Ray Dalio is the founder and co-chief investment officer of Bridgewater Associates and a director of its operating board. Ray has been a global macroeconomic investor for more than 50 years. In 1975, he started Bridgewater in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City, and under his leadership, the company has grown to become the fifth most important private company in the United States according to Fortune. Ray graduated from CW Post College with a BA in Finance in 1971 and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1973. His investing innovations (eg, Risk Parity, Alpha Stacking, and All Weather) have transformed the way institutions around the world invest, and he has received several Lifetime Achievement Awards. He is also the author of New York Times bestsellers Principles: Life and Work and Principles for Responding to a Changing World Order and Principles for Responding to the Great Debt Crisis. Ray is a key macroeconomic advisor to many policymakers around the world. He was named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" due to the impact of his ideas on global macroeconomic policy. He and his wife, Barbara, have been married for over 40 years and have 3 grown sons and 5 grandchildren. He is also an active philanthropist with a special interest in ocean exploration, microfinance, health justice, and providing equal educational opportunity.