There are numerous different resources available to people nowadays that are designed to help them get started in the world of private investing. Before you make the decision to begin investing it is important to see what mistakes can be made and how you need to develop different financial theories.
One of the best ways to learn these techniques is to take a look at history and study some of the most influential and successful investors of our time. Here we will look at 7 of the most successful private investors to date.
Warren Buffett
Estimated to be worth $55 billion, Warren Buffett is known to be the 2nd richest man in the world. He centres his investment philosophy on ‘value investing’ by buying companies that have a fundamental value greater than their market price. The majority of his fortune came through his company Berkshire Hathaway, of which he is the largest shareholder and CEO.
Jim Rogers
James Beeland Rogers Jr is an American investor based out of Singapore. Rogers co-founded Quantum Fund with George Soros before creating Rogers International Commodities Index (RICI). He is currently chairman of Rogers Holdings and Beeland Interests Inc.
Peter Lynch
Famous for coining the phrase ‘invest in what you know’, Peter Lynch started his investing career working in equity research at Fidelity in 1966. He soon graduated to be director of research and chosen to head up the Magellan Fund, well known for its high returns and rapid growth.
Benjamin Graham
Known as ‘The Father of Value Investing’. Graham is the founder of many of the early investing styles including fundamental analysis and value investing principals that are used by more recent investors such as Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch.
Carl Icahn
Began his career on Wall Street in 1961 going onto to form Icahn & Co in 1968. This firm focused primarily on risk arbitrage and options trading and since then he has taken on controlling positions in various other multimillion dollar corporations including Texaco, Western Union, Gulf & Western, Time Warner and Motorola.
John Templeton
After beginning his career, on Wall Street in 1937, Templeton created some of the world’s most successful international investment funds. He pioneered the idea of global mutual funds and founded the investment fund Templeton Growth Ltd in 1954. Today, the Templeton Group’s combined assets are worth over $25 billion.
George Soros
Born in Hungary in 1930, George Soros is now one of the richest men in the world, but started life as a railroad porter, his is truly a story of rags to riches. Founder and chairman of a network of foundations that work to promote open and democratic societies, Soros is an advocate for human rights and freedom of press. His fortune initially arose from the Quantum Fund; a private investment firm he set up in 1973 and has success has since grown from strength to strength.
About the Author: Naomi Chamberlain is a freelance writer, currently working for the ‘How To Trade Commodities’ website. Find all the information you need to help you learn more about trading commodities.