Dalio’s 15% Rule: Gold or Bitcoin?

Ray Dalio’s latest comments urge investors to consider putting up to 15% of their portfolios into gold or Bitcoin for a more resilient, balanced approach to risk.

Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates and one of the world’s most respected investors, recently shared a new take on portfolio diversification during a “Master Investor” podcast appearance. He explained:

“If you were neutral on everything, in other words, you didn’t have a point of view, and you were optimizing your portfolio for the best return-to-risk ratio you would have, you would have about 15% of your money in gold or Bitcoin.”

Dalio made it clear he still “strongly prefers” gold to Bitcoin, but acknowledges the case for both assets. He personally owns “some Bitcoin,” though he cautions that central banks are unlikely to adopt it due to privacy concerns and regulatory risk. Even so, Dalio underlines that the choice between gold and Bitcoin is personal, and it’s up to each investor to decide how they want to hedge against inflation, currency swings, and mounting U.S. debt.

Dalio also warns that America will need to issue approximately $12 trillion in new debt over the next year, making the case for including alternative stores of value like gold and Bitcoin even stronger right now.