Callie Cox Joins Plancorp as Strategy Director
The former Ritholtz strategist will work with Plancorp's CIO on investment research and committee discussions.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Investing
Callie Cox has joined Plancorp Wealth Management, a St. Louis-based fee-only firm with $10.5 billion in assets under management, as director of investment strategy. She will work alongside Plancorp CIO Peter Lazaroff, producing market research and investment insights and taking part in investment committee discussions.
Why it matters
The move reflects Cox's stated desire to deepen her work at the intersection of market analysis and money management rather than serve primarily as a public-facing commentator. For clients and the St. Louis wealth management community, it signals added research capacity inside a firm of Plancorp's size.
Plancorp, a St. Louis-based fee-only firm, reports $10.5 billion in assets under management, the figure cited in the announcement. The announcement does not disclose how Cox's research will be distributed or measured.
The players
Callie Cox
Callie Cox is a market strategist who previously worked as an investment analyst at eToro and began her career as a reporter at Bloomberg.
Plancorp Wealth Management
Plancorp Wealth Management is a St. Louis-based fee-only wealth management firm that manages $10.5 billion in client assets.
Ritholtz Wealth Management
Ritholtz Wealth Management is a wealth management firm that Cox served with as chief market strategist before leaving in 2026.
Peter Lazaroff
Peter Lazaroff is the chief investment officer of Plancorp Wealth Management, with whom Cox will work on investment strategy.
The details
Cox announced her departure from Ritholtz Wealth Management in an August newsletter after roughly two years as chief market strategist, a role in which she had launched the weekly newsletter OptimistiCallie. She will now work alongside Plancorp CIO Peter Lazaroff, creating market research and investment insights and joining the firm's investment committee discussions.
Timeline
2024: Cox joins Ritholtz Wealth Management and launches the OptimistiCallie newsletter.
Earlier in 2026: Cox gives birth to twins.
August 2026: Cox announces her departure from Ritholtz in a newsletter.
November 2, 2026: Cox joins Plancorp as director of investment strategy.
Market Dynamics
Cox's move mirrors a broader pattern in which market strategists leave media-facing roles for advisory firms that use their research directly in managing client money. Her shift from public commentary to an internal investment committee role fits that trajectory.
Clients of Plancorp may see investment research and strategy guidance shaped by Cox's work alongside Lazaroff once she starts. Individual investors evaluating advisory firms can weigh a firm's research staffing as one factor in their decision.
The takeaway
When evaluating an advisor, look beyond personal visibility to how a firm actually turns research into portfolio decisions, including who sits on its investment committee.
Further reading
For more on how advisory firms build their research teams, explore Investing coverage.
