The solution of the time-independent Schrödinger equation is fractionated by solving a corresponding Riccati equation. Simple particular solutions of the Riccati equation are used to construct exact ground state energy eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of otherwise complex problems without solving for the complete energy spectrum. In some instances, a partial series of the complete spectrum is also obtained with little extra effort. A procedure for obtaining the complete energy spectrum from the Riccati equation is also presented, and the entire method is illustrated by detailed analysis of several examples.