Richard Peery and John Paulson

Richard Peery and John Paulson built their fortunes in very different corners of American finance and business. Peery became a major Silicon Valley real-estate developer through his long partnership with John Arrillaga, while Paulson built his wealth through hedge-fund investing and became widely known for his 2007 mortgage-market trade. Both are self-made billionaires whose careers have also included substantial philanthropic activity, but their industries, education, family backgrounds and paths to wealth are distinctly different.

Richard Peery and John Paulson Quick Bio

Profile Detail	Richard Peery	John Paulson
Full Name	Richard Taylor Peery	John Alfred Paulson
Date of Birth	1938 or 1939; exact date not reliably confirmed	December 14, 1955
Net Worth	Approximately $3.5 billion, estimated from current Forbes-linked wealth data	Approximately $11.8 billion, Forbes real-time estimate as of September 25, 2026
Age	87 years	70 years
Birthplace	California, United States	Queens, New York City, United States
Nationality	American	American
Nickname	Dick Peery	John
Profession	Real Estate Developer, Investor & Philanthropist	Hedge Fund Manager, Investor, Financier & Philanthropist
Famous For	Developing major Silicon Valley commercial real estate with John Arrillaga	Founding Paulson & Co. and his highly successful 2007 mortgage-market trade
Primary Source of Wealth	Commercial Real Estate	Hedge Funds and Investments
Major Company	Peery-Arrillaga	Paulson & Co.
Career Began	Began managing his father’s property portfolio in his 20s	Began professional career at Boston Consulting Group in 1980
Major Business Partner	John Arrillaga	Built Paulson & Co. independently
Education	Brigham Young University; later attended Stanford’s MBA program but did not complete it	New York University, Finance; Harvard Business School, MBA
Undergraduate Degree	Bachelor’s degree, Brigham Young University	Finance degree, NYU, 1978
Graduate Education	Stanford MBA program — not completed	MBA, Harvard Business School, 1980
Parents	Taylor Peery, banker and real-estate executive; mother’s public details are limited	Alfred G. Paulson and Jacqueline Paulson
Siblings	Nancy Peery Marriott is his sister; broader details are limited	Three siblings; Paulson was the third of four children
Family Background	Family connected to banking and real estate	Family background included business and psychology
Marital Status	Married	Separated
Spouse	Mimi Peery	Jenny Zaharia
Children	Four	Two
Height	Not reliably publicly documented	Not reliably publicly documented
Weight	Not reliably publicly documented	Not reliably publicly documented
Hair Color	Gray/white, appearance-based	Gray/white, appearance-based
Eye Color	Not reliably documented	Not reliably documented
Instagram	No reliably verified personal Instagram account	No reliably verified personal Instagram account
Hobbies / Interests	Real estate, philanthropy and business; private personal interests	Investing, business, philanthropy and education
Career Turning Point	1960s partnership with John Arrillaga and acquisition of Silicon Valley farmland	2007 position against subprime mortgage securities
Real Estate Career	Transformed farmland into major Silicon Valley office developments	Real estate has been among his investment interests, but hedge funds remain his primary wealth source
Hedge Fund Career	No major hedge-fund career	Founder and leader of Paulson & Co.
Paulson & Co.	Not associated	Founded in 1994
Silicon Valley Connection	Central to his career and fortune	Not a defining part of his career
2007 Financial Crisis	Not a defining career event	Built enormous investment gains by betting against subprime mortgage credit
Major 2006 Transaction	Peery and Arrillaga sold many buildings for approximately $1.1 billion	Not applicable
Philanthropy	Peery Foundation and education-focused giving	Major donations to Harvard, NYU and other educational and cultural institutions
Major University Connection	Brigham Young University	New York University and Harvard University
Notable Donation	Helped establish the H. Taylor Peery Institute of Financial Services at BYU	Major gifts include $400 million to Harvard and $100 million to NYU, according to Forbes
Public Profile	Highly private and low-profile	Private personally, but highly prominent in financial circles
Residence	Palo Alto, California	New York, New York
Source of Career Success	Long-term commercial property development and land investment	Financial-market investing and hedge-fund management
Estimated Career Span	More than six decades	More than four decades
Current Professional Identity	Real-estate investor and philanthropist	Investor and founder of Paulson & Co.
Career Legacy	Helping shape Silicon Valley’s commercial real-estate landscape	One of the best-known hedge-fund investors associated with the 2007 financial crisis

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