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Investing Insights

Investing Insights

Morningstar, Ivanna Hampton, Sarah Hansen 203 Episodes Jun 26, 2026

A thoughtful look at investing opportunities and risks beyond the market headlines, plus personal finance and retirement tips, from Morningstar.

Episodes

Dividend Investing: How to Find the Right Balance Between Income and Growth Jun 26, 2026 00:15:13 There's just something about dividends. The popular investing strategy attracts retirees and other investors who need regular cash payouts, as well as those who like the tangible return dividends represent, even if they are reinvesting those distributions back into their portfolio. But what are the tradeoffs, and are they worth it? It depends on who you ask. From the pages of the Q2 2026 issue of
Are Mutual Funds Becoming Obsolete? Jun 19, 2026 00:19:02 Bryan Armour, Morningstar’s director of ETF and passive strategies research for North America, and Dan Sotiroff, Morningstar’s associate director of US passive strategies research, explain why ETFs and collective investment trusts or CITs are challenging mutual funds. How Active ETFs Are Reshaping Fund Fees   On this episode: 00:00:00 Welcome  00:01:30 How ETFs and mutual funds are alike and diffe
Brace Your Portfolio for Mega-IPOs Jun 12, 2026 00:13:30 2026 is the year of the mega-IPO. SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI are working their way through the pipeline as anticipation builds for their blockbuster debuts. Elon Musk’s conglomerate is leading the shift from private to public markets. Demand is appearing to skyrocket to buy the companies the moment their stocks are publicly available. But is that the right move if you’re investing for the long
The Portfolio That Has Been Beating the Classic 60/40, and Why It Matters for You Jun 5, 2026 00:13:29 Don't underestimate the benefits of portfolio diversification. A well-diversified portfolio can ride waves of market volatility, and new Morningstar research found that's what happened in 2025. When uncertainty emerged at times during the generally bullish market, the report identifies which asset classes performed well, which didn't, and how the classic 60/40 portfolio fared. So, what are the big
The Best Opportunities for Fund Investors Today May 29, 2026 00:11:02 Morningstar stamps what it thinks about a fund’s future with this Medalist Rating. You’ve probably seen a star with the word Gold, Silver, or Bronze next to a fund you were researching on Morningstar.com. This represents the fund’s Morningstar Medalist Rating. The manager research team recently reworked and simplified how they judge funds to create a simpler process for investors to understand. Th
Will Vacation Inflation Affect Your Summer Travel? Here’s What to Know May 22, 2026 00:12:25 Macroeconomic conditions are squeezing US airlines and travelers just in time for the summer travel season.  Higher fuel costs due to the conflict in the Middle East are pushing up ticket prices. The latest Consumer Price Index report showed fares rose by about 3% in April. Meanwhile, choices for cheap seats decreased when Spirit Airlines went out of business in May. The ultra low-cost carrier bla
Bond ETF Flows Just Flipped. Here's What It Means for You May 15, 2026 00:15:58 ltrashort bond funds are experiencing highs and lows this year.    They racked up a record $24 billion monthly inflow in March. But their fortunes reversed in April. Investors yanked out $1.6 billion. It was the biggest monthly outflow for the category in about two years. Ultrashort bond funds and similar fixed-income investments attract investors seeking a safe haven. They also generate cash and
How Big Tech's Bond Spree and Rising US Debt Are Creating Risks and Opportunities May 8, 2026 00:16:11 Is a global debt emergency on the horizon?   Big Tech’s bond-issuing spree is helping to pay for its massive artificial intelligence buildout. And it’s not expected to slow down this year.  Meanwhile, the US federal deficit has swelled to about $39 trillion, according to the US Treasury Department. That’s raising red flags about the potential impact on the Treasuries market. Government and corpora
10 Exceptional Stocks With Double-Digit Dividend Raises May 1, 2026 00:13:34 A rare group of dividend-paying stocks are standing out for their exceptional qualities. They’ve racked up five straight years of dividend growth of 10% or more. And they’ve passed several rigorous checks. Morningstar’s DividendInvestor newsletter editor David Harrell dug into the data to identify this year’s class of Dividend Growers. Subscribe to Morningstar’s DividendInvestor newsletter.  On th
Investors May Be Ignoring Big Market Disruptions. Is There Risk to the Rebuff? Apr 24, 2026 00:16:34 What’s fueling Wall Street’s optimism? While geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran are dominating headlines, US stocks recently hit an all-time high. The global oil shock is just one major disruption to rattle investors before receding this year. The enthusiasm for the artificial intelligence boom also waned in early 2026. So, what should investors make of the market’s fluctuating mood? To
Vanguard Wrote the Playbook for Success. Now, It Must Evolve to Stay on Top Apr 17, 2026 00:22:13 Vanguard redefined investor-first for the better, and it’s aiming to maintain that reputation. Vanguard revolutionized passive investing when it created the first retail index fund. The behemoth asset manager continues to attract swells of everyday investors and money with headline-making fee cuts that put pressure on rivals to follow suit. But Vanguard is also seeking to develop an edge in new ar
Vanguard Is Entering a New Era. Can It Keep Winning for Another 50 Years? Apr 10, 2026 00:16:08 Will Vanguard’s next 50 years live up to its first half century? The popular investment firm counts millions of everyday investors among its clients. Vanguard CEO Salim Ramji joined the firm from its rival, BlackRock. Ramji is influencing Vanguard’s direction while keeping the overall mission intact. But the company continues to evolve under the new leadership, with a greater emphasis on advice an

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