This year, I’m focusing on learning more about my investment heroes. As I progress, I’ll be sharing what I learn with you here to support and encourage you on your investment journey.

To get us started, here’s my initial list of the twenty most successful investors in the world. These investors have achieved incredible success in their careers and offer valuable insights into the world of investing.

1. Warren Buffett
   Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time. Known as the Oracle of Omaha, Buffett is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate with a market capitalisation of over $500 billion. His investment philosophy revolves around buying high-quality companies at a fair price and holding onto them for the long term. According to Buffett, “Our favourite holding period is forever.” 
    
2. George Soros
   George Soros is a hedge fund manager, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder of Soros Fund Management, one of the most successful hedge funds in history. Soros is famous for his currency speculation and short-selling strategies. According to Soros, “The financial markets generally are unpredictable. So that one has to have different scenarios… The idea that you can actually predict what’s going to happen contradicts my way of looking at the market.”  
    
3. Peter Lynch
   Peter Lynch is a retired American fund manager who managed the Fidelity Magellan Fund from 1977 to 1990. During his tenure, the fund’s assets grew from $20 million to over $14 billion. Lynch is known for his “buy what you know” approach to investing, which involves investing in companies that are easy to understand and have a competitive advantage. According to Lynch, “Invest in what you know.”  
    
4. Benjamin Graham
   Benjamin Graham is considered the father of value investing. He is the author of the classic investing book, “The Intelligent Investor,” which is still widely read today. Graham’s investment philosophy involves buying stocks that are trading below their intrinsic value and holding onto them until the market recognises their true worth. According to Graham, “The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists.”  
    
5. Ray Dalio
   Ray Dalio is the founder of Bridgewater Associates, one of the largest hedge funds in the world. Dalio is known for his “principles-based investing” approach, which involves creating a set of principles that guide investment decisions. According to Dalio, “In order to be successful, you need to be an independent thinker who bets against the consensus and has a strong sense of rationality.” Dalio is known for his unique investment philosophy, which he outlines in his book, “Principles.” Dalio’s approach involves understanding the economic machine and using principles to make decisions. According to Dalio, “Pain + Reflection = Progress.”  
    
6. John Paulson
   John Paulson is a hedge fund manager who is famous for his bets against the subprime mortgage market in 2007 and 2008. His firm, Paulson & Co., made billions of dollars in profits from these trades. Paulson’s investment philosophy involves identifying macroeconomic trends and investing in assets that will benefit from these trends. According to Paulson, “Risk is the price you pay for opportunity.”  
    
7. Carl Icahn
   Carl Icahn is a billionaire investor and activist shareholder who is known for his aggressive approach to investing. Icahn has a long history of buying large stakes in companies and then pushing for changes to increase shareholder value. According to Icahn, “I look for opportunities where I can have a significant impact. I’m not a passive investor; I’m an activist investor. So, I have to be very careful.”  
    
8. James Simons
   James Simons is a mathematician and hedge fund manager who founded Renaissance Technologies, one of the most successful hedge funds in history. Simons is known for his quantitative trading strategies, which involve using mathematical models to identify patterns in the market.   
    
9. David Einhorn
   David Einhorn is the founder and president of Greenlight Capital, a hedge fund with over $2 billion in assets under management. Einhorn is famous for his value investing approach and his short-selling strategy. According to Einhorn, “The market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.”  
    
10. Joel Greenblatt
    Joel Greenblatt is an American investor and hedge fund manager. He is the founder of Gotham Asset Management, a firm that has achieved impressive returns for its investors. Greenblatt is known for his value investing approach and his book, “The Little Book That Beats the Market.” According to Greenblatt, “Investing is simple, but not easy.”  
     
11. Stanley Druckenmiller
    Stanley Druckenmiller is a billionaire investor and former hedge fund manager. He is famous for his successful trades in the currency market and for his role in the Quantum Fund, which was managed by George Soros. Druckenmiller’s investment philosophy involves taking big bets on macroeconomic trends. According to Druckenmiller, “The best trades are the ones in which you have all three things going for you: fundamentals, technicals, and market tone.”  
     
12. Paul Tudor Jones
    Paul Tudor Jones is a hedge fund manager and founder of Tudor Investment Corporation. Jones is famous for his bets against the stock market in the 1980s and for his successful trades in the currency market. Jones is known for his macroeconomic approach to investing and his focus on risk management. According to Jones, “The most important rule of trading is to play great defence, not great offence.”  
     
13. David Tepper
    David Tepper is a hedge fund manager and founder of Appaloosa Management. Tepper is known for his contrarian approach to investing and his successful bets on distressed assets. According to Tepper, “You have to be able to adapt to change, recognise opportunities, and seize them when they come.”  
     
14. Bill Ackman
    Bill Ackman is a hedge fund manager and founder of Pershing Square Capital Management. Ackman is known for his activist investing approach and his successful bets on companies such as Chipotle and Canadian Pacific Railway. According to Ackman, “We take large positions in companies where we have high conviction and where we believe we can work with management to unlock value.”  
     
15. Ken Griffin
    Ken Griffin is a billionaire hedge fund manager and founder of Citadel LLC. Griffin is known for his quantitative trading strategies and his focus on technology and data analysis. According to Griffin, “Our investment approach is driven by data, technology, and rigorous analysis. We believe that these factors give us an edge in the market.”  
     
16. Edward Lampert
    Edward Lampert is a hedge fund manager and the chairman of Sears Holdings Corporation. Lampert is known for his value investing approach and his successful bets on companies such as AutoZone and Kmart. According to Lampert, “The key to successful investing is to buy good companies at great prices and hold onto them for the long term.”  
     
17. Jim Rogers
    Jim Rogers is a former hedge fund manager and author. He is known for his successful bets on commodities and his role in the Quantum Fund, which was managed by George Soros. Rogers is a proponent of investing in commodities and emerging markets. According to Rogers, “The way to get rich is to buy when blood is running in the streets.”  
     
18. Howard Marks
    Howard Marks is an American investor and co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management. Marks is known for his value investing approach and his focus on distressed assets. According to Marks, “The riskiest thing in the world is to assume there is no risk.”  
     
19. Steven Cohen
    Steven Cohen is a billionaire hedge fund manager and the founder of Point72 Asset Management. Cohen is known for his quantitative trading strategies and his successful bets on companies such as Apple and Facebook. Cohen is also known for his involvement in insider trading scandals, which resulted in him paying a $1.8 billion fine. According to Cohen, “Success is about making money, but it’s also about enjoying what you do and being passionate about it.”  
     
20. Julian Robertson
    Julian Robertson is a billionaire investor and the founder of Tiger Management, one of the most successful hedge funds of all time. Robertson is known for his focus on identifying undervalued stocks and his successful bets on companies such as Apple and Google. Robertson is also a mentor to some of the most successful investors in the world, including Lee Ainslie and Andreas Halvorsen. According to Robertson, “You have to have the courage of your convictions and have the willingness to stand by them even when the crowd is going in the opposite direction.” 
     

These investors have all achieved incredible success in the investment world, using a variety of different approaches and strategies. As an investor, it’s important to study the approaches of successful investors and incorporate those strategies that align with your own investment goals and risk tolerance. I’m looking forward to learning more about these legends together with you over the next year or so…