My name is Rick Ferri. I have been a financial adviser for four decades.
My professional life has been an interesting mix of public and private service. I am a US Marine Corps officer and fighter pilot now retired, a former stockbroker, adjunct college professor, a former low-fee advisory firm founder, and now an hourly-fee consultant who helps individual investors achieve their financial goals and advisers achieve their business goals.
I started my investment career in 1989 as a stockbroker at a large Wall Street firm. After a few years, I concluded that the sales culture and high fees didn’t meet my ethical standards. I was determined to change the way the system worked and became one of the first brokers to advocate using low-cost index funds in client portfolios. This didn’t sit well with management, but I pushed forward because it was right for clients. 
Read more about my CORE BELIEFS.
In 1999, I left the brokerage industry and founded an advisory firm that focused solely on low-cost investment principles. Clients held index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in their portfolios, and I set my firm’s fee at a revolutionary low 0.25% per year rate. The concept was fresh, novel, and in demand. Client assets grew quickly, and our staff also grew. At its peak, the company employed 20 people and managed over $1.5 billion in assets. I left the firm in 2016 after a private equity investor acquired control and changed the company’s focus.
Over the past several years, I’ve helped over one thousand individuals through Ferri Investment Solutions, an hourly, as-needed firm. However, I am no longer taking new clients and will retire as an adviser in late 2026. I will continue to publish books and articles, and remain host of the “Bogleheads on Investing” podcast. I also continue providing industry consulting to advisers and help them grow their practices.
Last, Core-4 Portfolios is a FREE website for public use. There are six simple portfolio models that any individual investor can adopt. Custom portfolio design is also provided for investors and advisers.
A few notable achievements in my career include:
✔ Nearly 40 years as a financial adviser, and a recognized champion for low investment fees.
✔ A pioneer in low-fee investment advice and portfolio management using ETFs and index funds.
✔ Authored 7 investment books and hundreds of articles. Published in Forbes, WSJ and professional journals.
✔ Co-authored a research paper on index investing that won the S&P Dow Jones Indices 3rd Annual SPIVA Award.
✔ Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island.
✔ Master of Science in Finance from Walsh College and a CFA Charterholder; former adjunct professor at Walsh.
✔ 21 years of service in the US Marine Corps on active duty and reserves.