | 55 | 5.0 |
| 2011 | 162 | 6.0 | 44 | 6.5 |
| 2012 | 88 | 10.0 | 33 | 10.0 |
| 2013 | 76 | 12.5 | 31 | 12.9 |
| 2014 | 69 | 14.4 | 30 | 15.2 |
| 2015 | 60 | 15.4 | 29 | 15.3 |
| 2016 | 48 | 15.6 | 25 | 15.9 |
| 2017 | 54 | 16.8 | 26 | 17.0 |
| 2018 | 67 | 17.7 | 25 | 18.1 |
| 2019 | 57 | 18.4 | 26 | 18.7 |
| 2020 | 46 | 18.0 | 29 | 16.9 |
| 2021 | 88 | 20.3 | 36 | 20.0 |
| 2022 | 71 | 22.0 | 32 | 19.1 |
| 2023 | 83 | 19.1 | 42 | 15.4 |
| 2024 | 124 | 15.4 | 59 | 14.0 |
| 2025 | 165 | 14.0 | 68 | 15.4 |
| 2026 | 188 | 15.4 | 62 | 18.9 |
Philanthropy
Forbes says Dalio has given more than US$1 billion to charity, and that Dalio Philanthropies has supported microfinance and public education.[1] Partnership for Connecticut. In 2019 Connecticut agreed a partnership with Dalio Philanthropies, the foundation set up by Barbara and Ray Dalio. The foundation would give US$100 million to public education, matched by US$100 million of state money.[8][9] The arrangement drew concern over transparency and over exempting the partnership from the state's open records laws. In May 2020 Governor Ned Lamont said that, "due to a breach of trust", he and the Dalios had decided to disband it.[9]
Political activity
Itemised federal contribution records for 2021–2026 show no contributions under his name.[10] Public statements. In a November 2021 CNBC interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Sorkin asked how he reconciled investing in China with its human-rights record. Dalio likened the Chinese government's approach to that of "a strict parent". The interview came weeks after the tennis player Peng Shuai disappeared from public view.[11] In October 2023 he wrote that the odds of a "hot world war" involving the major powers had risen from 35% to about 50% over two years, and he urged world leaders to exercise restraint.[7][4]
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
In an October 2023 LinkedIn post, Dalio described the Israel–Hamas war as "another step toward international war" and predicted that it would be brutal until one side won.[7][4]
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
In April 2023 the Dalio Family Office opened a regional office at Abu Dhabi Global Market. ADGM said this built on a 30-year relationship between Dalio and the United Arab Emirates, and that the office supports the family's investments and the work of Dalio Philanthropies.[5][12]
China
Fortune reports that Dalio founded the Beijing Dalio China Foundation in 2013 to fund education and child-welfare programmes, and that Bridgewater held about US$2.9 billion in assets in China in January 2023.[4] Business Insider reported in 2021 that Bridgewater's 8 billion yuan fund had overtaken most other private fund managers in China.[11]
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
In the same October 2023 post he warned of harmful effects extending beyond Israel and Gaza.[7] No Palestinian-cause funding was found in the sources opened.
Home government
His foundation's 2019–2020 partnership with the State of Connecticut is described under Philanthropy.[9]
Other international links
In March 2025 Dalio was appointed to the Advisory Council of Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund Danantara, alongside Jeffrey Sachs.[6] In June 2025 Danantara said he continued as an informal, voluntary and unpaid adviser to its leadership and to President Prabowo Subianto.[13] His family office also has an office in Singapore.[5]
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Ray Dalio (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/ray-dalio/) Forbes, live record, read 10 November 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 10 November 2026 13:47 UTC, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Will Daniel, Hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio just put the odds of a ‘hot world war’ at 50% Fortune, 13 October 2023, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Abu Dhabi Global Market, Legendary investor Ray Dalio selects Abu Dhabi as its next strategic hub to expand family office’s global footprint ADGM, 19 April 2023, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Jakarta Globe, Full List of Danantara’s Organizational Structure: Thaksin Shinawatra, Ray Dalio Included Jakarta Globe, 24 March 2025, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Theron Mohamed, There's now a 50% chance of world war as the Israel-Hamas conflict threatens to spread, hedge fund legend Ray Dalio says Business Insider, 13 October 2023, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Keith M. Phaneuf, Dalio foundation spearheads major investment in CT schools CT Mirror, 5 April 2019, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Susan Haigh, Connecticut ending partnership with hedge fund foundation Associated Press, 19 May 2020, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ U.S. Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC Schedule A (itemised individual contributions) query, contributor name "DALIO, RAY"; 2026 cycle shown in link, the 2022, 2024 and 2026 cycles were queried together with the same parameters; top 100 records by amount; records filtered by employer/occupation and name, memo entries excluded U.S. Federal Election Commission, data as filed; queried 10 November 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Isabelle Lee, Watch billionaire investor Ray Dalio defend China's move to disappear citizens from the public eye by likening it to being 'a strict parent' Business Insider, 2 December 2021, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Massoud A Derhally, Ray Dalio: Founder of world’s largest hedge fund sets up family office in Abu Dhabi The National, 19 April 2023, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Danantara Indonesia, Ray Dalio and Danantara Indonesia: A Strategic Partnership for the Future Danantara Indonesia, 3 June 2025, accessed 10 November 2026.