Alex Bryan

More From Alex Bryan

Cleaner Exposure to Value Stocks

This ETF allows investors to own cheap stocks without the persistent sector bets that most of its peers make.

Alex Bryan Jul 21, 2017

Quality and Value Without the Side Sector Bets

Quality and value investment strategies often introduce ancillary sector bets, but it may be prudent to constrain them.

Alex Bryan Jul 19, 2017

2 Favorite ETFs for Foreign Diversification

Alex Bryan Jul 4, 2017

Seeking Quality in the S&P 500

This fund favors highly profitable firms with durable competitive advantages.

Alex Bryan Jun 16, 2017

A Look Under the Hood of 5 Momentum Funds

Momentum funds that aggressively chase performance and keep implementation costs down have the best chance to succeed.

Alex Bryan Jun 14, 2017

Value Indexing With Less Price Risk

Alex Bryan May 3, 2017

Value's Rough Patch Not a Concern for AQR's Ronen Israel

Alex Bryan Apr 28, 2017

Don't Be Tempted by This ETF's Strong Performance

This fund's exchange focus and industry concentration dim some of its shine.

Alex Bryan Apr 28, 2017

Are High-Yield ETFs Junk?

The high-yield bond market poses unique challenges to index funds that make an active approach more attractive.

Alex Bryan Apr 26, 2017

Do Industry Tilts Matter in Factor Investing?

Alex Bryan Apr 25, 2017

A Cheap, Silver-Rated Small-Cap Value Fund

Alex Bryan Apr 20, 2017

Schwab Sharpens Focus, Gains Strength

The firm fortifies its investment team and risk management culture but sticks to its core knitting, warranting a Parent rating upgrade.

Alex Bryan Apr 13, 2017

Indexes Don't Maximize High-Yield Bonds

Alex Bryan Mar 31, 2017

This Dynamic Small-Cap ETF Should Find an Edge

Bronze-rated Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company ETF attempts to profit from mean-reversion in valuations among small-cap stocks.

Alex Bryan Mar 17, 2017

Are Factor Investors Getting Paid to Take on Industry Risk?

Industry tilts appear to pay off for momentum but are not integral to the success of value and low-volatility strategies.

Alex Bryan Mar 15, 2017

A Small-Cap ETF That Minds the Downside

This fund should hold up better than most of its peers during market downturns.

Alex Bryan Mar 3, 2017

The Hidden Risk of Low-Volatility Investing

Low-volatility strategies tend to be more sensitive to fluctuating interest rates than the broad market.

Alex Bryan Mar 1, 2017

A Razor-Thin Fee Gives This Growth ETF an Edge

This compelling exchange-traded fund has a new benchmark and price tag.

Alex Bryan Feb 10, 2017

Mind the Gap Between Academic Research and Practice

The returns of factor investment strategies often look more impressive in academia than in practice.

Alex Bryan Feb 8, 2017

Low-Vol Strategies May Underperform When Rates Rise

Alex Bryan Feb 4, 2017

Should You Buy Into This Buyback ETF?

This distinctive strategy has a strong record, but its high turnover, fee, and myopic selection criterion detract from its appeal.

Alex Bryan Jan 27, 2017

Dividend Stocks Court Rate Risk

High-dividend-paying stocks tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than their lower-yielding counterparts, but not for the reason you might think.

Alex Bryan Jan 25, 2017

A Small-Value ETF With an Eye on Profitability

This exchange-traded fund filters out some distressed stocks, but there are cheaper alternatives.

Alex Bryan Jan 6, 2017

6 Traits of the Best Indexes

Finding an index that scores well across these six dimensions can help investors choose among seemingly similar funds.

Alex Bryan Jan 4, 2017

Academic Research Doesn't Always Make Grade in Real World

Alex Bryan Jan 3, 2017

Balanced Exposure to the Natural-Resources Sector

While this natural-resources ETF isn't for the faint of heart, it can offer good diversification benefits.

Alex Bryan Dec 16, 2016

Don't Try to Time Factor Strategies

It may be tempting to time factor strategies, but sticking with a fixed plan is probably a better course of action.

Alex Bryan Dec 14, 2016

The Conservative Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF

This ETF takes less credit risk than most of its peers, so it offers a lower yield, but its cost advantage gives it a durable edge.

Alex Bryan Nov 11, 2016

Harnessing Momentum With Indexes

Momentum is so pervasive that it appears among both individual securities and entire indexes.

Alex Bryan Nov 9, 2016

Modest Style Bets, Modest Price

This multifactor ETF won't shoot the lights out, but it has a good chance to slightly outperform the S&P 500 over the long term.

Alex Bryan Oct 21, 2016

More About Alex Bryan

Alex Bryan, CFA, is director of product management for equity indexes at Morningstar.

Before assuming his current role in 2016, Bryan spent four years as a manager analyst covering equity strategies. Previously, he was a project manager and senior data analyst in Morningstar's data department. He joined Morningstar in 2008 as an inside sales consultant for Morningstar Office.

Bryan holds a bachelor's degree in economics and finance from Washington University in St. Louis, where he graduated magna cum laude, and a master's degree in business administration, with high honors, from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. In 2016, Bryan was named a Rising Star at the 23rd Annual Mutual Fund Industry Awards.