Eric Barden

President and Portfolio Manager

Eric provides expert commentary for a variety of media outlets. He has appeared on both CNBC and Bloomberg, and is frequently quoted in Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Forbes, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Smart Money, Investor’s Business Daily, and TheStreet.com.

Eric and Ryan grew up in Kansas. In 1991, Eric began studies toward an Economics and Government major at the University of Texas. While he considered pursuing either an MBA or law degree, a friend observed Eric’s talent and passion for following the stock market, and suggested that he direct his talents toward a career in investing.

While still attending the university, Eric put his talents to work as a volunteer for a local investment adviser and utilized his pre-law background to organize the initial public offering of the mutual fund. He later went to work full-time with the newly formed mutual fund company and spent the next 12 years developing his multi-style approach to the markets.

Eric earned his CFA charter in 1998 and is actively involved with the CFA Institute and the Austin Society of Financial Analysts. In his spare time Eric enjoys spending time with his wife Shelley, his sons Grant and Wyatt and his dog Theo. He is an avid golfer and Longhorns fan.

Ryan Barden

Chief Operations and Compliance Officer

Ryan Barden entered the financial services industry in 1997, when the company Eric was working for hired Ryan to organize the firm’s operations and compliance. Ryan holds his degree from the University of Kansas. Now, with nearly twenty years of experience, he uses his attention to detail to help ensure that Barden Capital’s business runs smoothly.

His top priority is making sure client accounts are managed according to the clients’ needs.  He executes all of the trades for client accounts and generates informative quarterly statements.  He is also a compliance expert.  He has been a Chief Compliance Officer for many years, and also created and executed all of the filings required to start a broker/dealer.  He works hard to make sure that everything Barden Capital does is in line with federal and state regulations.

Ryan is a loyal Jayhawks fan. He and his wife Rachael, founded Austin Greyhound Adoption, which finds loving homes for retired racing greyhounds. He is a pretty good golfer and takes every opportunity to travel abroad. However, Ryan’s greatest adventure is raising his kids, daughter Lily and son Archer.  Ryan is also proud to serve as a Director for Asian Family Support Services of Austin, an organization that provides critical services to families dealing with domestic violence.