By Mathew Goldstein
Aug 12 (Reuters) – Billionaire investor George Soros had a
lot to celebrate on Saturday evening: his 82nd birthday and the
engagement to his much younger girlfriend, Tamiko Bolton.
Soros and Bolton, who met in the spring of 2008, formally
announced their engagement at a party at Soros’ summer home in
Southampton, New York, attended by a small group of friends and
relatives, according to a person familiar with the investor.
Soros proposed to Bolton, 40, a few weeks ago during a
weekend visit to the Hamptons, a beachside colony on Long Island
frequented by New York’s wealthy.
For Soros, this will be his third marriage and the second
for Bolton, who was married briefly in the 1990s. Soros has five
children from his previous marriages.
Last year, Adriana Ferreyr, a former girlfriend of Soros,
filed a lawsuit alleging he had reneged on a promise to buy her
an apartment. Soros has filed a pending motion to dismiss the
suit by the former Brazilian soap opera star.
Ferreyr’s attorney, Robert Hantman, said: “I wish him the
best of luck on his marriage, and now that he doesn’t need the
apartment, hopefully the case can be resolved.”
Soros, who is an active contributor to politically liberal
causes and frequently speaks on world economic events, converted
his hedge fund into a family office in 2011 and stopped managing
money for outside investors.
Soros rose to fame and fortune two decades ago on a
now-historic trade, in which he took on the Bank of England and
shrewdly wagered on a devaluation of the British pound.
Bolton, who once started an Internet-based dietary
supplement business and is now running a web-based yoga
education business, has a master’s degree in business from the
University of Miami.
The engagement ring Soros gave Bolton, according to a person
close to him, is a Graff diamond in a platinum setting on a rose
gold band.
Among the guests at the party at Soros’ summer home were
journalist Jane Bryant Quinn and Blackstone’s Byron Wien.
Earlier this year, Reuters first reported that Soros’ son,
Jonathan, who last September stepped down from day-to-day
management of the affairs at Soros Fund Management, had decided
to set up his own family office. In moving to manage his own
money, Soros’ son also planned to take on key employees of Soros
Fund Management, which last reported having about $25 billion in
assets.
