by Martin Chapman

Created on: June 24, 2008   Last Updated: March 14, 2009

The best of all time! This is a difficult question to ask people about an industry that has the memory-span of a fly. I spent years reading books by Paul Erdman, Ben Graham, Peter Lynch and Charles MacKay - about Tulip Bubbles and names like Boesky and Diamond, before I decided that I wanted to work in the Investment Industry. Here are some of my favorite investors:

1. Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett has become the richest man in the world through his investment holding company Berkshire Hathaway. The Sage of Omaha has been a long term investor in companies with solid brands. Known for his frugality and honesty, his statements each year at the Berkshire AGM are eagerly anticipated. In Bull Markets people say he is out of fashion. In Bear Markets they heed his every word.

2. Benjamin Graham

Ben Graham, "the Godfather of Investing", wrote two seminal books on Value Investing: "Security Analysis" and "The Intelligent Investor". Graham, who was earning $1 million in 1914, lost and remade a fortune in the Depression. Buffett attended his classes at Columbia University and worked for him at Graham-Newmann.

3. James Hanson & Gordon White

James Hanson & Gordon White led Hanson plc to become the most successful corporate raiders in the 1980s, culminating in the takeover of Imperial Tobacco. Their empire extended from brands like Ever Ready batteries to The London Brick Company. Gordon White is probably the basis for character Sir Larry Wildman, who is Gekko's rival, in the film "Wall Street."

4. James Goldsmith

Corporate Raider James Goldsmith was before his time, establishing Mothercare and Grand Union and holding brands through his Cavenham Foods plc, before turning private firm Cavenham Forest Industries into one of the world's largest timberland holders. He sold out his investments before the October Crash in 1987.

5. Peter Lynch

Peter Lynch was made head of Fidelity's Magellan Fund in 1977. When he started the fund was worth $18 million. When he finished managing the fund in 1990, it was worth $14 billion. Lynch wrote the well-known book "One Up on Wall Street", where he coined the phrase 10 bagger.

6. John Templeton

John Templeton pioneered Global Mutual Fund investing as far back as the 1950s and became a billionaire in the process. He used a fundamental stock selection approach. The "Templeton Growth Fund" remains synonymous with his name.

7. Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes mysterious end unfortunately overshadows the brilliance and diversity of his investment skills and

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>