# Ben Carlson

> Ben Carlson is a CFA charterholder, Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management, and one of the most widely-read finance writers in the United States. Through his blog A Wealth of Common Sense, co-hosted podcast Animal Spirits, and six books, Carlson has built a reputation for translating Wall Street complexity into plain-English wisdom that ordinary investors can actually use - advocating for simplicity, patience, and behavioral discipline over market-timing and stock-picking.

- **Role:** Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management
- **Organizations:** Ritholtz Wealth Management, The Compound, CFA Institute
- **From:** Michigan, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Business Administration (Business Management), Hope College, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Grand Valley State University, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), CFA Institute
- **Known for:** Named one of the four most commonly-read financial bloggers by financial professionals, A Wealth of Common Sense blog became an 'overnight sensation' after launch, CFA charterholder since 2010

## Career timeline

- **2000-2004** — Attended Hope College for Business Management degree
- **2004-2012** — Worked at a $2.5 billion institutional investment consulting firm managing portfolios for endowments, foundations, and pension plans
- **2010** — Earned CFA designation
- **2012-2015** — Portfolio manager at Van Andel Institute, managing $1.4 billion endowment fund
- **2013** — Launched blog A Wealth of Common Sense
- **2015** — Published debut book 'A Wealth of Common Sense: Why Simplicity Trumps Complexity in Any Investment Plan'
- **2015** — Joined Ritholtz Wealth Management as Director of Institutional Asset Management
- **2016** — Published 'Organizational Alpha: How to Add Value in Institutional Asset Management'
- **2017** — Launched the Animal Spirits podcast with Michael Batnick
- **2020** — Published 'Don't Fall for It: A Short History of Financial Scams'
- **2021** — Co-authored 'Invest Your Way to Financial Freedom' with Robin Powell
- **2022** — Published 'Everything You Need To Know About Saving For Retirement'
- **2025** — Published 'Risk and Reward: How to Handle Market Volatility and Build Long-term Wealth'
- **2026** — Continues active blogging, podcasting at The Compound, and institutional asset management

## Achievements

- Named one of the four most commonly-read financial bloggers by financial professionals
- A Wealth of Common Sense blog became an 'overnight sensation' after launch
- CFA charterholder since 2010
- Author of six books on personal finance and investing
- Animal Spirits podcast reached episode 400+ milestone (celebrated with 'Life and Death' episode)
- Animal Spirits named in Fortune's Best Business Podcasts list
- Featured in Bloomberg, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, Fortune, The Washington Post, Barron's, CNBC, CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal
- Contributed to building Ritholtz Wealth Management's institutional and family office division from scratch

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Published 'Tax Alpha' post on A Wealth of Common Sense blog
- **2026-02** — Animal Spirits podcast episode 453 discussed AI doom scenarios
- **2026-01** — Animal Spirits episode 443 discussed 2026 market outlook, AI bubble, housing
- **2025** — Published 'Risk and Reward: How to Handle Market Volatility and Build Long-term Wealth'
- **2025** — Continued weekly blog posts on A Wealth of Common Sense covering markets, personal finance, and investing psychology

## Links

- Website: https://awealthofcommonsense.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-carlson-cfa-97661244/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/awealthofcs

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ben-carlson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-23