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If 2020 taught us anything, it was the importance of simplicity.
When life feels overcomplicated and overwhelming, many of us have an urge to simplify and focus on what’s important — that’s likely why shows such as Netflix’s NFLX, +1.54% “The Home Edit” and books like Marie Kondo’s have become popular in recent years.
MarketWatch wants to help you do the same thing when it comes to your Twitter TWTR, +1.11% feed. With so many accounts out there to follow, we’re here to point you to the best of the best.
Of course, we think you should follow us on Twitter if you’re not already (@MarketWatch), as well as the accounts of our brilliant staffers.
But when it comes to the rest of your feed, we’re also here to help.
MarketWatchers care about business, investing, personal finance and retirement, which is why we’ve got you covered in a variety of categories.
Here are those we think are worth following on Twitter in 2021.
The best of business and finance
If you’re looking to add just a few new follows to your feed, this category is a great place to start.
These are some of the accounts our reporters follow the most closely, for breaking news, as well as commentary on what it all means.
Josh Brown and team: When it comes to markets and finance commentary on Twitter, Josh Brown, an adviser at Ritholtz Wealth Management, is one of the best-known, and the best overall.
We quote him regularly here at MarketWatch, not only for his finance insights, but for his humor.
He doesn’t tweet as frequently these days as he used to, but he’s still a solid follow in our books.
Brown isn’t the only member of the Ritholtz team worth a follow. Michael Batnick, the company’s director of research who is also a podcaster, and Barry Ritholtz himself are also some of MarketWatch’s favorite accounts.
Matt Levine: A columnist at Bloomberg with a successful email newsletter, Matt Levine “makes sense of Wall Street like none other,” a New York Times story about him in October said.
Levine has a unique Twitter style — some might call it minimalist — and he’s a must-follow for everyone, from those just starting to learn about finance to those who are decades-long veterans.
One of his recurring favorite topics is white-collar crime and fraud, but he explains pretty much every hot topic that you’ll want to have a take on.
Two of Levine’s Bloomberg colleagues, Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, are also great follows for those who want to keep their finger on the pulse of the finance world.
Some of our other favorites, for general business and finance insights, include Allianz Chief Economic Adviser Mohamed El-Erian, New York University marketing professor Scott Galloway, the data visualization team at Chartr and Ellevest CEO Sallie Krawcheck.
Economists
Trying to make sense of the latest jobs report? Curious about the path a post-coronavirus recovery could take?
Then you may want to follow at least a few economists on Twitter, and these are some of the best.
Paul Krugman: With more than 4.6 million followers, Nobel laureate Paul Krugman is an obvious choice among the best economists on Twitter. He is an author and New York Times columnist, and if you’re trying to be part of the overall cultural conversation on economics, following him is a must.
Janet Yellen: Yellen, current nominee for treasury secretary and former Federal Reserve chair, is a more recent presence on Twitter. But she has already used the platform to share information about rebuilding the economy after the coronavirus pandemic, and public trust. We’re looking forward to following how she continues to use Twitter in the future.
Joseph Stiglitz: Nobel laureate and writer Joseph Stiglitz uses Twitter largely to share his latest pieces on topics including democracy, Big Tech and Janet Yellen’s nomination. During the pandemic, he has also been speaking on virtual panels, so follow him to see when he’ll be live.
Other economists we enjoy following include Stephanie Kelton, Tyler Cowen, Kate Raworth and Mariana Mazzucato.
Health care and COVID-19
When it comes to the biggest crisis of 2020, we’re still not out of the woods.
We’ll be following the distribution of vaccines, and the subsequent impact on people and economies across the world, well into 2021.
So here are some of the best follows on those topics.
Malia Jones and “Dear Pandemic”: Jones is a researcher who works at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work centers on infectious disease and social epidemiology, demography and geography, and she is also a creator of the project “Dear Pandemic.”
Along with fellow researchers and experts on topics including nursing, mental health, demography, health policy, economics and epidemiology, “Dear Pandemic” has a mission to spread truthful information at a time of COVID-19 “overwhelm,” the group’s website says.
If you’re trying to sift through the noise, Jones and “Dear Pandemic” are both great follows.
Caitlin Rivers: Rivers is also a researcher, at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Her specialties include epidemiology, outbreak science and health security, which make her a natural follow during this health crisis.
She frequently shares updates from the CDC, as well as other research she trusts.
Eric Topol: Topol is a professor of molecular medicine, a researcher and the founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.
He has gained tens of thousands of followers because of his frequent updates, including one timeline he made about the milestones researchers have made in developing a COVID-19 vaccine.
Some additional suggestions if you’re following COVID-19 and the recovery closely: Physician and professor Leana Wen and epidemiologist and physician Michael Mina.
Electric vehicles
This year, MarketWatch has seen huge interest in the future of electric vehicles and the companies that make them, including Tesla TSLA, +5.32%, Nio NIO, +2.98%, Xpeng XPEV, -2.15% and Luminar LAZR, +1.70%. If you’re trying to make sense of their sky-high valuations, you may want to add these follows to your feed.
Daniel Ives: If you follow MarketWatch and Barron’s closely, you’ll likely recognize the name Daniel Ives, a tech analyst at Wedbush. He is a well-known voice on Tesla and the electric-vehicle industry in general, and you can follow him on Twitter for his latest insights.
Bradford Cornell: For more diversity of thought about Tesla and EVs, you’ll likely want to include Cornell, managing director at Berkeley Research Group and senior adviser of Cornell Capital Group. MarketWatch recently quoted him on Tesla’s future, and his thoughts will make you think (and if you’re a Tesla bull, might make you concerned … or even hot under the collar).
Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin BTCUSD, +0.34% has risen to new highs in December 2020, and some experts say this is only the beginning. If you’re curious about the progress that cryptocurrency could see in the next few years, here are some suggestions of who to follow.
Vitalik Buterin: Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, a decentralized cryptocurrency platform, has made our “best-follow” list before. He continues to be a standout, with more than 1 million followers who rely on him for cryptocurrency commentary and sobering advice.
Anna Irrera: For broader insight on financial technology and cryptocurrency, Anna Irrera, a correspondent at Reuters, is a great follow. She will keep you informed on mergers and acquisitions, new technologies and what it all means.
The business side of sports
This year was a strange one for the sports business, since leagues had to deal with new protocols related to COVID-19. If you’re interested in the business side of sports — and sports betting — here are some people we recommend following.
Liz Mullen: Mullen writes for Sports Business Journal about representation of professional athletes by agents and unions and covers sports labor. As a bonus, she also likes to write about horse racing, if that’s your thing.
Matt Powell: Powell is a well-respected expert on sports and retail. He’s the senior industry advisor at NPD Group.
Robert Raiola: Raiola is the co-author of the book “Winning Tax Strategies for Athletes & Entertainers.” An expert on sports tax law, Raiola’s feed is filled with the tax implications of everything pro sports teams and players do.
Bobby Marks: Marks worked in the NBA for 20 years, most recently as the assistant general manager of the Brooklyn Nets. He’s now ESPN’s Front Office Insider and offers insight into what it’s like to run an NBA team.
Personal finance
MarketWatch loves to cover all aspects of personal finance, from spending and saving to tax policy, so we feel confident in suggesting some of the best of the best in personal-finance on Twitter.
Michelle Singletary: A columnist at the Washington Post, Singletary covers a wide range of topics. If you want to choose just a few personal-finance experts for your feed, she should be one of them.
Erin Lowry: Known as the “Broke Millennial,” Lowry is an author of three books, including “Broke Millennial Takes on Investing,” and her latest, “Broke Millennial Talks Money.” She makes personal finance easy to understand and accessible for people of all ages.
A few other experts we recommend: Douglas Boneparth, Katia Chesnok, Desirae Odjick and Tiffany Aliche, a.k.a. Tiff the Budgetnista.
Retirement
Don’t wait until you’re actually ready to retire to start thinking about retirement.
Tanja Hester: To get “fired” up about retirement well in advance, follow Tanja Hester. Hester retired at age 38 and shares her advice for how others can retire at a young age too.
Joseph Coughlin: For all things related to longevity, follow Coughlin, the director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab. He shares his own insights, as well as articles he thinks are of note to his followers.
We also recommend following Jeff Levine, the director of advanced planning at Buckingham Wealth Partners, and Jamie Hopkins, director of retirement research at Carson Group.
Several members of MarketWatch’s staff contributed to this article, including Alessandra Malito, Shawn Langlois, Jaimy Lee and Weston Blasi.
