Lynch bounds into the downtown headquarters of Fidelity Group at 7:30 a.m. sharp. He hangs his navy parka on a hook behind his door and settles down to the business of managing one of the nation's hottest stock funds, the Magellan Fund. A painted sign by one of his daughters is taped to the door, colorful proof that the chaos inside does indeed belong to Lynch.

Lynch got hooked on the market after he bought stock in an airline in the 1960s and saw the price soar to 10 times the purchase price. Yet Lynch, who first worked for Fidelity during summer break in 1966 and never interviewed for another job, claims he has no special knack for picking stocks.

Success has its perks. Lynch owns a "very meaningful" chunk of the privately held Fidelity. He won't disclose his hefty annual bonus for fear of upsetting colleagues. Anyway, he says, as part of Fidelity's team approach, bonuses are tied to how much everyone, not just Lynch, outperforms the market.