Billionaire Ray Dalio Was 12 Years Old When He Bought His First Stock — Now He Has A $19 Billion Fortune

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has had a passion for investing since he was a boy. Growing up on Long Island in the early 1960s, Dalio bought his first stock at age 12. He used the money he earned as a caddy to invest in Northeast Airlines, the only company he knew of that was selling for less than $5 per share. 

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Although his strategy was naive, Dalio tripled his money because of a lucky merger. This early success fueled his enthusiasm for investing, and he continued to build an impressive stock portfolio throughout his teenage years.

Today, he has a $19 billion fortune and is set to be paid billions of dollars through an exit package he secured upon retiring from Bridgewater Associates, according to The New York Times. 

Dalio built Bridgewater Associates from the ground up, starting in 1975, reaping the rewards. While the stock market can offer safer and consistent gains, the world of startups can often be a good high-risk, high-reward diversification option. After all, many billionaires make their money before their company hits the stock market, the IPO is when people are selling and cashing in their billions. Platforms like StartEngine provide an inclusive avenue for anyone to invest in startups and private companies, opening new opportunities before they hit the stock market.

Dalio credits his early investment journey to the connections he made as a golf caddy. While working at a golf club in Long Island, New York, he had the opportunity to listen to George Leib and Donald Stott, two men with ties to Wall Street, discuss their investment experiences. Inspired by their conversations, Dalio took the $300 he had earned from caddying and invested it in Northeast Airlines. 

This initial investment turned out to be a turning point in his life, not because it taught him specific lessons about the stock market but because it ignited his passion for learning and exploring the world of finance at a young age.

Reflecting on his early experiences, Dalio emphasizes the impact of learning before adolescence. He believes the way children think and learn differs significantly from that of adults. The experiences and lessons absorbed during this crucial period can shape their futures in profound ways. While the exact reasons behind this difference remain unclear, studies have shown that children, especially those younger than 10, exhibit faster and more fluid language acquisition and grammar mastery.

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Dalio’s path to success was not without its challenges. Less than a decade after founding Bridgewater Associates in 1975, he made a public prediction that the global stock market would crash in 1982, which turned out to be incorrect. This led to significant losses, causing him to lose clients, investors, employees and most of his wealth. But Dalio views this period of adversity as one of the best things that ever happened to him. It taught him the invaluable skill of reflection after failure.

Learning from his mistakes, Dalio developed a principle that guided his subsequent actions: pain plus reflection equals progress. He recognized that failure provides valuable lessons and prompts people to find alternative approaches. Armed with this mindset, Dalio rebuilt his career, and Bridgewater Associates grew into the world’s largest hedge fund, managing around $150 billion in assets. 

Today, with over 60 years of investing experience, Dalio’s fortune has grown to approximately $19 billion. Despite his immense wealth, he prefers to maintain a balanced portfolio, a testament to his belief in the importance of diversification and risk management.

Dalio’s journey from a young investor fascinated by the stock market to a billionaire investor and founder of the largest hedge fund in the world is a testament to the power of early experiences and the lessons learned from both successes and failures.

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