Ronald Stephen Baron (born 1943) (also known as Ron Baron) is an American mutual fund manager and investor. He is the founder of Baron Capital, an investment management firm. The New York City based firm manages the Baron Funds, which he also founded, and has approximately $45 billion in assets under management. As of November 2022, Baron had a net worth of US$5 billion.

Early life and education

Baron grew up in a Jewish family in

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

, one of two children of Morton Baron, an engineer, and his wife Marian. Baron invested $1,000, saved from shoveling snow, waiting tables, working as a life guard, and selling ice cream, and turned it into $4,000 by investing in stocks, prompting cohorts to call him "Count", a nickname which still sticks. He studied chemistry at

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...

and attended

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

at night on scholarship. His first job out of school was with the

United States Patent Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...

Career

Baron worked for several brokerage firms from 1970 to 1982. During this time, he developed a reputation for investing in small companies.

Baron Capital Management

He founded Baron Capital Management in 1982. Baron Capital is well known for its long-term strategy in growth equity investments. The firm will typically hold a stock for 4–5 years, sometimes as many as 10–15 years. The firm prefers to invest in mega-trends driven by broad societal and demographic trends, including baby boomer demands for healthcare - trends where demand is expected to remain steady for years, or even decades. The firm seeks to invest in companies that have strong management teams, investing in people not assets. They look for companies that have strong growth opportunities, are appropriately financed, have competitive advantages, and are a leader in their field. Baron Capital places a unique focus on the strength of the management teams of the companies they invest in, looking for credible, dependable, trustworthy leadership. In 2011, Baron Capital had approximately $19.5 billion in assets under management. In an effort to thank investors, Baron hosts an annual shareholder meeting which typically features rock acts such as

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, the Beach Boys, and

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...

. In 2012, Baron Capital purchased 24 percent of the stock of the

Manchester United Football Club Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd), or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The club competes in the Premier League, ...

that was offered on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...

by the

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. Baron's investment amounts to a 5.8% ownership interest in the club as only 10% of the team's stock was floated. In September 2014, Baron Capital raised its stake in the club to 9.2% of the entire club (equivalent to 37.8% of all shares available on the

NYSE The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the List of stock exchanges, world's largest s ...

Personal

In 1978, Baron married Judy Bernard in a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

ceremony at the

Harmonie Club The Harmonie Club is a private social club in New York City. Founded in 1852, the club is the second oldest social club in New York. It is located at 4 East 60th Street, in a building designed by Stanford White. History Originally named the ...

. In 2007, he paid $103 million for a house in

East Hampton, New York The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York. At the time of the 2020 United States census, it had a total ...

, the most ever paid for a residential property at that time, from Adelaide de Menil, heiress to the

Schlumberger Schlumberger Limited (), doing business as SLB, is an oilfield services company. Schlumberger has four principal executive offices located in Paris, Houston, London, and The Hague. Schlumberger is the world's largest offshore drilling compa ...

fortune. De Menil's house had been built by piecing together historic East Hampton buildings that she moved to the property to protect them from demolition. Prior to the close of the sale, de Menil broke up the structures and moved them to various locations in the town for protection, including six that were moved a mile north to where they will form the new campus of the East Hampton Town government. Baron built a new house, designed by Hart Howerton, a New York architectural firm with several other projects in the Hamptons, which specializes in large-scale land use. The house was included in a 2008 Vanity Fair article.

References

External links