Top Global Stock Investors: Who Owns How Much Wealth?
Author
Dipesh Ghimire
1. Warren Buffett
Company: Berkshire Hathaway
Net Worth: Over $100 billion
Investing Philosophy: Buffett is famous for his value investing strategy, focusing on buying high-quality companies at reasonable prices and holding them for the long term. He looks for strong management, consistent earnings, and businesses with a durable competitive advantage (a “moat”).
Notable Investments: Buffett has famously invested in Coca-Cola, American Express, Apple, and Bank of America. Apple is particularly noteworthy because it makes up a substantial portion of Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio.
Famous Quotes: “Price is what you pay; value is what you get.”
Fun Fact: Despite being one of the wealthiest individuals globally, Buffett is known for his frugal lifestyle, including still living in the house he bought in 1958.
2. Benjamin Graham
Background: Often referred to as the “father of value investing,” Graham taught Warren Buffett and has been a mentor to numerous successful investors.
Investing Philosophy: His strategy revolves around “margin of safety,” meaning buying securities at a significant discount to their intrinsic value to reduce risk.
Notable Works: His books The Intelligent Investor and Security Analysis (co-authored with David Dodd) are foundational texts for value investors.
Influence: His methods have laid the groundwork for modern investing strategies and heavily influenced value investors worldwide.
Fun Fact: Graham once advocated for a portfolio split evenly between bonds and stocks to protect against market volatility.
3. Peter Lynch
Company: Fidelity Magellan Fund
Net Worth: Estimated over $450 million (retired)
Investing Philosophy: Lynch is famous for his “buy what you know” approach, encouraging people to invest in companies they understand and observe in daily life. He popularized the concept of “GARP” (growth at a reasonable price).
Notable Investments: Lynch invested in consumer-oriented companies like Taco Bell, Dunkin’ Donuts, and other familiar brands. His success at the Magellan Fund from 1977 to 1990 saw the fund’s assets grow from $18 million to $14 billion.
Famous Quotes: “Know what you own, and know why you own it.”
Fun Fact: During his time managing the Magellan Fund, Lynch achieved an average annual return of around 29%, one of the best records in investment history.
4. Charlie Munger
Company: Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
Net Worth: Around $2 billion
Investing Philosophy: Munger is an advocate of value investing but also emphasizes understanding multiple disciplines (psychology, history, etc.) for making better investment decisions. He stresses investing in high-quality companies with strong management and sustainable competitive advantages.
Notable Collaborations: Munger has worked alongside Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway, where he has been instrumental in some of the company’s most successful investments.
Famous Quotes: “All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there.”
Fun Fact: Munger introduced Buffett to the idea of paying more for quality companies rather than just focusing on buying cheap stocks.
5. George Soros
Company: Soros Fund Management
Net Worth: Approximately $8.6 billion (after large philanthropic donations)
Investing Philosophy: Known for his global macroeconomic approach, Soros places large bets on currencies, commodities, and other macroeconomic trends. He is famous for taking leveraged positions based on his analysis of world economic patterns.
Notable Investments: Soros famously “broke the Bank of England” in 1992 by shorting the British pound, earning an estimated $1 billion in profit in a single day.
Famous Quotes: “The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.”
Fun Fact: Soros has donated over $32 billion to various philanthropic causes through his Open Society Foundations, making him one of the world’s most generous philanthropists.
6. Carl Icahn
Company: Icahn Enterprises
Net Worth: Around $15 billion
Investing Philosophy: Icahn is one of the original activist investors. He buys substantial stakes in companies he believes are underperforming and then pressures management to make changes, aiming to increase shareholder value.
Notable Investments: Icahn has taken significant positions in companies like TWA, Apple, and Netflix. He famously took a large position in Apple and pushed for stock buybacks, significantly increasing his returns.
Famous Quotes: “Some people get rich studying artificial intelligence. Me, I make money studying natural stupidity.”
Fun Fact: Icahn was one of the inspirations for the character Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street.
7. Ray Dalio
Company: Bridgewater Associates
Net Worth: Around $19 billion
Investing Philosophy: Dalio employs an “All Weather” investment strategy, which seeks diversification across asset classes to minimize risk. His principles-based approach emphasizes rigorous economic analysis to navigate different market conditions.
Notable Investments: Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, manages portfolios based on a wide range of economic signals and trends.
Famous Quotes: “He who lives by the crystal ball will eat shattered glass.”
Fun Fact: Dalio wrote Principles: Life & Work, outlining the principles that guided his life and investment philosophy.
8. John (Jack) Bogle
Company: Vanguard Group (Founder)
Net Worth: Approximately $80 million (at the time of his passing)
Investing Philosophy: Bogle revolutionized investing by introducing the first index fund, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, making it easy for people to invest in the entire market at a low cost. He strongly advocated for low-cost investing through passive funds.
Notable Contributions: Bogle’s creation of the index fund sparked a shift toward passive investing and made diversified investing accessible to everyday investors.
Famous Quotes: “Don’t look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack!”
Fun Fact: Bogle has been credited with saving investors billions in fees, leading to the term “Bogleheads,” a community of followers who adhere to his low-cost, passive investment philosophy.
9. Seth Klarman
Company: Baupost Group
Net Worth: Estimated around $1.5 billion
Investing Philosophy: Klarman follows a deep-value investing strategy with a contrarian approach, often focusing on distressed assets. His investment strategy emphasizes avoiding losses and using a significant margin of safety.
Notable Works: Klarman wrote Margin of Safety, a book highly sought after by value investors for its insights into deep-value investing.
Famous Quotes: “The stock market is the story of cycles and of the human behavior that is responsible for overreactions in both directions.”
Fun Fact: Margin of Safety is no longer in print, making it highly valuable. Original copies of the book often sell for over $1,000.
10. Bill Ackman
Company: Pershing Square Capital Management
Net Worth: Around $3 billion
Investing Philosophy: Ackman is known for his activist investing approach. He takes significant positions in companies and then pushes for changes to unlock value, such as management shifts, restructuring, or strategic refocusing.
Notable Investments: Ackman has been involved in high-profile investments in companies like Chipotle and Herbalife. His investment in Chipotle yielded significant returns after he helped guide the company through a turnaround.
Famous Quotes: “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”
Fun Fact: Ackman famously made a massive bet against Herbalife, calling it a pyramid scheme, leading to a highly publicized battle with fellow investor Carl Icahn.
