The World's Greatest Investors

The great investors

Some of the most successful money managers in the world, often referred to as the greatest investors, have amassed wealth and helped others do the same through their consistent ability to outperform the market. These individuals may approach investing in a variety of ways, ranging from innovative analysis to instinct-based decision making. Despite their different approaches, they have all achieved significant financial success.

Benjamin Graham

Ben Graham is highly regarded for his contributions to the field of investing as both a manager and educator. He is the author of several influential investment books and is credited as the founder of security analysis and value investing. Graham's value investing philosophy involves seeking out undervalued investments that have strong financial fundamentals, such as low debt levels, strong profit margins, and strong cash flow.

John Templeton

John Templeton was known for going against the grain in his investment decisions and was highly successful as a result. He founded several successful international investment funds and was recognized by Money magazine as "arguably the greatest global stock picker of the century." Templeton, a naturalized British citizen living in the Bahamas, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his many achievements in the financial industry.

Thomas Rowe Price Jr.

Thomas Rowe Price Jr. is credited as the founder of growth investing, a strategy that involves investing in companies with strong growth potential. He developed his approach during the Depression and believed that financial markets are cyclical. Price emphasized the importance of long-term, individual stock selection and used a disciplined, consistent process based on fundamental research to guide his investing decisions. His philosophy was to focus on finding good companies to invest in for the long term, rather than trying to avoid stocks altogether.

John Neff

John Neff was a successful investor who worked at Wellington Management Co. for over 30 years and managed several of its funds. He used a value investing approach, focusing on companies with low price-to-earnings ratios and strong dividend yields. Neff ran the Windsor Fund for 31 years, ending in 1995, and achieved a return of 13.7% over that time, compared to a return of 10.6% for the S&P 500. This resulted in a gain of more than 53 times an initial investment made in 1964.

Jesse Livermore

Jesse Livermore was a self-taught trader who started investing in the stock market at a young age and quickly made significant profits. He learned from both his successful and unsuccessful trades and developed trading strategies that are still used today. Livermore made money by betting against illegitimate "bucket shops" that allowed customers to place bets on stock price movements rather than executing actual trades. Despite having no formal education or stock trading experience, Livermore became a successful investor.

Peter Lynch

Peter Lynch was a successful fund manager who led the Fidelity Magellan Fund from 1977 to 1990. During his tenure, the fund's assets grew from $18 million to $14 billion and outperformed the S&P 500 Index in 11 out of 13 years, achieving an average annual return of 29%. Lynch was known for his adaptability and for sticking to investments that he understood.

George Soros

George Soros was a successful investor known for his ability to identify and profit from broad economic trends through short-term speculation in financial markets. He founded Soros Fund Management, which eventually became the Quantum Fund, and ran the hedge fund for nearly two decades. During this time, he achieved returns of over 30% per year on multiple occasions, including two years with returns of over 100%. Soros was skilled at using leverage to amplify his returns in the bond and currency markets.

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, nicknamed the "Oracle of Omaha," is renowned for his successful investing career. He has built a multi-billion dollar fortune primarily by investing in stocks and companies through Berkshire Hathaway, following the principles of value investing established by Benjamin Graham. Investors who put $10,000 into Berkshire Hathaway in 1965 are now worth over $165 million. Buffett's disciplined, patient, and value-oriented approach has consistently outperformed the market for many years.

John (Jack) Bogle

Jack Bogle is the founder of the Vanguard Group, one of the world's largest and most respected mutual fund companies. He is credited with creating the first index fund, Vanguard 500, in 1976 and popularizing low-cost index investing through his advocacy of no-load mutual funds. Bogle's investing philosophy involves investing in broad-based index mutual funds that are no-load, low-cost, low-turnover, and passively managed in order to capture market returns.

Carl Icahn

Carl Icahn is an activist investor who uses his ownership stakes in publicly traded companies to push for changes that he believes will increase the value of his shares. He is known for his hostile takeovers, including the acquisition of TWA in 1985. In the financial industry, the term "Icahn Lift" refers to the increase in a company's stock price that often occurs when Icahn begins buying shares in a company that he perceives as being poorly managed.

William H. Gross

Bill Gross is widely regarded as the top bond fund manager in the world. He founded and serves as the managing director of PIMCO, a family of bond funds that has over $1.92 trillion in assets under management. In 1996, Gross was the first portfolio manager to be inducted into the Fixed-Income Analyst Society Inc. hall of fame in recognition of his significant contributions to bond and portfolio analysis.