Investing Insights

Amy Arnott, portfolio strategist for Morningstar Inc., discusses how a popular dividend investing strategy works, and who would or wouldn’t benefit from it.   On this episode: Let’s focus on when dividend reinvesting works as a strategy and when it does not. Who should consider reinvesting dividends? When shouldn’t an investor reinvest their dividends? Are there any differences between reinvesting...

Michael Field, European Market Strategist at Morningstar Holland, talks about tariff risks for key sectors and European stock performance as market volatility persists.   On this episode: President Trump pushed his tariff deadline from July to August. How are global markets reacting to the uncertainty during this tariff watch? The EU is one of America’s largest trading partners. How important is i...

Sarah Hansen, Morningstar Inc’s senior markets reporter, discusses the uncertain outlook for the third quarter and how investors should prepare for market volatility. What Was Surprising From Q2 Market Volatility Mixed Expectations as Trump’s Tariff Deadline Approaches How Should Investors Prepare Themselves for Market Volatility? How Tariff Uncertainty Could Affect Company Earnings How Trump’s Ta...

Two Morningstar research leaders join Investing Insights to discuss whether US investors should consider international stocks and fixed income. They are Dominic Pappalardo, chief multi-asset strategist, and Philip Straehl, chief investment officer for the Americas, for Morningstar Wealth, part of registered investment adviser, Morningstar Investment Management.   Key Takeaways: How the Markets Hav...

Lan Tran, manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services, discusses the benefits and limitations of digital investment advice. Plus, a look at the best and worst robo-advisors of 2025.   What Is a Robo-Advisor? Robo-Advisors vs. Traditional Advisors Who Should Use a Robo-Advisor? Benefits of Digital Investment Advice vs. a DIY Approach Do Robo-Advisors Offer Retirement and Taxable Acco...

Bryan Armour, director of ETF and passive strategies research for North America at Morningstar Research Services, discusses private equity ETFs and private credit ETFs. Armour also previews his session at the 2025 Morningstar Investment Conference featuring two ETF experts. Hear From Experts on Private Asset ETFs at the 2025 Morningstar Investment Conference  How Do Private Equity and Private Cred...

Amy Arnott, Morningstar Inc. portfolio strategist, discusses the success of the 60/40 portfolio and how diversification is paying off during market volatility this year. How Diversification Has Held Up Against Market Volatility in 2025 Which Asset Classes Have Been Strong Diversifiers in 2025? Which Asset Classes Have Struggled as Diversifiers? How Have US vs. Non-US Stocks Performed in 2025? Can...

David Harrell, editor of Morningstar’s DividendInvestor newsletter, talks about the dividend stocks that earned a spot on the newsletter’s annual Dividend Growers list. Harrell also discusses how to approach dividend investing. What Qualifies a Dividend Stock to Be on the DividendInvestor’s Annual Dividend Growers List? 13 Elite Companies With Fast-Growing Dividends This part of the episode includ...

Dan Lefkovitz, Morningstar Indexes strategist and columnist, explains how factor investing works. And he discusses which stocks outperformed and underperformed during this year’s market volatility.   What Is Factor Investing? What Factors Have the Strongest Performance Amid Market Volatility in 2025? Berkshire Hathaway and Other Low-Volatility Stocks Outperformed During Market Volatility Why Lower...

Dan Sotiroff, senior manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services, explains how TIPS ETFs work, their performance in 2025, and what to consider before buying the treasury inflation-protected securities.   Key Takeaways: What Are TIPS? TIPS ETFs vs. TIPS Flows Into TIPS ETFs in 2025 Surprises Morningstar’s ETFInvestor Editor How TIPS Have Performed Against the Bond Market in 2025 How...

Dominic Pappalardo, chief multi-asset strategist for Morningstar Investment Management’s Wealth group, discusses how trade talks over tariffs could ripple through the bond market and whether import taxes are the right move for Hollywood movies. Key Takeaways: What a Potential Trade Deal Between the US and UK Means for Market Sentiment What Countries Need to Strike a Trade Deal to Calm Wall Street?...

Gregg Warren, senior analyst with Morningstar Research Services, discusses the succession, dividend, and stock portfolio questions he would ask at this year’s Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. Warren previously pitched questions as part of the meeting’s analyst panel.   Key Takeaways: Morningstar Analyst on Pitching Questions at Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting    Succession Planning for Berkshi...

Amy Arnott, Morningstar Inc. portfolio strategist, discusses why her team’s starting safe withdrawal rate is more conservative than the popular 4% rule. Plus, a new metric to help determine financial priorities during retirement. How ‘The State of Retirement Income’ Report Helps Investors Know Their Safe Withdrawal Rate Conservative Estimate for Starting Safe Withdrawal Rate Why Has the Starting S...

Amy Arnott, Morningstar Inc. portfolio strategist, discusses which investments have performed best and worst in past recessions. Gold prices are rising during the current market volatility. Arnott explains why it might not be the best time to buy the precious metal.   Key Takeaways: Why Current Market Volatility May Not Be Ending Soon How to Keep Yourself Steady During Market Volatility How Invest...

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 Tari...

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 Con...

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 Behin...

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 H...

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 Inve...

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? ...

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 Tre...

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...

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...

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...

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...