Which hedge fund manager will have the highest hedge fund manager salary in 2013? Perennial favorites are Jim Simons, Ray Dalio, David Tepper, Steve Cohen and George Soros. John Paulson has done well in the past but his recent performance has been lackluster and his assets under management have fallen significantly, so he faces a triple whammy: smaller aum, a lot of ground to reach the high water mark and having to generate good performance after a slump. This is a very tall task.
Ray Dalio has so much assets under management that he will be really hard to beat in 2013 even if he generates mediocre returns, because big paydays can be had even on small returns when you manage a lot of money.
Jim Simons has one of the highest compound returns ever and even though his firm has returned a lot of money to keep the fund small, his exceptional returns always seems to lead to a big payday.
George Soros has also returned a lot of outside investor money to focus on managing his own massive fortune. But he is known for going for the jugular when a trade lines up and so he can generate a jack pot salary if another explosive trade like his breaking the Bank of England manifests in 2013.
So who will have the highest hedge fund manager salary in 2013? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.