Marcus Chen
Data Journalist
MS Applied Statistics, Columbia; 8 years at Bloomberg
About
Marcus Chen is a former quantitative analyst who spent eight years at Bloomberg before pivoting to data journalism. He holds an MS in Applied Statistics from Columbia and writes with the conviction that most financial advice is either wrong or untestable. He's the kind of writer who won't publish a claim without running the numbers himself — and who takes visible pleasure when the data contradicts conventional wisdom. Every article contains original data tables, source-cited methodology, and scenario comparisons.
Areas of expertise
- personal finance modeling
- salary benchmarking
- investment comparison
- cost-of-living analysis
- tax optimization scenarios
- scenario-based analysis
Articles by Marcus Chen (8)
- ETF Fee Drag by Expense Ratio (2026): What Each 0.1% Actually Costs2026-06-13 · Computed Data
Computed lost-wealth tables for 0.03%–1.00% expense ratios on a $100k investment over 30 years, plus real same-exposure fund pairs (VOO vs SPY, VWO vs EEM, IAU vs GLD). The math, shown.
- SCHD vs VYM (2026): Dividend ETF Comparison (Yield, Methodology, Returns)2026-06-04 · Dividend ETFs
Two 0.06% dividend ETFs, two different indexes. SCHD's 100-stock quality screen vs VYM's 530-stock high-yield basket — yields, sector weights, dividend growth, and total return with 2026 data.
- VOO vs SPY vs IVV (2026): The Three Flagship S&P 500 ETFs Compared2026-05-31 · Fund Analysis
Same index, three wrappers. Expense ratios, AUM, tracking difference, options liquidity, and the UIT-vs-open-ended structural gap. 2026 data from issuer fund pages.
- VTI vs ITOT 2026: Total Market Index ETFs Compared (With Real Data)2026-05-20 · Fund Analysis
Same 0.03% expense, slightly different benchmarks. Returns, tracking difference, 97-98% holdings overlap, and the tax-loss harvesting pairing case.
- QQQ vs QQQM 2026: Is the Cheaper Version Actually Worth It?2026-04-20 · Fund Analysis
QQQ vs QQQM compared: identical Nasdaq-100 holdings at 0.20% vs 0.15% expense ratios. Liquidity, options, switching math, and when each wins.
- SCHD vs JEPI 2026: The Income ETF Showdown (Yield, Taxes, Total Return)2026-04-20 · Income ETFs
Dividend-growth equities vs. a covered-call income strategy. Real 2026 data on yields, after-tax income, total return, and portfolio fit.
- VTI vs VOO 2026: Tracking Difference, Returns, and Overlap (With Real Data)2026-04-20 · Fund Analysis
Expense ratios, 10-year returns, top-10 overlap, AUM, and tracking difference for VTI and VOO — with current 2026 data, not hand-waving.
- ETF vs Mutual Funds in 2026: A Data-Driven Comparison (With Real Numbers)2026-03-30 · Fund Analysis
Expense ratios, tax efficiency, liquidity, and real return data compared using actual Vanguard, BlackRock, and Fidelity products. The answer depends on your account type.