[italkcash]

Steve Cohen
Most talked-about hedge-fund manager. Lives in a 32,000-square-foot house on a fourteen-acre estate in Greenwich. Is building what could be the great contemporary-art collection of our time. Recently purchased Willem de Kooning’s Police Gazette from David Geffen for $63.5 million. Net worth estimated at $3 billion.

Stephen Feinberg
Worked at Drexel Burnham Lambert in the Milken era. King of the vulture investors—currently sniffing around car-company wrecks in Detroit. Likes Republicans: Dan Quayle is on Cerberus team; former Treasury secretary John Snow is chairman.

David Tepper
Ran the junk-bond desk at Goldman. Joined ever-growing roster of ex-Goldmanites after founding Appaloosa in 1993. Like Cerberus, lurking around automotive industry. Worked with Cerberus on the Delphi automotive deal. Estimated net worth of $1.5 billion.

Eddie Lampert
Once kidnapped. Called greatest investor of his generation. A leader among activists, he focuses on retail, and owns Sears (which owns Kmart) and AutoNation. With estimated net worth of $3.8 billion, the richest man in Connecticut, which is saying something.

Kenneth Griffin
Used to be one of the most secretive guys. But since he decided to raise money for his firm by selling bonds last year, he’s warmed to the press, which happened to notice that Griffin took big profits in last year’s Amaranth meltdown. Purchased Jasper Johns’s False Start from David Geffen for $80 million. Net worth estimated at $1.7 billion.

Michael Novogratz
A president of Fortress, Novogratz cashed in with colleagues Peter Briger and Wesley Edens when the firm went public earlier this year. Like many on these lists, he got his start at Goldman Sachs. Was a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army. Net worth estimated at $2.3 billion.