Alex Shahidi, JD, CFA, CFP, ChFC, CIMA
Managing Partner & Co-Chief Investment Officer, Evoke Advisors
Alex is a Managing Partner and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Evoke Advisors. Alex has over 24 years of experience as an investment consultant managing multibillion-dollar portfolios. He began his career at Merrill Lynch, where he led one of the firm’s largest institutional consulting groups, advising more than $10 billion in assets. In 2014, Alex co-founded ARIS, where he, along with co-founder Damien Bisserier, oversaw the firm’s research and client service efforts. In 2019, they launched the RPAR Risk Parity ETF, which quickly became one of the largest Alternative ETFs in the country. ARIS merged with Evoke Advisors in 2020.
Alex focuses on advising large pension funds, foundations, endowments, and ultra-high-net-worth families. He works with his clients in a variety of financial areas including developing investment policy statements, managing asset allocation, selecting managers, monitoring portfolio performance, and creating financial plans.
Alex is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®), a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®), a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®).
Alex graduated cum laude from University of California, Santa Barbara, with degrees in business economics and law. He earned a JD from the University of California, Hastings Law School, and is a licensed attorney in California.
Alex is a prolific writer. His first book titled Balanced Asset Allocation: How to Profit in Any Economic Climate, was released in late 2014. The article introducing the premise of the book was recognized with the IMCA 2012 Stephen L. Kessler Writing Award as well as in the Wall Street Journal, Market Watch, Money News, Fidelity.com, and Wall Street Daily. In 2021, he launched his second book titled Risk Parity: How to Invest for All Market Environments.
Alex has been interviewed on Bloomberg Television and Radio, BBC World News, and Yahoo Finance and for articles in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and other major publications. He has also been featured in numerous podcasts including Capital Allocators, The Investor’s Podcast, and Seeking Alpha. Alex also regularly contributes articles for Councils.Forbes.com.
Our Podcast
“The Insightful Investor” is a weekly podcast hosted by Alex Shahidi, Co-CIO of one of the nation’s leading RIAs. In a conversational, “fireside chat” format, Alex interacts with some of the world’s premier investors and business icons to share market insights rarely found elsewhere. While many investors echo common sentiments, our “insights” include concepts that we believe are counterintuitive, widely misunderstood, or underappreciated. With two decades of experience managing over $10 billion in client assets, Alex offers unique access to some of the industry’s top thinkers. He has authored two investment books and contributed to leading journals, and he consistently ranks among the elite financial advisors by Forbes and Barron’s. As an independent and innovative voice, Alex offers a fresh take on investing. We invite you to tune in and would love to hear your feedback.
Our Mission
The investment industry is unique and contrasts sharply with other fields. Many of its fundamental principles are counterintuitive, widely misunderstood or underappreciated. For instance, while an underperforming employee should justifiably be terminated, an underperforming investment may represent a potential buying opportunity. The industry is dominated by salespeople focused on growing their client base, rather than students of the markets, resulting in poor advice that routinely falls short of client expectations and needs. Due to the intricate nature of evaluating investment results, even mediocre investors can maintain an appearance of proficiency for extended periods, unlike in other industries where subpar performance is readily apparent. Many investment professionals try to predict the future, but their predictions are often unreliable. True insight is rare.
The Insightful Investor podcast is committed to sharing unique perspectives and hosting discussions with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Our aim is to empower everyone with an interest in investing, ranging from beginners to seasoned professionals, by providing invaluable insights to enhance their investing acumen. To reach and resonate with the widest audience possible, we consciously choose not to monetize our content through subscriptions or advertising, ensuring free access to unparalleled insights that are, in our opinion, scarcely found elsewhere.