Ray Dalio is Founder and CIO Mentor of Bridgewater which is a global macro investment firm and the largest hedge fund in the world. Ray has been a global macro investor for more than 50 years. He is the author of New York Times #1 bestsellers Principles: Life & Work and Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order; as well as Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises.

Ray got hooked on investing when he was 12, investing the money he earned from caddying and doing other odd jobs. He graduated with a B.S. in Finance from C.W. Post College in 1971 where he majored in finance and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1973. In 1975 he started Bridgewater out of his two-bedroom apartment in NYC. Over the next 47 years ago he grew it into the fifth most important private company in the U.S., accordingly to Fortune. He built it by introducing new ways of investing (e.g., Risk Parity, Alpha Overlay, All Weather, Algorithmic Driven Fundamental Investing) that have had significant influences on how investing is now commonly done. Ray is also a macroeconomic advisor to many policy makers around the world. Because of the impact his thinking has had on global macroeconomic policies, Ray was named by TIME magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World." He has been married to his wife, Barbara, for more than 40 years and has three grown sons and 4 grandchildren. He is an active philanthropist with a special interest in ocean exploration, micro-finance, and equal educational opportunities for underprivileged youth.