John Paulson

Formal First Name

John

Dates

1955 - present

Location

John Paulson is the Founder, President and Portfolio Manager of Paulson & Co, a New York-based hedge fund and investment management firm. Paulson is a renowned hedge fund manager and visionary investor. He gained prominence for taking a massive bet against mortgage bonds using credit default swaps before the financial crisis. He is recognized as one of the most prominent names in high finance who made one of the biggest fortunes in Wall Street history. Previously, he had stints at several firms, including Boston Consulting Group and Bear Stearns. In 2020, he announced that he's converting his hedge fund to a private investment office.

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In 2007, his funds reportedly made $15 billion by shorting subprime mortgages.
He made his fortune betting against subprime mortgages at the peak of the 2007 credit bubble.
He made significant bets on gold, establishing a major position in the precious metal and related securities.
In 2010, he earned $5 billion from investments in gold, including the SPDR Gold Trust and gold mining stocks.

PHILANTHROPY

Between 2009 and 2011, his charitable donations include $15 million to the Center for Responsible Lending, $20 million to New York University’s Stern School of Business and $15 million to build a maternity hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador, his father’s homeland.
He has given $400 million to Harvard University, where he received an MBA, and $100 million to his undergraduate alma mater New York University.

Paulson has been one of the most vocal supporters of former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump.
He has long supported Trump and was one of the biggest donors to his 2016 and 2024 campaigns.
He was one of the several candidates Donald Trump’s campaign is considering for Treasury Secretary.

MEDIA & PUBLICATIONS

Paulson has been profiled or featured in various financial media outlets and publications.
He has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, Fortune, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CNBC, Yahoo! Finance, Business Insider, and Institutional Investor, among others.

People