Dominic Pappalardo, chief multi-asset strategist for Morningstar Investment Management, discusses the escalating US-China trade war, the 90-day tariff pause, and raised recession risk during this market volatility. Key Takeaways: What an Escalating Trade War Between the US and China Could Mean Macroeconomic Trends and Rising Deglobalization After Trump’s Tariffs What Trump’s 90-Day Pause on Tariffs Means for the Markets and Economy How Market Volatility Could Persist After a Tariff-Induced Stock...
Apr 11, 2025•13 min•Ep. 320
Sarah Hansen, Morningstar Inc. senior markets reporter, discusses the market volatility in the first quarter of 2025 and the portfolio strategy that paid off for investors. What’s the Difference Between the Stock Market and the Economy? How Stock Market Trends in 2025 Have Shifted From Last Year Worries About Changes Fanning Market Volatility How Tariffs Could Impact Growth, Inflation, and Consumer Prices Market Volatility Sends Investors Rushing to Gold What Are the Risks of a Recession in 2025...
Apr 04, 2025•15 min•Ep. 319
Zach Evens, a passive strategies analyst for Morningstar Research Services, discusses two ETFs that use data from Unusual Whales to track congressional stock trades. He explains why investors might be drawn to these funds and the potential risks that they face. Key Takeaways: Why Investors May Want to Follow Congressional Stock Trades Are Members of Congress Good at Picking Stocks? The Firms Behind the ETFs: Subversive Capital and Unusual Whales Limitations of the Data on Congressional Stock Tra...
Mar 28, 2025•13 min•Ep. 318
Karen Anderson, director of healthcare equity research for Morningstar Research Services, discusses the forces shaping the landscape and where she sees opportunities for investors. Key Takeaways: Why Healthcare Stocks Have Been Resilient During the Market Downturn How Regulatory Changes Could Affect the Healthcare Industry Why Healthcare Stocks’ Valuations Look Attractive From a Bottom-Up View How Have Healthcare Stocks’ Valuations Changed Historically? How Stock Valuations Differ Within the Hea...
Mar 21, 2025•22 min•Ep. 317
Russ Kinnel, senior principal of ratings for Morningstar Research Services, researched which alternative, equity, and value funds could provide a good hedge during a market sell-off. What is the Downside Capture Ratio? Why Funds with A Low Downside Capture Ratio Make Good Diversifiers How Does a Fund’s Maximum Drawdown Line Up with Its Downside Capture? Why Savers Should Look for Low-Risk Investments Floating-Rate Funds to Help Protect a Bond-Heavy Portfolio Against Interest-Rate Risk Alternativ...
Mar 14, 2025•12 min•Ep. 316
Sheryl Rowling, editorial director for financial advice at Morningstar Inc, discusses the financial and tax issues that could come up during and after a gray divorce. Limiting the Financial Impact of a Gray Divorce How to Budget After Divorce What to Do if There’s a Budget Shortfall Social Security Divorce Benefits Gray Divorce Near Retirement Will a New Tax-Filing Status Result in Higher Taxes? How to Fairly Split Assets in Divorce How to Avoid Tax Penalties When Dividing Retirement Accounts Pr...
Mar 07, 2025•15 min•Ep. 315
Dan Lefkovitz, strategist for Morningstar Indexes, talks about what he finds noteworthy in the bond market today. Philip Straehl, chief investment officer for the Americas for Morningstar Wealth, a part of registered investment adviser Morningstar Investment Management, explains why employees who own company stock should protect their total wealth. Bond Market in Q1 2025 Why Did the 10-Year US Treasury Yield Go Up After 2024 Interest Rate Cuts Why Bond Investors Are Worried Following the US Pres...
Feb 28, 2025•22 min•Ep. 314
David Harrell, editor of Morningstar’s StockInvestor newsletter, investigated stock valuation trends from a watchlist with 120 names across the market. He reveals which stocks are relative bargains. The Evolution of the Morningstar Style Box What Is the Value-Growth Score for Stocks? Why Investors Should Look Deeper Than Overall Market Trends Investigating Stock Valuation Trends on the Tortoise and Hare Watchlist Small-Cap Stock Findings Are There Any Mega-Cap Stocks on Morningstar StockInvestor...
Feb 21, 2025•12 min•Ep. 313
Bryan Armour, director of passive strategies research for North America for Morningstar Research Services, explains how dividend income and dividend growth strategies work. He also discusses why four dividend ETFs from Vanguard and Schwab earn top marks. Comparing Income and Growth Dividend ETF Strategies Blindspots in Dividend ETF Investing Are Company Payouts Expected to Increase Over Time for Dividend Growth ETFs? Judging the Performance of Dividend ETF Strategies What is Factor Investing? Wr...
Feb 14, 2025•11 min•Ep. 312
Dan Sotiroff, a senior manager research analyst for Morningstar, explains how lower fees on dozens of Vanguard investments will likely benefit both investors and the popular money manager. Plus, we hear from the hosts of our new podcast, The Morning Filter . David Sekera, Morningstar's chief US market strategist, and Susan Dziubinski, an investment specialist at Morningstar Inc., discuss how they cut through the noise of the stock market each week. Vanguard Fee Cuts 2025 Why Is Vanguard Cutting ...
Feb 07, 2025•20 min•Ep. 311
Preston Caldwell, senior US economist for Morningstar Investment Management, discusses the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision, his outlook for inflation in 2025, and the potential impact of US tariffs. Fed Meeting January 2025: Was Pausing Interest-Rate Cuts a Good Move? Outlook for Inflation in 2025 How a Strong Jobs Market Fits into the Fed’s Outlook Why Mortgage Rates Rose When Interest Rates Fell When is the Next Fed Meeting in 2025? Are Interest Rates Going Down in 2025? How Mass Depo...
Jan 31, 2025•19 min•Ep. 310
Follow The Morning Filter on Apple Podcast to hear new episodes on Monday mornings. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-morning-filter/id1792280057 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jan 27, 2025•1 min
Sarah Hansen, Morningstar Inc markets reporter, explains why the markets are closely watching inflation and what some forecasters expect. Seth Goldstein, strategist for Morningstar Research Services, discusses whether the new Trump administration’s policies could affect the electric vehicle industry and his outlook for Tesla’s stock. What’s Changed About the Inflation Outlook Why Inflation is Running Hotter Again What Stubborn Inflation Means for Investors and the Economy Markets’ Response to In...
Jan 24, 2025•17 min•Ep. 309
Russ Kinnel, director of ratings for Morningstar Research Services, compares open-end funds and actively managed ETFs from Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, and Capital Group. Matthew Dolgin, senior equity analyst for Morningstar Research Services, discusses what he thinks of Netflix’s stock and where the streamer could profit next. Open-End Funds vs. Active ETFs Advantages of Active ETFs Appeal for Day Traders Disadvantage of Active ETFs Which Investors Should Consider Swapping Mutual Funds for ETF Coun...
Jan 17, 2025•18 min•Ep. 308
Jack Shannon, senior manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services, discusses how fund companies are looking to put private assets in the hands of everyday investors. He explains the risks and opportunities in private equity and private credit, and where this trend could go in 2025. What Are Private Assets? Risks of Private Assets vs. Public Assets Why Fund Companies Want to Give Retail Investors Access to Private Assets How Investors Can Access Private Assets Today Why Funds Choose...
Jan 10, 2025•26 min•Ep. 307
Dominic Pappalardo, chief multi-asset strategist for Morningstar Investment Management, discusses where to find the highest bond yields this year and whether corporate bonds are still attractive. Why Cash is No Longer King Is a 3% Interest Rate Forecast a Wake-Up Call? Why It's a Good Time for Investors to Move Out of Cash Why Investors Should Move Longer Term in Fixed Income Are Corporate Bonds Still Attractive? Where We Are Seeing Promising Yields From Global Bonds What to Keep in Mind When In...
Jan 03, 2025•14 min•Ep. 306
Tom Lauricella, Morningstar Inc global markets editor, explains why the market reacted poorly to the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate outlook. The Smart Investor newsletter editor also discusses some of 2024’s biggest headlines such as inflation, the broader stock market rally, and new leadership in Washington. Why the Fed Scaled Back from Four Interest-Rate Cuts to Two for 20255 Did the Market Bounce Back After the Drop Following the Fed Rate Decision? Why the Fed Isn’t Saying They Are Seeing a ...
Dec 20, 2024•14 min•Ep. 305
Russel Kinnel, director of ratings for Morningstar Research Services, discusses large growth’s impressive run in 2024 and why it might be time to rebalance if you haven’t in a while. What is Driving Growth’s Impressive Run? Why Is it Important to Rebalance Now What Triggered Growth’s Largest Selloffs Since 2000 What Was Unusual About the Growth Correction in 2022 Top-Rated Bond Funds that Could Help with Saving for an Emergency Fund Bond Funds that are Defensive if Growth Gets Crushed Small-Valu...
Dec 13, 2024•11 min•Ep. 304
Dominic Pappalardo, chief multi-asset strategist at Morningstar Investment Management, discusses why long-term yields spiked in the wake of the election, what's next for fixed-income in 2025, and how investors can take advantage of higher yields in their portfolios. Why Did Bond Yields Rise in the Wake of the Election? How Investors Are Thinking About Rising Bond Yields What the Current Run-Up in Bond Yields Tells Us About the Markets How Do Today’s Yields Compare to History? Will the Flat Yield...
Dec 06, 2024•17 min•Ep. 303
Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, discusses the ins and outs of tax-loss selling and where investors can look for potential opportunities to harvest losses in their portfolios. What is Tax-Loss Selling? Are There Limits to How Much You Can Offset Capital? How to Evaluate Your Cost Basis to Find Loss Opportunities What is the 30 Day Rule for Tax-Loss Selling? Why Investors Should Think About Tax-Loss Selling When Markets Are Up How to Make Tax-Los...
Nov 22, 2024•16 min•Ep. 302
David Harrell, editor of Morningstar’s DividendInvestor newsletter, makes the case for dividend investing. However, he also points out the pitfalls, like dividend fallacy, that income-focused investors should watch out for. Why Investors Are Divided About Dividend Investing The Pitfall of Dividend Fallacy Warning Signal for Dividend Traps Should Investors Focus on Total Return Rather Than Dividends Alone? How a Dividend-Focused Investment Strategy Can Help with Safe Withdrawal Rates Why Investor...
Nov 15, 2024•23 min•Ep. 301
Mark Miller, Morningstar contributor, talks about the new $2,000 out-of-pocket cap for Medicare Part D coming in 2025. Plus, learn what you should know before switching between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare during open enrollment. Traditional Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage Why Seniors Shouldn’t Just Roll Over Their Plans in 2025 2025 Medicare Part D Changes Medicare’s New Prescription Payment Plan What Should Seniors Do If Their Medicare Advantage Plan is Being Eliminated? What Yo...
Nov 08, 2024•16 min•Ep. 300
Bryan Armour, director of passive strategies research for North America for Morningstar Research Services, talks about the best way for most retail investors to leverage and which leveraged ETFs look promising. Travis Miller, strategist for Morningstar Research Services, discusses how tech companies are looking to nuclear energy to fuel data centers’ surging demand. Why Leverage Has a Debatable Reputation in Investing Volatility Drag and Leveraged ETFs Why Does Leverage Kill ETFs? What Are ETPs?...
Nov 01, 2024•26 min•Ep. 299
Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, interviews financial experts about different aspects of retirement in ‘How to Retire,’ the companion podcast to her book of the same name. In this episode, Christine talks with author and researcher Howard Gleckman about long-term care. How Long-Term Care Differs from Conventional Healthcare Why Americans Need More Long-Term Care Than Ever Before Long-Term Care Isn’t Just in Nursing Homes Does Medicare Cover Long...
Oct 30, 2024•24 min•Ep. 298
Katie Binns, director of product management for Morningstar Indexes, discusses bank loans’ benefits even as interest rates are expected to fall. William Kerwin, equity analyst for Morningstar Research Services who covers Apple, reveals the two main things he wants to hear about on the earnings call. What Are Bank Loans? Bank Loans vs. Junk Bonds The Role of Bank Loans in Your Portfolio Why the Market for Bank Loans Has Grown Companies With Bank Loans Today Why Bank Loans Are Less Volatile Than J...
Oct 25, 2024•17 min•Ep. 297
Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, interviews financial experts about different aspects of retirement in ‘How to Retire,’ the companion podcast to her book of the same name. In this episode, Christine talks with financial planning expert Jeff Levine about the importance of tax planning in retirement. Why Tax Planning is Key When Withdrawing from Your Retirement Portfolio Will Your Taxes Decrease in Retirement? Key Tax Strategies for Retirees Befor...
Oct 23, 2024•24 min•Ep. 296
Dan Lefkovitz, Morningstar Indexes strategist, discusses why it’s important to be ready for a range of outcomes during a market rotation. Nic Owens, equity analyst for Morningstar Research Services, talks about his outlook for Boeing stock ahead of earnings. Trends from the Q3 Market Rotation Extending into Q4 Key Moments Sparked Market Volatility Will Value Stocks Make a Comeback? Value and Small-Cap Stock Outlook What’s Fueling Dividend Stocks Outperformance Against the Broader Market? Bond Pe...
Oct 18, 2024•20 min•Ep. 295
Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, interviews financial experts about different aspects of retirement in ‘How to Retire,’ the companion podcast to her book of the same name. In this episode, Christine sits down with Washington Post personal finance columnist and author Michelle Singletary. They talk about the difficult psychological transition from saving to spending in retirement. Transitioning from Saving to Spending in Retirement How to Plan fo...
Oct 16, 2024•21 min•Ep. 294
Secure Act Concerns Rules for Traditional and Roth IRAs and Changes for Inherited IRAs Will Beneficiaries Need to Withdraw RMDs Every Year? Do People Who Inherit IRAs Still Need to Follow the 10-Year Rule? Why Congress Wants Inherited IRA Heirs to Follow the 10-Year Rule What Is Required of Non-Spouse Beneficiaries When Someone Passes After Starting RMDs? What Happens if the Original Account Owner Dies Before Taking Required Minimum Distributions? Can Non-Spouse Beneficiaries of Inherited IRAs D...
Oct 11, 2024•27 min•Ep. 293
Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, interviews financial experts about different aspects of retirement in ‘How to Retire,’ the companion podcast to her book of the same name. In this episode, Christine sits down with wealth manager Harold Evensky, who inspired Christine’s work in retirement portfolio bucketing. How the Bucket Approach to Retirement Planning Helps Investors How the Bucket Approach Helped Keep Clients Steady During Market Downturns B...
Oct 09, 2024•22 min•Ep. 292
