America's financial system has secured vast fortunes for the country's savviest financial minds, in some cases minting overnight billionaires.
Some of these individuals have become household names for their audacious bets or reputation as corporate raiders. While finance has never been for the faint of heart, other investors made their mark in more nuanced and measured approaches.
In recent weeks, Trusted Insight detailed the single-family offices dedicated to perpetuating the fortunes of Silicon Valley elite; Hong Kong’s new money and old money; and the world’s richest you may have never heard of.
As titans of the investment world, it is only fitting that their wealth be managed by an elite staff of investment professionals. Trusted Insight presents 10 of the investment legends and their single-family offices controlling an aggregate net worth of more than $154 billion.
Michael Bloomberg
SFO: Willett Advisors
Chief Investment Officer: Alice Ruth resigned at the end of 2016. It is unclear if a replacement has been named.
Source of Wealth: Bloomberg, L.P.
Net Worth: $47.6 billion
Bloomberg is the founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. and the tenth richest person in the world, according to Forbes. He was a partner at Salomon Brothers before launching Innovative Market Systems (a predecessor of Bloomberg L.P.) in the early 1980s. Bloomberg L.P. began by selling financial data terminals and has since expanded into a media empire providing financial news through its television station, website and radio station. The firm also acquired BusinessWeek in 2009.
George Soros
SFO: Soros Fund Management
Chief Investment Officer: Dawn Fitzpatrick
Source of Wealth: Hedge Fund Investments
Net Worth: $25.2 billion
George Soros is the chairman of Soros Fund Management and one of the 20 wealthiest individuals in the world today. He began his financial career as a trader and launched the Quantum Fund in 1973. He is famous for his $10 billion short sale of the pound sterling that yielded a profit of $1 billion during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis.
James Simons
SFO: Euclidean Capital
Chief Investment Officer: Ashvin Chhabra
Source of Wealth: Quantitative Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $18 billion
James Simons is co-founder of Renaissance Technologies, one of the most successful quantitative hedge funds in history. He began his career as a cryptographer at the National Security Agency and eventually became a professor of mathematics at Stony Brook University. Renaissance Technologies’ flagship product, the Medallion fund, has returned more than 35% annualized over 20 years.
Carl Icahn
SFO: Icahn Capital LP
Chief Investment Officer: Carl Icahn
Source of Wealth: Activist Investments
Net Worth: $16.6 billion
Carl Icahn is the founder of Icahn Enterprises, a conglomerate company, and is one of the most famous activist shareholders. He rose to prominence as a billionaire investor with buyouts made in the 1980s, most notably his hostile takeover of TWA in 1985.
Donald Bren
SFO: Bren Investments
Executive Vice President: John Flynn
Source of Wealth: Real Estate
Net Worth: $15.2 billion
Donald Bren is the chairman and owner of the Irvine Company, a real estate development company based in Newport Beach, California. He is known as one of the most successful real estate investors with holdings nationwide, but primarily concentrated in California.
Steven Cohen
SFO: Cohen Private Ventures
Co-Founder & Managing Director: Andrew B. Cohen
Source of Wealth: Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $13 billion
Steven Cohen is one of the most successful hedge fund managers in history. He began his career as an options trader and eventually launched SAC Capital Partners in 1992. In addition to making the majority of his wealth in public markets, Cohen is an avid tech investor.
Bruce Kovner
SFO: CAM Capital
Chief Investment Officer: David Ben-Ur
Source of Wealth: Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $5.5 billion
Bruce Kovner is the chairman of CAM Capital and former founder/chairman of Caxton Associates, a global macro hedge fund. He started as a commodities trader before launching Caxton Associates in 1983, which managed as much as $14 billion toward specialized strategies derived from analysis of global economic trends.
Sam Zell
SFO: Equity Group Investments
Co-President: David A. Helfand
Source of Wealth: Real Estate Investments
Net Worth: $5 billion
Sam Zell was a key founder of modern commercial real estate. He founded Equity Group Investments in 1968, from which spawned the three of the largest public real estate companies: Equity Residential, Equity Office Properties Trust and Equity Lifestyle.
Stanley Druckenmiller
SFO: Duquesne Family Office
Chairman & Chief Investment Officer: Stanley Druckenmiller
Source of Wealth: Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $4.7 billion
Stanley Druckenmiller is the former chairman and president of Duquesne Capital. Duquesne, established in 1981, had an impressive 30-year run without a single down year. Druckenmiller retired in 2010. He also was the lead portfolio manager of George Soros’s Quantum Fund from 1988 to 2000.
Daniel Och
SFO: Willoughby Capital
President: Morgan Rutman
Source of Wealth: Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $3.2 billion
Daniel Och is the chairman and CEO of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, a hedge fund and alternative assets manager. Och began his career in risk arbitrage and became the head of proprietary trading of equities at Goldman Sachs. In 1994, he founded Och-Ziff Capital Management Group with $100 million from the Ziff brothers. The firm went public in 2007 and has more than $39 billion in assets under management as of 2016.
Check out Trusted Insight's complete library of firm lists.
Some of these individuals have become household names for their audacious bets or reputation as corporate raiders. While finance has never been for the faint of heart, other investors made their mark in more nuanced and measured approaches.
In recent weeks, Trusted Insight detailed the single-family offices dedicated to perpetuating the fortunes of Silicon Valley elite; Hong Kong’s new money and old money; and the world’s richest you may have never heard of.
As titans of the investment world, it is only fitting that their wealth be managed by an elite staff of investment professionals. Trusted Insight presents 10 of the investment legends and their single-family offices controlling an aggregate net worth of more than $154 billion.
Michael Bloomberg
SFO: Willett Advisors
Chief Investment Officer: Alice Ruth resigned at the end of 2016. It is unclear if a replacement has been named.
Source of Wealth: Bloomberg, L.P.
Net Worth: $47.6 billion
Bloomberg is the founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. and the tenth richest person in the world, according to Forbes. He was a partner at Salomon Brothers before launching Innovative Market Systems (a predecessor of Bloomberg L.P.) in the early 1980s. Bloomberg L.P. began by selling financial data terminals and has since expanded into a media empire providing financial news through its television station, website and radio station. The firm also acquired BusinessWeek in 2009.
George Soros
SFO: Soros Fund Management
Chief Investment Officer: Dawn Fitzpatrick
Source of Wealth: Hedge Fund Investments
Net Worth: $25.2 billion
George Soros is the chairman of Soros Fund Management and one of the 20 wealthiest individuals in the world today. He began his financial career as a trader and launched the Quantum Fund in 1973. He is famous for his $10 billion short sale of the pound sterling that yielded a profit of $1 billion during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis.
James Simons
SFO: Euclidean Capital
Chief Investment Officer: Ashvin Chhabra
Source of Wealth: Quantitative Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $18 billion
James Simons is co-founder of Renaissance Technologies, one of the most successful quantitative hedge funds in history. He began his career as a cryptographer at the National Security Agency and eventually became a professor of mathematics at Stony Brook University. Renaissance Technologies’ flagship product, the Medallion fund, has returned more than 35% annualized over 20 years.
Carl Icahn
SFO: Icahn Capital LP
Chief Investment Officer: Carl Icahn
Source of Wealth: Activist Investments
Net Worth: $16.6 billion
Carl Icahn is the founder of Icahn Enterprises, a conglomerate company, and is one of the most famous activist shareholders. He rose to prominence as a billionaire investor with buyouts made in the 1980s, most notably his hostile takeover of TWA in 1985.
Donald Bren
SFO: Bren Investments
Executive Vice President: John Flynn
Source of Wealth: Real Estate
Net Worth: $15.2 billion
Donald Bren is the chairman and owner of the Irvine Company, a real estate development company based in Newport Beach, California. He is known as one of the most successful real estate investors with holdings nationwide, but primarily concentrated in California.
Steven Cohen
SFO: Cohen Private Ventures
Co-Founder & Managing Director: Andrew B. Cohen
Source of Wealth: Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $13 billion
Steven Cohen is one of the most successful hedge fund managers in history. He began his career as an options trader and eventually launched SAC Capital Partners in 1992. In addition to making the majority of his wealth in public markets, Cohen is an avid tech investor.
Bruce Kovner
SFO: CAM Capital
Chief Investment Officer: David Ben-Ur
Source of Wealth: Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $5.5 billion
Bruce Kovner is the chairman of CAM Capital and former founder/chairman of Caxton Associates, a global macro hedge fund. He started as a commodities trader before launching Caxton Associates in 1983, which managed as much as $14 billion toward specialized strategies derived from analysis of global economic trends.
Sam Zell
SFO: Equity Group Investments
Co-President: David A. Helfand
Source of Wealth: Real Estate Investments
Net Worth: $5 billion
Sam Zell was a key founder of modern commercial real estate. He founded Equity Group Investments in 1968, from which spawned the three of the largest public real estate companies: Equity Residential, Equity Office Properties Trust and Equity Lifestyle.
Stanley Druckenmiller
SFO: Duquesne Family Office
Chairman & Chief Investment Officer: Stanley Druckenmiller
Source of Wealth: Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $4.7 billion
Stanley Druckenmiller is the former chairman and president of Duquesne Capital. Duquesne, established in 1981, had an impressive 30-year run without a single down year. Druckenmiller retired in 2010. He also was the lead portfolio manager of George Soros’s Quantum Fund from 1988 to 2000.
Daniel Och
SFO: Willoughby Capital
President: Morgan Rutman
Source of Wealth: Hedge Funds
Net Worth: $3.2 billion
Daniel Och is the chairman and CEO of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, a hedge fund and alternative assets manager. Och began his career in risk arbitrage and became the head of proprietary trading of equities at Goldman Sachs. In 1994, he founded Och-Ziff Capital Management Group with $100 million from the Ziff brothers. The firm went public in 2007 and has more than $39 billion in assets under management as of 2016.
Check out Trusted Insight's complete library of firm lists.