Ray Dalio was born in 1949. He bought his first stock, Northeast Airlines when he was just 12 years old. It was the early 1960's and he used the money he had earned as a caddy. The shares tripled in value. Ray Dalio went on to graduate from Long Island University in 1971. He spent some time as a clerk on the NYSE before going to Harvard Business School and graduating with an MBA in 1973. That same year, Ray Dalio became Director of Commodities at Dominick & Dominick LLC. He worked there for one year, and then spent a year trading futures at the brokerage firm of Shearson Hayden Stone before founding his Bridgewater Associates in 1973. In July 2011, Ray Dalio officially gave up his role as CEO of Bridgewater Associates, instead taking the title "Mentor." He continues to serve as co-CIO, a position he shares with Robert Prince and Greg Jensen.

Ray Dalio started Bridgewater Associates out of his apartment.

Today, Bridgewater Associates manages roughly $120 billion, in institutional money only - a fact that makes the firm unique amongst hedge funds. The strategy must be working. Bridgewater Associates enjoyed returns around 23% in 2011, a year when the average hedge fund lost roughly 4 percent. Bridgewater Associates has a variety of principles that lend to its success. It is a firm that values utter transparency, even when mistakes are made. As long as ownership is taken for the error and the reason behind the mistake learned from, the firm is accepting. Bridgewater Associates tries to keep everyone in sync, always questioning whether a premise is correct and does it make sense. This is how the firm manages itself and how it manages its investments.