Alan F. Skrainka, CFA
40+
Chief Market Strategist
Director of Manager Research
1990
I’m an independent investment analyst and CFA charterholder with over 40 years of experience analyzing stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, building portfolios, and helping investors think clearly about markets with discipline and clarity.
I previously served as Chief Market Strategist and Director of Manager Research at major firms, where I led work on fund selection, asset allocation, and investor communication. I have taught the retirement planning section of the Certified Financial Planner designation to financial advisors at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
I wrote a book called Principle-Based Investing because I believe the most important investment decisions should be grounded in time-tested principles, not predictions.
“The future is uncertain. That is the starting point of investing, not a problem to solve. Principles work because they don’t require us to know what comes next.”
— Alan Skrainka, CFA
Why I write
InvestmentInsights.com and the Substack newsletter exist to do the opposite — calm, principle-based guidance for the serious individual investor. No hype. No guesswork. Just the analysis I would want if I were on the other side of the screen.
Education
M.B.A.
B.S., Finance & Accounting
CFA Charter
Teaching
Visiting Instructor
Principle-Based Investing
I wrote Principle-Based Investing because the most important investment decisions should be grounded in time-tested principles, not predictions. The book covers the ideas every long-term investor needs to know — diversification, time horizon, risk, costs, and the discipline to stay the course when it matters most.
Read what I publish each week.
The Substack is where the active writing lives — weekly commentary, fund analysis, and the occasional industry critique. Free to start.