In this article, we discuss the 10 most famous American investors. To read our analysis of ultra-high net worth individuals’ investment portfolios and the hedge fund industry, go directly to the 50 Most Famous American Investors.
10. Israel Englander
Net Worth: $11.8 billion
Israel “Izzy” Englander is an American investor worth $11.8 billion. He is the founder and CEO of Millennium Management. He started the fund in 1989 with $35 million. As of June 2023, Israel Englander’s firm has over $58 billion in assets under management. In the second quarter, Israel Englander is seen to be shorting the stock market as his top three 13F securities included put options against SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, Invesco QQQ Trust ETF, and iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF, at a combined value of $31.8 billion.
9. Peter Lynch
Net Worth: N/A
Peter Lynch is an American investor and is currently the Vice Chairman of Fidelity Management & Research. His investment strategy is investing in undervalued stocks with the potential to have healthy growth. Peter Lynch is also an author. One of his most famous books, One Up on Wall Street was published in 1989 and has sold over two million copies and has been translated into 23 languages.
8. Benjamin Graham
Net Worth: N/A
Benjamin Graham is known as the “father of value investing.” He was an American economist and investor, born in May 1894 and passed away in September 1976. He was the teacher of Warren Buffett. Benjamin Graham was also an author. Warren Buffett considers his book “The Intelligent Investor” as “the best book about investing ever written.”
Ben Graham’s net worth at the time of his death varies from source to source. However, it is said that he only left $3 million to his heirs as he gave most of his money to charity.
7. Andreas Halvorsen
Net Worth: $5.9 billion
Andreas Halvorsen is one of the most successful Tiger Cubs. He owns and manages Viking Global, a hedge fund managing over $41 billion of capital. Halvorsen makes short and long-term investments after intensive research and “thoughtful risk-taking.” Andreas Halvorsen was born in Norway. However, he received his higher education in the United States and his hedge fund is based in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Some of Andreas Halvorsen’s top picks include Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR), and APi Group Corporation (NYSE:APG). Andreas Halvorsen is worth $5.9 billion.
6. Ray Dalio
Net Worth: $15.4 billion
Ray Dalio is one of the most successful American investors and hedge fund managers. He is the founder of Bridgewater Associates. However, he stepped down as the CEO of the firm in 2011. Ray Dalio still serves as a mentor to the firm’s CIOs and investment committee.
Ray Dalio grew up in a middle-class American family and bought his first stock at the age of 12, which tripled in value soon after. He started Bridgewater Associates out of his two-bedroom apartment and by 2013, it was the largest hedge fund in the world. He was also named by TIME magazine as one of 2012’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and his book, ‘Principles: Life & Work’ is one of the New York Times bestsellers. His net worth is $15.4 billion.
5. Carl Icahn
Net Worth: $6.9 billion
Carl Icahn is an American investor born in 1936. He became famous as a “corporate raider” after he acquired Trans World Airlines and then sold it to pay his debts. Icahn is an activist investor. He buys large stakes in companies that he believes will grow after a few policy changes.
Carl Icahn does not take outside investors but allows people to invest in his conglomerate, Icahn Enterprises L.P. (NASDAQ:IEP). He controls 85% of the company and it covers 62.71% of his investment portfolio as of the second quarter of 2023. His other notable Q2 investments include CVR Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CVI) and Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX).
4. Steve Cohen
Net Worth: $19.8 billion
Steve Cohen is the majority owner of the New York Mets of Major League Baseball and the CEO and founder of Point72 Asset Management. Steve Cohen generated personal capital gains of around $1.7 billion in 2022 and has a net worth of nearly $20 billion.
Steve Cohen is quite bullish on the new artificial intelligence wave that started at the beginning of 2023. In the second quarter of 2023, his most prominent stock picks were NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). He increased his holdings in the companies by 68% and 306% in Q2, respectively.
3. Philippe Laffont
Net Worth: $6.1 billion
Philippe Laffont is worth $6.1 billion. He is a huge believer in the tech industry and has most of his investments in the sector. Laffont is one of Julian Robertson’s Tiger Cubs. He founded Coatue Management in 1999.
Philippe Laffont is a long term investor. In Q2 2023, his biggest bets included NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META).
2. George Soros
Net Worth: $6.7 billion
George Soros is a Hungarian-American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Soros Fund Management, which he turned into a family office in 2011. Soros is called “the man who broke the bank of England” as he predicted the events of Black Wednesday and shorted the British pound. He made a $1 billion profit when the currency devalued. His average annual returns between 1969 to 2000 were 30.5% and he even managed to profit during the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-09 when most hedge funds were losing. George Soros managed to return 8% in 2008 and 29% in 2009.
In the second quarter of 2023, his most prominent bets were Horizon Therapeutics Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:HZNP) and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL).
1. Warren Buffett
Net Worth: $123.1 billion
The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, is the most successful investor in the world. He is a student of Benjamin Graham. Buffett is a value investor who buys and holds companies for a long time. He is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
There aren’t enough words to describe the brilliance of Warren Buffett. At Insider Monkey, we have just put this as a constant: Warren Buffett is The Man. We know.
You can also look at the 10 Best Performing Asia Pacific ETFs in 2023 and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats List: Sorted By Analyst Ratings.
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