Richard Bernstein is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Richard Bernstein Advisors, an independent investment management firm specializing in long-only, global equity, and multi-asset allocation strategies. As head of the firm’s Investment Committee, Bernstein leads the management of multi-asset, global equity, and fixed income ETF portfolios for financial advisors, institutions, and investors worldwide. With more than 40 years of Wall Street experience, Bernstein is recognized as one of the industry’s foremost experts in equity analysis, asset allocation, and investment style strategies. Before founding RBA, he spent 21 years at Merrill Lynch, where he served as Chief Investment Strategist, shaping the firm’s global market outlook and strategy. Earlier in his career, he held key roles at E.F. Hutton and Chase Econometrics, contributing to market research and economic forecasting. In addition to his professional career, Bernstein has shared his expertise as an Adjunct Professor of Finance at the NYU Stern School of Business and as a guest lecturer at numerous universities and global financial forums. He is also the author of the acclaimed books Navigate the Noise and Style Investing, the latter widely considered the definitive guide to style-based investment strategies.
Richard Bernstein Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
Academic History
RICHARD BERNSTEIN ADVISORS (RBA)
Under Richard Bernstein’s leadership, RBA employs a top-down, research-driven investment approach, focusing on macroeconomic trends and market cycles rather than individual stock selection.
The firm aims to deliver innovative investment solutions for financial advisors, institutions, and individual investors through multi-asset, global equity, and fixed income strategies.
Bernstein contributes to the firm’s monthly market insights, which reach over 25,000 subscribers and are widely respected for their actionable analysis and forward-looking macro perspectives.
RBA emphasizes style-based asset allocation, combining macroeconomic research with risk management to optimize portfolios across changing market environments.
Before founding RBA, Bernstein served as Chief Investment Strategist and Head of Merrill Lynch’s Investment Strategy Group.
In this role, he was responsible for U.S. asset allocation recommendations, including equities, bonds, and cash, as well as providing forecasts for the S&P 500® and other major market indices.
His work shaped investment strategy and market outlooks for Merrill Lynch’s institutional and individual clients.
RECOGNITIONS
18x Institutional Investor's All-America Research Team
2x Fortune's All-Star Analysts
2012 Registered Rep's Ten to Watch
2001 Institutional Investor's Hall of Fame
2004 SmartMoney's Power 30
MEDIA PRESENCE
Richard Bernstein is a frequent guest on CNBC and Bloomberg TV and a respected voice in financial media.
He has been quoted extensively in Barron’s, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, Reuters, Fortune, and Institutional Investor.
He has also appeared on Real Vision, sharing insights on macro trends, asset allocation, and style-based investing strategies for investors seeking informed decision-making.