Simple, but Not Easy

With stocks reaching new highs and companies borrowing at historically low rates, broad markets offer limited upside. So how should investors position their portfolios in face of that? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As more of the US reopens and people begin to return to their normal routines we’ve seen a disconnect between supply and demand, and many are worried that price increases are here to stay. Alfonzo Bruno, associate portfolio manager, shares insights around the current state of inflation, how to interpret updated guidance from the Fed, and how he anticipates inflation pressures around supply chains...

Other than the strong recovery this year, the energy sector has been avoided by many investors. Whether environmental concerns of an increasing number of ESG-focused investors or worries about the secular decline in oil revenues as the world transitions to renewal energy sources, energy stocks have been among the least popular investments out there. Philip Straehl, global head of research at Morni...

Our Select Equity portfolio managers share five key takeaways from the 2021 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting. Portfolio specialist Jeff Wagner sits down with Mike Corty, Morningstar Investment Management’s Head of our Select Equity Portfolios team and the portfolio manager of our Tortoise portfolio, as well as senior portfolio manager John Owens, who manages Select Equity portfolios, All-Cap Equi...

After the late-2020 rally continued into 2021, Philip Straehl and Edward Fane assess the aggregate reward-for-risk picture in world markets and share their views on select asset class opportunities. Philip is the Chicago-based global head of research at Morningstar Investment Management LLC. Ed, based in London, is head of research for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Morningstar Investment...

Slides for this episode are available here , or by emailing us at simple@morningstar.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We'll have a new episode next week, then every other week for a temporary period. Thanks for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stocks have generally roared back from their pandemic lows about a year ago. But what about income? Many dividends were cut when COVID-19 shuttered businesses and kept us at home. What’s the outlook for dividend investors now that stock prices have rebounded? George Metrou, portfolio manager for the Dividend Select Equity Portfolios at Morningstar Investment Management, shares his thoughts on mana...

While we're off for spring break, we're reprising this episode featuring Terry Hawkins, sales manager at Morningstar Investment Management and Paul Kaplan, research director for Morningstar Canada. They discuss dollar-cost averaging, or the practice of investing slowly over time instead of in one lump sum. Research by Kaplan and others show that dollar-cost averaging might be expected to underperf...

While we're off for spring break, we're revisiting this episode that considers whether and when retirees should buy annuities to insure a steady stream of income, based on David Blanchett's research at the time of original airing. Few products are as polarizing among financial advisors than annuities, but certainly they have a place in the retirement picture for some individuals. In this episode,...

Click here to download the slides for this episode, or email us at simple@morningstar.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Gareth Lyons and Nabil Salem discuss the somewhat unusual South Korean stock market--unusual in that, this tech-dominated market remained attractively priced until recently. Lyons and Salem review the recent valuation history of this market, analyze drivers of outperformance in 2020, and summarize their current views on South Korea as an asset allocation opportunity. Gary Lyons is...

Slides for this episode may be found here or by emailing simple@morningstar.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Read more from Morningstar Investment Management at mp.morningstar.com , including John Owens' article on the subject of this episode here .  And find articles from David Whiston, Steve Wendel, and many more at morningstar.com .  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To read articles, watch videos, and learn more about Morningstar Investment Management, go to mp.morningstar.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2020 was roller coaster of a year for investment markets, with the US stock market surging early, crashing in March with news of the pandemic and related shutdowns, then rebounding quickly and continuing to rally—especially in the fourth quarter—to end the year up about 20%, depending on the index you look at. So where does this leave asset class valuations? Philip Straehl and Edward Fane explore...

In this panel discussion, portfolio managers from Morningstar Investment Management discuss how to match portfolios with key investor characteristics. The panel is moderated by Marta Norton, CIO for the Americas, and looks at five investor profiles. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Why might contrarian investing outperform, and how might an investor know when it's time to head in the opposite direction from the crowd? Daniel Needham, president and global chief investment officer at Morningstar Investment Management, explores why markets are frequently efficient and what makes them become inefficient; explains how contrarians can act like a thermostat for markets; and explain...

Advisors and investors are hearing more and more about behavioral science and behavioral economics, essentially how our humanity gets in the way of rationality, and what we can do to improve our decision-making. But what about investment managers themselves? Are they naturally more rational? How can a portfolio manager avoid making behavioral errors? Dan Kemp, chief investment officer for EMEA at...

While we're off for the holidays, please enjoy this rerun of Episode 34. In "The Tipping Point," author Malcolm Gladwell looks at how ideas can spread like viruses. Citing psychological studies and using many examples, Gladwell shows how people, environments, and changes in an idea itself can lead to explosive growth in popularity. In this episode, Jarred Watts considers how the ideas in this book...

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Slides for today's episode are found here or by emailing simple@morningstar.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To access the slides discussed in this episode, click here or  email us at simple@morningstar.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From all of us at Simple but Not Easy and Morningstar Investment Management, Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re in a mood to give thanks—or just want to hear others do so—you might check out Episodes 23 and 24, in which a passel of our guests share what they were thankful for this time last year, or something they’d be thankful to see in the future. Or, here we rebroadcast Episode 16, a conversation wi...