2. James Simons

Although he retired six years ago, Simons still ranks No. 32 among American billionaires and No. 76 globally within Forbes’ list of the top billionaires, and reportedly remains involved in the mega-successful East Setauket-based hedge fund Renaissance Technologies that he founded more than 30 years ago. Known as the “Quant King” for his being a rock star among quantitative analysts on Wall Street, Simons is also a renowned philanthropist, who, along with his wife Marilyn through their charitable organization The Simons Foundation, has donated heavily to autism research, math institutes, and Stony Brook University, where he led the math department. Simons also taught mathematics at his alma mater Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, and was a code breaker for the U.S. Department of Defense during the Vietnam War. Of course, don’t expect him to ever brag about any of his many successes. Simons is well known for shunning interviews, instead, letting his generous charitable work and contributions speak for his tremendous heart.