Early Life
Jeffrey Edward Gundlach was born on October 30, 1959, in Amherst, New York. He came from a middle-class background and grew up in the Buffalo area. His father was a chemist, and his mother was a teacher and homemaker. Gundlach demonstrated exceptional academic abilities early in life, graduating summa cum laude in mathematics and philosophy from Dartmouth College in 1981. He then pursued a Ph.D. in mathematics at Yale University but decided to pursue a career in finance.
Rise to Success
Gundlach began his financial career, eventually heading the $9.3 billion TCW Total Return Bond Fund. He was known for consistently ranking in the top 2% of all funds invested in intermediate-term bonds for a decade. After being fired from TCW in 2009, Gundlach co-founded DoubleLine Capital, where he currently serves as CEO and CIO. Under his leadership, DoubleLine has become a prominent investment firm focused on fixed-income strategies. Barron's has called him the "King of Bonds".
Key Business Strategies
Gundlach is known for his contrarian investment strategies and market predictions. He correctly predicted the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis. He has held a negative outlook on the U.S. dollar since 2017 and has made various predictions about municipal bonds. Gundlach focuses on delivering a superior investment experience to clients through performance and communication. He has built a reputation for rigorous credit analysis and macroeconomic forecasting.
Philanthropy
Gundlach is involved in philanthropy, notably donating $42.5 million to the Albright–Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, which was the largest cultural gift from an individual in the city's history. The gallery was renamed the Buffalo Albright-Knox-Gundlach Art Museum.
