The World’s 11 Greatest Investors

Greatest Investors: An Overview

The world's most successful investors have used widely different approaches to build their fortunes. Value investor Benjamin Graham looked for underpriced companies with strong balance sheets, while George Soros made bold bets on global economic trends. Peter Lynch suggested investors stick to companies and industries they understand firsthand.

While these investing giants followed different paths, they share common traits: thorough research, emotional discipline, and staying focused on long-term results rather than short-term market swings. Their strategies have generated remarkable personal wealth and created maps for ordinary investors to build their own portfolios.

Key Takeaways

The world’s greatest investors have been able to consistently beat the market by using a variety of strategies and philosophies.
Many of the world’s top investors have been successful by following a long-term, disciplined approach to investing.
Successful investors often focus on companies with strong fundamentals, such as low debt, high profit margins, and ample cash flow.
Investors who diversify their portfolios and manage risk effectively are more likely to achieve long-term success.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to investing, investors can increase their chances of success by learning from the techniques and strategies of the world’s greatest investors.

Benjamin Graham

Investment Strategy

Known as the "Father of Value Investing," Graham's approach centered on identifying undervalued companies with strong financials, low debt, high profit margins, and robust cash flow.

Major achievements

Authored the seminal works Security Analysis (1934) and The Intelligent Investor (1949), which continue to be highly influential in finance.
Mentor to Warren Buffett, one of the world's most successful investors.

Impact on Markets or Industry

Introduced the "margin of safety" concept, shaping how value investing is understood and practiced.
His teachings laid the foundation for modern investment analysis and have influenced countless investors and financial professionals.

Ben Graham (1894 to 1976), known as the “father of value investing,” excelled as an investment manager and financial educator. He authored two investment classics that remain influential today: Security Analysis (1934) and The Intelligent Investor (1949).

The essence of Graham’s value investing is that any investment should be worth substantially more than an investor has to pay for it. He believed in fundamental analysis and sought out companies with strong balance sheets or little debt, above-average profit margins, and ample cash flow. Graham developed the concept of “margin of safety”—buying stocks at a significant discount to their intrinsic value to protect against potential errors in analysis or bad luck.

Value investing, the approach Graham pioneered, is like shopping for high-quality items at discount prices. Just as a smart shopper might wait for a designer coat to go on sale rather than paying full price, value investors look for stocks trading below their true worth. These investors analyze company fundamentals—cash flow, debt levels, and profit margins—to determine a stock's real value. Then, they wait patiently until market prices fall below this value before buying, giving them a cushion of safety on their investment.

Growth investing, along with other strategies below, figure prominently in the trading experience of the investors included in this list.

John Templeton

Investment Strategy

Pioneered contrarian investing, buying at points of "maximum pessimism." He focused on global investing at a time when U.S.-centric investing was prevalent.

Major Achievements

Founded the Templeton Growth Fund, which achieved significant returns by investing globally, including during World War II when European stocks were largely disregarded.
Sold Templeton Funds to Franklin Group for $913 million in 1992.

Impact on Markets or Industry

Advocated for global diversification in investing, helping mainstream international equity markets.
His philosophy of buying when markets are undervalued remains a staple in contrarian investment strategies.

One of the past century’s top contrarian investors, John Templeton (1912 to 2008), pioneered global investing at a time when most Americans rarely looked beyond U.S. stocks. His famous investment strategy was simple: “Buy at the point of maximum pessimism.” Following this contrarian investing philosophy, he bought shares of European companies during the darkest days of World War II, when most investors thought Europe would never recover. He also famously sold off his tech stocks before the dot-com bubble burst in 2000.

Contrarian investing, which Templeton mastered, means deliberately going against prevailing market trends. While most investors follow the crowd—buying when markets are rising and selling when they’re falling—contrarians do the opposite. They look for assets everyone else avoids, believing that markets tend to overreact in both directions. This approach requires tremendous discipline and courage, as it often means buying during crises when others are panicking.

Templeton created some of the world's largest international investment funds, which he sold to the Franklin Group in 1992 for $913 million.

Thomas Rowe Price Jr.

Investment Strategy

Price focused on buying shares of high-quality, well-managed companies with strong earnings growth potential over the long term.

Major Achievements

Founded T. Rowe Price Associates, which became a globally recognized firm in mutual funds and investment management.
His growth-oriented funds consistently outperformed during challenging market periods like the Great Depression.

Impact on Markets or Industry

Pioneered long-term growth investing by emphasizing disciplined research, quality management, and sustained growth.
Influenced modern mutual fund structures and investment management practices.

Thomas Rowe Price Jr. (1898 to 1983), widely known as “the father of growth investing,” developed his investment philosophy during an unlikely time, during the depths of the Great Depression. While most investors focused on buying cheap, beaten-down stocks, Price took a radically different approach. He believed in buying high-quality, well-managed companies that showed strong potential for long-term earnings growth.

This became growth investing, which Price pioneered. Unlike value investors who look for bargains, growth investors are willing to pay premium prices for companies showing rapid increases in earnings, sales, and market share.

Price’s success stemmed from his disciplined approach to identifying growth companies. He emphasized key criteria such as quality management, research leadership, and high profit margins. His firm also prioritized deep research and a long-term perspective, revolutionary concepts at a time when most investors focused on quick trading profits. Today, the company that bears his namesake, T. Rowe Price, is a globally recognized investment, mutual funds, and brokerage firm.

John Neff

Investment Strategy

Neff focused on value investing with a contrarian twist, favoring low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio stocks and strong dividend yields. He often sought indirect paths within popular sectors.

Major Achievements

Managed the Windsor Fund for 31 years, outperforming the market during the same period.

Impact on Markets or Industry

Elevated the Windsor Fund to prominence through consistent value-based outperformance, making it one of the most respected funds.
Demonstrated the potential for long-term value-driven strategies to consistently beat market benchmarks.

Neff (1931 to 2019) joined Wellington Management Co. in 1964 and stayed with the company for more than 30 years, managing three funds. His preferred investment approach involved investing in popular industries through indirect paths, and he was considered a value investor as he focused on companies with low P/E ratios and strong dividend yields.

Neff ran the Windsor Fund for 31 years (ending in 1995), earning an average annual return of 13.7%, compared with 10.73% for the S&P 500 over the same period. This amounts to a gain of more than 53 times an initial investment made in 1964.

Jesse Livermore

Investment Strategy

A self-made trader, Livermore was known for his bold and often high-risk trading strategies, including short selling and market timing.

Major Achievements

(In)famously profited during market crashes, including making $100 million during the 1929 Great Depression by shorting stocks.
His trading experiences and lessons formed the basis for the book Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.

Impact on Markets or Industry:

Livermore's successes and failures became key lessons for traders, influencing the development of speculative trading practices and risk management.

Jesse Livermore (1877 to 1940) had no formal education or stock-trading experience. He was a self-made person who learned from his winners and losers. These successes and failures helped cement trading ideas that can still be found throughout the market today.

Livermore began trading for himself in his early teens, and by the age of 16, he reported having produced gains of more than $1,000. Over the next several years, he made money betting against the so-called “bucket shops,” which didn’t handle legitimate trades—customers bet against the house on stock price movements.

Often his influence has been as a cautionary tale. He went bankrupt at least three times, demonstrating how even the most talented traders can be undone by poor risk management and emotional decisions. While he developed sophisticated trading rules, he often broke them when emotion overtook discipline, particularly with oversized bets that either made or lost him fortunes. His most famous success came from shorting the market during the 1929 crash when he reportedly made $100 million (equal to about $1.9 billion today). Yet he died by suicide in 1940, leaving a note that read in part, "I am a failure."

Peter Lynch

Investment Strategy

Lynch focused on finding "tenbaggers" (stocks that could increase tenfold) and adhered to the principle of "invest in what you know."

Major Achievements

Managed the Fidelity Magellan Fund from 1977 to 1990, growing assets from $18 million to $14 billion while delivering an average annual return of 29%, beating the S&P 500 for 11 out of 13 years.

Impact on Markets or Industry

Popularized the idea of everyday investors having an advantage by sticking to familiar companies and sectors.
Authored influential books, including One Up On Wall Street, providing individual investors with practical investing insights.

Peter Lynch (b. 1944) managed the Fidelity Magellan Fund from 1977 to 1990, during which the fund’s assets grew from $18 million to $14 billion. More importantly, Lynch reportedly beat the S&P 500 Index benchmark in 11 of those 13 years, achieving an annual average return of 26.66%.

Often described as a chameleon, Lynch adapted to whatever investment style worked at the time. But when it came to picking specific stocks, he stuck to what he knew or could more easily understand.

George Soros

Investment Strategy

Soros is best known for speculative trading, particularly on currencies and global macroeconomic trends. His "reflexivity" theory posits that market perceptions influence market fundamentals.

Major Achievements

Founder of the Quantum Fund, which delivered exceptional returns for decades
Made a landmark $1 billion profit by "breaking the Bank of England" by shorting the British pound in 1992.

Impact on Markets or Industry

His large, leveraged bets on global market movements highlighted the power of hedge funds and speculative trading.
Soros’ charitable and political contributions have also brought significant attention to how financial wealth can drive societal change.

George Soros (b. 1930) is the chair of Soros Fund Management LLC and is know as a master at translating broad-brush economic trends into highly leveraged plays in bonds and currencies. As an investor, Soros was a short-term speculator, making huge bets on the directions of financial markets.

In 1973, Soros founded the hedge fund company Soros Fund Management, which eventually evolved into the well-known and respected Quantum Fund. For almost three decades, he ran this aggressive and successful hedge fund, reportedly racking up returns of more than an average annual return of 31%.

Warren Buffett

Investment Strategy

Buffett follows a disciplined value investing approach influenced by Benjamin Graham. He focuses on investing in companies with strong economic "moats" and quality management, emphasizing long-term holdings.

Major Achievements

Built Berkshire Hathaway into a conglomerate with a market capitalization surpassing hundreds of billions. An initial $10,000 investment in 1965 would be worth over $2.60 billion today.

Impact on Markets or Industry

Brought to attention the role of conglomerate investing through Berkshire Hathaway's success.
Buffett has inspired generations of investors to prioritize long-term value and discipline.

Referred to as the “Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffett (b. 1930) is viewed as one of the most successful investors in history. Following the principles set out by Benjamin Graham, he has amassed a multibillion-dollar fortune mainly through buying stocks and companies through Berkshire Hathaway.

Those who invested $10,000 in Berkshire Hathaway in 1965 are above the $2.60 billion mark today. Buffett’s investing style of discipline, patience, and value has consistently outperformed the market for decades.

John ‘Jack’ Bogle

Investment Strategy

Pioneered low-cost, passive investing through index funds. Bogle believed in capturing market returns by investing in broad-based indexes.

Major Achievements

Founded the Vanguard Group and introduced the first index mutual fund, Vanguard 500, in 1976.
Championed low-cost, no-load funds, benefiting millions of investors.

Impact on Markets or Industry

Bogle democratized investing, making it accessible and affordable for the average person.
His philosophy and contributions laid the foundation for the explosive growth of index investing and exchange-traded funds.

Among those on this list, John “Jack” Bogle (1929 to 2019) could lay claim to providing more in earnings for masses of fellow Americans than any other. He founded the Vanguard Group mutual fund company in 1975 and made it into one of the world’s largest and most respected fund sponsors. Bogle pioneered the no-load mutual fund and championed low-cost index investing for millions of investors.

Bogle created and introduced the first index fund, Vanguard 500, in 1976. His index investing philosophy advocated capturing market returns by investing in broad-based index mutual funds that are characterized as no load, low cost, low turnover, and passively managed.

Carl Icahn

Investment Strategy

An activist investor known for taking significant stakes in companies and using his influence to push for operational changes to unlock shareholder value.

Major Achievements

Gained notoriety for his successful corporate raiding, including a hostile takeover of TWA in the 1980s.
Developed the "Icahn Lift," referring to the stock price surge when he invests in and pressures underperforming companies.

Impact on Markets or Industry

His high-profile battles with corporate boards brought significant attention to the power and controversy of shareholder activism.

Carl Icahn (b. 1936) turned activist investing into an art form, earning the nickname “corporate raider” in the 1980s before it became mainstream. Starting with a hostile takeover of the airline TWA in 1985, Icahn developed a reputation for forcing sweeping changes at underperforming companies. Known on Wall Street for the “Icahn lift”—the upward bounce in a company’s stock price that typically occurs when he starts buying shares—his investing approach combines a thorough value analysis with a willingness to fight corporate management.

Activist investing, which Icahn helped pioneer, involves buying significant stakes in public companies to force changes in management, strategy, or the corporate structure. They look for companies with good bones but poor management, then push for selling unprofitable divisions, replacing CEOs, or returning cash to shareholders through dividends or buybacks. Unlike passive investors who simply buy and hold stocks, activists use their ownership positions and often public pressure campaigns to catalyze changes they believe will increase shareholder value.

Through his holding company, Icahn Enterprises, he has taken on some of America’s largest corporations, including RJR Nabisco, Texaco, and Apple Inc. (AAPL). His aggressive approach has consistently delivered results. However, his confrontational style and focus on short-term profits have also drawn criticism from those who argue activist investing can damage companies’ long-term prospects.

William H. ‘Bill’ Gross

Investment Strategy

Renowned as a bond investor, Gross focused on fixed-income securities and portfolio management.

Major Achievements

Cofounded PIMCO, managing over $1.86 trillion in assets, and built the Total Return Fund into the world’s largest bond fund.

Impact on Markets or Industry

Brought fixed-income investing to the forefront for institutional and retail investors.
His insights and influence shaped how modern investors view and manage bond portfolios.

Considered the “king of bonds,” Bill Gross (b. 1944) is among the world’s leading bond fund managers. As the founder and managing director of the PIMCO family of bond funds, he and his team amassed more than $1.9 trillion in fixed-income assets under management (as of 2024).

In 2014, Gross resigned from PIMCO during a period of internal management struggles, but he continued managing large bond portfolios for firms like Janus Henderson, where he remained until 2019.

What Makes Someone A Successful Investor?

This requires a combination of knowledge, discipline, and a long-term perspective. A bit of good luck is also helpful. It’s important to have a clear and objective investment strategy based on thorough research and analysis. Investors should also be patient and avoid making impulsive decisions based on short-term market movements and emotions like fear and greed. Diversification and risk management are also important for success in investing.

Why Is the List Lacking In Diversity?

Historically, wealth accumulation, access to capital markets, and financial careers were concentrated among affluent, predominantly white men. This was due in no small part to exclusionary practices, lack of educational access, and networking barriers that limited who could enter the field. In recent decades, there has been a shift toward greater diversity, and widely followed investors have emerged from various backgrounds. For example, in recent years, these investors have made significant contribution with strategies imitated by many:

Abigail Johnson: As CEO and President of Fidelity Investments, she is one of the most influential women in finance and has steered Fidelity through massive growth via digital innovation and low-cost index offerings.
Robert F. Smith: The founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, Smith pioneered the "enterprise software" private equity playbook. His firm invests in software and technology-enabled businesses, streamlining processes, enhancing productivity, and using data-driven decision-making.
Mellody Hobson: Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, which focuses on value investing, often targeting under-researched or overlooked companies.
Li Lu: Founder of Himalaya Capital, he is a value investor and a key figure in U.S.-China cross-border investments.
Sallie Krawcheck: A former Wall Street executive, Krawcheck is now the CEO of Ellevest, a digital investment platform dedicated to closing the gender investment gap by empowering women to invest.

How Did Warren Buffett Become so Successful?

Buffett started investing at a young age and was influenced by Benjamin Graham’s value investing philosophy. He also focused on investing in high-quality businesses with strong competitive advantages, or “economic moats,” that would protect their profits over time. Buffett is also known for his long-term approach to investing and his ability to stay patient and disciplined even during times of market volatility.

Who Is Cathie Wood and Why Are Her Investments Frequently Mentioned in Financial News?

Cathie Wood is the founder, CEO, and chief investment officer of ARK Invest, an investment firm specializing in "disruptive innovation." She has gained ample attention for her bold investment strategies, which focus on identifying high-growth potential companies in sectors such as artificial intelligence, genomics, electric vehicles, and blockchain technology. She is recognized for her early bets on Tesla (TSLA) and bitcoin, contributing to her fame and the growth of ARK's assets under management.

What Are Some of the Investment Strategies Used by Top Investors?

The world’s top investors use many different investing philosophies and strategies, including value, growth, income, and index investing.

Value investing involves finding undervalued companies with strong fundamentals. Growth investing focuses on investing in companies with high growth potential. Income investing involves seeking out investments that generate a steady stream of income, such as dividend-paying stocks or bonds. Index investing involves investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks or bonds that track a market index.

The Bottom Line

The world's most successful investors achieved extraordinary returns using vastly different strategies—from Graham's value investing to Templeton's contrarian plays to Price's growth approach. Yet their stories reveal common threads: disciplined adherence to clear investment philosophies, emotional control during market extremes, and the patience to let well-researched ideas play out over time.

While some, like Jesse Livermore, serve as cautionary tales about the dangers of speculating, others, like Warren Buffett, show how methodical, long-term investing can build sustainable wealth. Most importantly, these legends show that successful investing isn’t about finding a secret formula—it’s about finding an approach that matches your temperament and sticking to it through market cycles. While few investors will match the spectacular returns of these giants, their principles of disciplined analysis, risk management, and emotional control remain attainable for anyone seeking to build their capital long-term in the markets.