A Ray Dalio Profile

One of the most admired investment firms / hedge funds in the world has to be Bridgewater. The founder of Bridgewater is now billionaire Ray Dalio. The WSJ had a profile of him in the weekend edition. I like Ray because he thinks in terms of natures models. He is very bearish and for someone like Bridgewater did not do very well in 2009. There was a recent interview in Barrons however where he reiterated his bearish views.

From the WSJ

WESTPORT, Conn.—The euro was plummeting. The stock market was gyrating. And Ray Dalio, president of one of the world's largest hedge funds, took a moment to talk about mosquitoes.

"Man will never be able to build a flying device like a mosquito," mused Mr. Dalio, the 60-year-old founder of Bridgewater Associates. "I look at nature's complexity and think, man has the intelligence of mold growing on an apple."

Mr. Dalio, his staffers readily admit, is an unusual boss. His firm runs on a set of 295 principles that Mr. Dalio devised and distributed to all employees. The 83-page treatise, which draws lessons from the natural world, advises employees on how to achieve fulfillment at work and in life.

and

Mr. Dalio is among a handful of philosopher-investors known not only for moneymaking prowess but also for their distinctive take on life.....Mr. Dalio's basic philosophy is what he calls "hyper-realism," a notion that brutal honesty, no matter how uncomfortable, yields the best results. Principle No. 8: "There is nothing to fear from truth....Being truthful is essential to being an independent thinker and obtaining greater understanding of what is right."

and

Principal No. 11: "Never say anything about a person you wouldn't say to him directly. If you do, you are a slimy weasel."

The entire thing is a good read.