Betterment uses R for modeling and reporting

Betterment, the online automated investing service, uses R for modeling, analysis and reporting. In a recent blog post on the company website, data scientist Sam Swift suggests using R or Python as open data analysis platforms and goes on to reveal:

Here at Betterment, we use both. We use Python more for data pipeline processes and R more for modeling, analyses, and reporting. But this article is not about the relative merits of these popular modern solutions. It is about the merits of using one of them (or any of a the smaller alternatives). To get the most out of a programmatic data analysis workflow, it should be truly end-to-end, or as close as you can get in your environment.

The full blog post is well worth a read, as it lists some excellent best pratices for conducting modern data analysis: a system that is reproducible, versionable, scalable and open. Read the whole thing at the link below.

Betterment: Modern Data Analysis: Don’t Trust Your Spreadsheet