According to '' Fortune '' , Singer focused from early times " on distressed assets , " buying up bankrupt firms ' debt and acquiring " a reputation for strong-arming his way to profit . " '' Fortune '' noted in 2012 that losses sustained early in Singer 's career led to a " risk aversion that still guides his investing today . Thanks to his caution , by 2012 Elliott had " only two down years " since 1977 , rising " 4.2 % in 2011 , a year in which most hedge funds lost money . " Describing him as " one of the smartest and toughest money managers in the business " , the article further notes that his firm " is so influential that fear of its tactics helped shape the current 2012 Greek debt restructuring . " Elliott was termed by '' The Independent '' as " a pioneer in the business of buying up sovereign bonds on the cheap , and then going after countries for unpaid debts . " Singer describes his business model as " a fight against charlatans who refuse to play by the market 's rules , " and in 2013 Singer told '' Alpha Magazine '' that " we 've made the point over and over again that sovereigns that could pay their debts and choose not to may be attempting to save some money but are harming their people and their economies by making investing in their countries more risky and more problematic and by discouraging foreign investment . " In response , '' The Washington Post '' wrote in 2014 that " in Singer 's view , he is n't just forcing indebted companies and countries to pay up . He 's trying to create a world where distressed debt does n't exist . Depending on your own views , that makes Singer an activist investor , or a ' vulture capitalist . ' " Singer signed The Giving Pledge , which signals a commitment by individuals to donate more than half of their wealth within their lifetime to address society 's " most difficult moral and economic challenges . " Singer founded the Paul E. Singer Family Foundation , which supports charitable causes including the Harvard Graduate School of Education Singer Prize for Excellence in Secondary Teaching , VH1 Save The Music Foundation , the Food Bank For New York City , National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund , the American Unity Fund , the New York City Police Foundation and MarineParents.com . He and The Paul E. Singer Family Foundation are behind The Philos Project , a pro-Israel Christian organization . In 2016 , Singer partnered with the Museum of the Bible to fund Passages Israel , a program to take college students to Israel . He is a " longtime supporter of hawkish pro-Israel causes " and a major funder for the conservative think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies . In November 2018 , after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting , the Paul E. Singer Family Foundation announced it would donate $ 1 million to upgrade security at Jewish institutions in New York . The funds will be gifted to the United Jewish Appeal – Federation of New York , which will then distribute the money as needed to individual synagogues , day schools , and community centers to cover safety reviews and enhanced precautions
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
Paul Singer (businessman)