How Rich Is Cathie Wood? What To Know About the Famed Stock Picker and ARK Invest CEO
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Karen Doyle
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Maria Concepcion
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If you follow technology stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs, as well as the people who make their living by picking the best ones, you’ve probably heard of Cathie Wood. She’s made quite a name for herself in the investment world.
Here’s what you need to know about Cathie Wood, her background, and her net worth.
Who Is Cathie Wood?
Cathie Wood is co-founder, CEO, and CIO of ARK Investment Management, also known as ARK Invest. ARK Invest was founded in 2014 and has had enormous success in exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, due mainly to Wood’s ability to pick the right stocks.
Before co-founding ARK Invest, Wood held other high-profile jobs in the financial services sector. She began her career at Capital Group, then moved to Jennison Associates, where she was an analyst, portfolio manager, and managing director. She then co-founded a hedge fund called Tupelo Capital Management. Her last position before co-founding ARK Invest was as chief investment officer of global thematic strategies at AllianceBernstein.
What Is ARK Invest?
ARK Invest provides investment solutions that include actively managed equity funds, indexed equity funds, private equity and digital assets.
ARK Invest places large investments in technology companies with great potential – companies engaged in what it refers to as ‘disruptive innovation’ – and those bets have paid off. Wood is known for picking winners, and her significant investments in companies like Tesla, Zoom and Roku.
The fact that ARK Invest has a C-level position titled ‘Chief Futurist’ should tell you all you need to know about this forward-looking company. That said, Wood is not infallible and has come under fire for not making a significant investment in Nvidia despite artificial intelligence being one of the pillars of ARK Invest’s strategy. The other pillars are robotics, energy storage, DNA sequencing, and blockchain technology.
What Are ARK Invest’s ETFs?
ARK Invest has eight exchange-traded funds:
- ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK)
- ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW)
- ARK Genomic Revolution ETF (ARKG)
- ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (ARKQ)
- ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF)
- ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (ARKS)
- The 3D Printing ETF (PRNT)
- ARK Israel Innovative Technology ETF (IZRL)
The 3D Printing ETF and ARK Israel Innovative Technology ETF are index funds; the others are actively managed.
ARK Invest also offers a private equity fund and digital asset ETFs.
What Is Cathie Wood’s Investment Philosophy?
Wood subscribes to the theory of thematic investing, which means investing in long-term trends rather than specific companies. In the case of ARK Invest’s strategy, the long-term trend is disruptive innovation – companies developing new ideas and products that turn traditional technologies on their heads.
What Is Cathie Wood’s Net Worth?
Wood owns about 50% of ARK Invest, according to recent estimates. She is also on the boards of several companies and is in demand for speaking engagements. Current estimates put Cathie Wood’s net worth at approximately $250 million in 2024.
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