Right now, he's the most successful hedge fund manager in the world, and according to Forbes he's the 88th richest person on the planet with an estimated net worth of $10 billion.
Those are definitely notable numbers, but Dalio's life and work vacillate between being very public and very private.
His hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, for example, is known for its secrecy — some even say that it's cultish — and potential employees are often vetted for their personalities. They need to match the rest of the team on campus in Westport, Connecticut.
Then again, Dalio is also very public about certain things. He's very open about his manifesto on investing, which he calls his 'Template for Understanding.' How many hedge funders do that?
Bottom line: There's only one Ray Dalio, so you should study up.
Dalio was born in Jackson Heights Queens in 1949.
He wasn't a great student when he was younger, saying he had a bad memory and didn't like studying. Dalio got into investing after he got a great stock tip while caddying at Links Golf Club.
He holds a BA from Long Island University, and an MBA from Harvard.
He continued trading independently when he went to Harvard Business School, and landed a job on Wall Street when he got out.
Sometime in his 20s, he found out the Beatles were into transcendental meditation and tried it out.
He said it made him better at school and now he does it every day, and he thinks it's the reason for his success. Here's why:
"I notice a difference from the moment I meditate. I can be stressed, or tired, and I can go into a meditation and it all just flows off of me. I'll come out of it refreshed and centered and that's how I'll feel and it'll carry through the day."
Watch him explain the whole thing below:
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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