‘Creates empires’: Ray Dalio’s straight talk for India’s young investors on playing the money game early
For Dalio, proximity to experienced players matters. “Be around people who also play the game… and you will learn through your experiences, reflections, and the help of other people.”
- Dec 22, 2025,
- Updated Dec 22, 2025 9:25 PM IST
In a candid moment during his conversation with Nikhil Kamath on WTF is Finance, legendary investor Ray Dalio offered practical advice to India’s next generation of investors and entrepreneurs: start early, find what you love, and learn by doing.
“Play the game,” Dalio said. “Whatever way you play the money game — maybe it’s in the public markets, maybe you buy a little piece of real estate or have a hot dog stand — you’ll start to learn the fundamentals.”
He emphasized that investing is as much about visceral experience as it is about theory. “There's cerebral learning and there's visceral learning,” he said. “Once you start to get into playing the game, you’ll start to learn the fundamentals of the game.”
For Dalio, proximity to experienced players matters. “Be around people who also play the game… and you will learn through your experiences, reflections, and the help of other people.”
Citing his own story — caddying at a golf course as a teenager and using tips to invest in the stock market — Dalio underscored the importance of starting young and staying curious. “That little germination,” he noted, “then creates empires.”
He encouraged young Indians to not wait for the perfect opportunity or capital but to engage with any real-world business or investment activity. Even small ventures, he said, can teach capital formation, cost management, and margin calculations.
Dalio’s bottom line? The best returns for young investors come not just from markets, but from investing in self-learning and experience.
A global macro investor for more than 50 years, Ray Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates out of his two-bedroom apartment in NYC and ran it for most of its 50 years, building it into the largest hedge fund in the world.
He is also the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of Principles: Life and Work, Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, and Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises, and How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle.
In a candid moment during his conversation with Nikhil Kamath on WTF is Finance, legendary investor Ray Dalio offered practical advice to India’s next generation of investors and entrepreneurs: start early, find what you love, and learn by doing.
“Play the game,” Dalio said. “Whatever way you play the money game — maybe it’s in the public markets, maybe you buy a little piece of real estate or have a hot dog stand — you’ll start to learn the fundamentals.”
He emphasized that investing is as much about visceral experience as it is about theory. “There's cerebral learning and there's visceral learning,” he said. “Once you start to get into playing the game, you’ll start to learn the fundamentals of the game.”
For Dalio, proximity to experienced players matters. “Be around people who also play the game… and you will learn through your experiences, reflections, and the help of other people.”
Citing his own story — caddying at a golf course as a teenager and using tips to invest in the stock market — Dalio underscored the importance of starting young and staying curious. “That little germination,” he noted, “then creates empires.”
He encouraged young Indians to not wait for the perfect opportunity or capital but to engage with any real-world business or investment activity. Even small ventures, he said, can teach capital formation, cost management, and margin calculations.
Dalio’s bottom line? The best returns for young investors come not just from markets, but from investing in self-learning and experience.
A global macro investor for more than 50 years, Ray Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates out of his two-bedroom apartment in NYC and ran it for most of its 50 years, building it into the largest hedge fund in the world.
He is also the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of Principles: Life and Work, Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, and Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises, and How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle.