David Tepper

Rank: 1
Firm: Appaloosa Management
Earnings: $2.2 billion
Tepper, 55, continues to make a good case that he is one of the great hedge fund investors of all time. Whiemost hedge funds underperformed the U.S. stock market in 2012, Tepper trounced it. His flagship hedge fund successfully bet on stocks and other securities at key moments in 2012, posting a net return of nearly 30%. His $15 billion Appaloosa Management has been knocking out annual net returns of about 30% since 1993. Tepper gave back some cash to his investors at the end of the year. He has continued to focus his philanthropy on educational efforts like Teach for America and feeding the hungry in his home state of New Jersey, he has donated significantly to food banks over the past five years.

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