Robert Barker is a senior writer for BusinessWeek, covering investments and personal finance. He writes the weekly column “The Barker Portfolio,” which appears in BusinessWeek’s Personal Business section, and a Web-only column, barker.online on BusinessWeek Online.

In more than ten years at BusinessWeek, Mr. Barker has served the magazine both as a writer and an editor. Mr. Barker joined the magazine as an editor of its “front of the book” news section, where he helped guide coverage of such major events as the October 1987 stock-market crash, the 1988 and 1992 Presidential elections, corporate takeovers and the Gulf War. More recently, he has focused his attention on personal finance and investments as a writer and columnist.

Mr. Barker came to BusinessWeek from Barron's (1984-1987), where his reporting described dangers and opportunities in the stocks of many companies, including Manville and Coca-Cola. At SmartMoney magazine (1995-1997), he wrote on personal-finance topics, including cover stories on retirement planning and investing in bonds. Since his return to BusinessWeek in 1997, he has focused on reporting and writing about investments and personal finance.

A Los Angeles native, Mr. Barker holds a degree in English from Pomona College and a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He was a finalist for a Gerald Loeb Award in 2001.