Brian Baker, CFA

Senior writer, Investing and Retirement
  • 14
    Years of experience
Ribbon Icon EXPERTISE
  • Investing
  • Wealth management
  • Behavioral finance
  • Stock analysis and valuation
Education Icon EDUCATION
  • CFA Institute
  • Bachelor of Arts, Finance, Michigan State University
  • Master of Science, Journalism, Northwestern University

 

About the author

Brian Baker, CFA, covers investing and retirement for Bankrate. He previously worked in equity research at Diamond Hill Capital Management and is a CFA Charterholder. His work has appeared online in various publications including MarketWatch, Fortune, the Omaha World-Herald, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Detroit News, MSN and Yahoo Finance.

Prior to joining Bankrate, he covered mergers and acquisitions for MLex Market Insight in Washington, D.C. Baker is passionate about helping people make sense of complicated financial topics so that they can better plan for their financial futures.

Readers can rely on his articles to learn more about a variety of investing topics such as how to start investing, investing through mutual funds, when to sell a stock and how investors can manage their emotions.

Baker’s passion for investing developed in college after reading about the success of long-term investors like Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.

Investing can be intimidating, but following some basic principles can put you on the path to achieving your financial goals.

— Brian Baker, CFA

Brian's latest articles

  • Wells Fargo Intuitive Investor

    Wells Fargo’s Intuitive Investor offers investors a solid robo-advisor product while also providing the option of speaking with a human financial advisor five days a week.

    5 min read Sep 24, 2021

  • Morgan Stanley Access Investing

    For younger investors looking to invest based on their values or certain themes, Morgan Stanley’s Access Investing provides a suitable option among robo-advisors.

    5 min read Sep 24, 2021

  • J.P. Morgan Automated Investing

    J.P. Morgan Automated Investing is the megabank’s robo-advisor offering and will likely appeal most to existing J.P. Morgan customers who are looking to take a hands-off approach to investing.

    7 min read Sep 23, 2021

  • Merrill Guided Investing

    In an era when investment products and robo-advisories have moved increasingly to passive strategies, Merrill is taking an active approach with its Guided Investing service. Just don’t call it a robo-advisor, says Merrill, because the service is guided by human investing pros.

    7 min read Sep 01, 2021

  • Marcus Invest

    Known for its high-yield online banking accounts, Marcus is now taking its game to the robo-advisor space with Marcus Invest. It brings the core functionality – portfolio management, rebalancing – and adds some less common options such as socially responsible investing into the mix.

    6 min read Aug 27, 2021

  • Fidelity Go

    Fidelity Go offers core robo-advisor features (portfolio management, rebalancing) and combines them with Fidelity’s investor-friendly reputation. So you’ll get funds with no fees and excellent customer service at any hour of the day.

    6 min read Apr 28, 2021

  • Empower

    Empower transforms the experience of a human financial advisor into the digital world, melding together some of the top features of each. The robo-advisor provides unlimited access to human advisors who can customize a portfolio to your financial needs while providing the advantages of automated tax-loss harvesting.

    7 min read Apr 22, 2021