Brian Portnoy, Ph.D., CFA, is an expert at simplifying the complex world of money. In his two books, The Investor's Paradox and The Geometry of Wealth, he tackles the challenges of not only making better investment decisions but understanding how money figures into a joyful life. The 2019 Axiom Business Book awards honored The Geometry of Wealth with its highest accolade in the personal finance and investing category, and Business Insider named the book a "best book to read in 2019."
Brian is currently the Director of Education at Magnetar Capital, an alternative investment firm that employs a wide-range of alternative credit and fixed income, energy and infrastructure, and systematic investing strategies. In his role, Brian creates content that engages, educates and empowers investors to build better portfolios.
In addition, Brian is involved with the Magnetar Capital Foundation and its partnership with UChicago STEM Education. Together, these organizations developed finEDge, an innovative high school financial education curriculum that teaches financial decision-making. To date, it has educated more than 19,000 students across the U.S.
For the past two decades, Brian has worked throughout the hedge fund and mutual fund industries. He has held senior investment, research and strategy roles at Virtus Investment Partners, Chicago Equity Partners, Mesirow Financial and Morningstar. Across those positions, he has demonstrated a passion for cutting through the jargon of modern finance and helping investors meet their goals.
In educating thousands of investors over the years as a keynote speaker, seminar leader and consultant, Brian emphasizes the practical benefits of understanding the intersection of human psychology, financial markets and modern capitalism. Across the U.S., Europe and Asia, audiences have benefited from Brian's commitment to Einstein's dictum: "Out of clutter, find simplicity." A career highlight was lecturing at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as part of its Leading Authors series, on the history and future of complex investments. Brian and his work have appeared in media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, CNBC, Cheddar and various podcasts.
After graduating from the University of Michigan, Brian pursued his research and teaching interests in global political economy at the University of Chicago, where he earned his doctorate. The MacArthur Foundation supported his research on the social institutions that undergird global capitalism. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder, a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, and on the advisory board at How I Decide, a foundation that builds innovative decision education curricula for students.
Brian lives with his wife and three children on the north side of Chicago. He and his family are committed to a variety of social causes, including hunger and literacy.
