Most people that invest in the stock market are self-motivated individuals. However, even the most dedicated and consistent people sometimes need external inspiration.
If you are a stock market investor, this article will provide that inspiration. In the upcoming sections, we will discuss the top 10 richest investors (by net worth) in 2023. Any investor or aspiring investor can benefit from learning about these people.
So, let's jump right in:
Warren Buffet
Warren Buffet isn't just the richest stock market investor in the world; he has accumulated enough wealth to put him on the list of the top 10 wealthiest people on the planet
Buffet has studied business administration and possesses a master's degree in economics. He follows a simple investment strategy- find financially sound companies with a moat and invest heavily. After beating the market several times, he became a millionaire at 30 and sat at the helm of the world-famous investment firm Berkshire Hathway.
Ken Griffin
Anyone investor who has studied the historical stock market crashes of the recent past knows about Ken Griffin. He is best known for shorting the market on Black Monday at the age of 19. By age 21, in 1990, Griffin introduced his first fund under Citadel LLC, which yielded returns of over 40% in the first two years.
In the early 2000s, he set up Citadel Securities. The company made one of the strongest recoveries after the crash of 2008, boosting Griffin's wealth and reputation. Since then, Ken Griffin has never looked back.
Jim Simons
Jim Simons is one of the most brilliant men ever investing in the stock market. Simons was an award-winning mathematician who realised that statistical data could be used to beat the markets.
That's exactly what he did for decades, supported by his brilliance in mathematics. Jim Simons founded the Monemetrics hedge fund in 1978. The company's name was later changed to Renaissance Technologies. Jim Simons served as the chairman of his company till 2021 when he retired as a billionaire.
Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio is one of the most respected voices in economics, thanks to his bestselling book, "Principles: Life and Work." He started investing at the age of 12 and was already managing a few thousand dollars after graduating from school.
After earning his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1973, Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates. By 2013, it was the biggest hedge fund in the world, being an early investor in firms like Google and Facebook. Bridgewater is still among the world's top three largest hedge funds as of 2023.
Carl Icahn
Carl Icahn is one of the most famous activist investors in the world. His investment style involves buying up large chunks of company shares, and sometimes, the entire company, to fix underlying issues or sell the company's assets to secure profits.
Icahn is best known for his hostile takeover of Trans World Airlines. By selling the airline's London routes, Icahn made a whopping $469 million (₹38,000 crore). Icahn left the hedge fund business in 2011 to manage Icahn Enterprises, where he still follows his activist investing style.
Steve Cohen
Steve Cohen is an outlier among the richest investors in the world. This is because, unlike most others, he made his wealth using short-term trading strategies. Steve is an alumnus of Wharton School and started his career as a junior trader.
In 1992, he founded SAC Capital Advisors but had to rebrand the company to Point72 after SAC Capital Advisors got convicted of insider trading and had to pay $1.8 billion (₹14,000 crore) in fines. Point72 famously invested in companies like Visa and Google, making Steven Cohen among today's richest investors.
Paul Tudor Jones
Paul Tudor Jones is one of the most exciting men on this list. The man identifies himself as a trader and not an investor but still believes strongly in planning every move he makes in the market.
After working for the New York Cotton Exchange and E.F. Hutton & Co., Jones founded Tudor Investment Corporation. Jones famously made a 60% return by shorting the market on Black Monday and has been revered as an authority figure in investment circles ever since.
George Soros
While he may not enjoy a net worth equivalent to Warren Buffet, George Soros enjoys the same popularity as him. Soros' controversial investment strategies, often based on instinct more than anything else, have earned him quite a reputation and some serious wealth.
Soros' call to fame was when he shorted the British Pound in 1992 and made a profit of a billion dollars (approx ₹8,000 crore). George Soros is one of the most prominent philanthropists in the stock market world, known for donating 64% of his wealth. Despite this, he still ranks among the richest investors in the world.
Bruce Kovner
Bruce Kovner is a hedge fund manager who sits at CAM Capital's helm. The company manages his investments and trades. Kovner's strategies revolve heavily around risk management. This is perhaps because of the infamous soybean contract where he failed to secure a big profit because he waited too long to book profits.
However, his risk management approaches clearly work, especially in the asset classes where he invests: currencies and commodities. This is true because he is among the top 10 wealthiest investors in the world today.
Stanley Druckenmiller
Stanley Duckenmiller has worked closely with George Soros on the Quantum Fund. He currently invests in various assets, including equities, cryptocurrencies and gold. Druckenmiller's trading strategies combine what he learned from his time working with Soros and his own understanding of the markets.
Conclusion
These were some of the biggest names in stock market investing. Study them, their victories and their mistakes, to guide your success in the stock market.
Is there an investor that you idolise that we missed mentioning? Tell us about them in the comment section below!
Disclaimer
The investment options and stocks mentioned here are not recommendations. Please go through your own due diligence and conduct thorough research before investing. Investment in the securities market is subject to market risks. Please read the Risk Disclosure documents carefully before investing. Past performance of instruments/securities does not indicate their future performance. Due to the price fluctuation risk and the market risk, there is no guarantee that your personal investment objectives will be achieved.