Financial technology is going through a new wave of change, with artificial intelligence – or AI – taking the world by storm. But the wealth tech space is already incredibly complex, with literally hundreds of tech providers battling for market share across the advisor workflow. So, what does Ezra Group, a prominent WealthTech consultant, have to say about this? How can we get ahead of this change? We're delighted to be joined by Craig Iskowitz, Founder of Ezra Group. Together, we’ll dig into his latest technology predictions, covering AI, integration opportunities, fractional outsourcing, and more. A key takeaway: "Meet once a year with your team and talk about your technology."

The Cutting Edge of Advisor Technology: Ezra Group's Craig Izkowitz

The need for great financial advice continues to grow, with a landscape we haven’t witnessed in 15 years. So, what does BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, have to say about this? What might we expect from here? In this episode, we’ll dig into the latest advice trends, covering the use of models, behavioral application, and evolving investors’ needs. We're delighted to be joined by Liz Koehler, Managing Director and Head of Advisor Engagement from BlackRock.

BlackRock's Liz Koehler on Financial Advice, Using Models, and Raising the Bar

We look at innovations and megatrends that financial advisors should watch for. We start with the big problems that financial professionals are attempting to solve, then discuss prevalent trends in product and technology that support better client outcomes. This is a practical discussion with an eye on the future, where we seek to arm you with everything you might need to stay ahead. In this episode, we are joined by Evan Rapoport, Founder and CEO of SMArtX, along with Matt Apkarian, Associate Director, Product Development at Cerulli Associates.

Game-Changing Advisor Trends, With Cerulli and SMArtX

The complexity of operating a successful financial advice practice continues to grow and significant challenges still exist in operating an effective practice. So, in this episode, we take a 30,000-foot view of financial advisor challenges and dig into the importance of data and regulations in overcoming these challenges. Whether it is growing or defending your practice, we share expert opinions on how to navigate it. In this episode, we are joined by Nick VanDerSchie, Head of Strategy and Execution at Morningstar Wealth, and Brian Costello, our Head of Data Aggregation Strategy and Governance.

30,000-Foot View of Financial Advisor Challenges, Including Data and New Regulations

Warren Buffet readily admits “I make many mistakes” when referencing his own investment portfolio. This begs the question, where does that leave the rest of us? We know that today's market uncertainty can surface the best and worst of our investing behaviors. For financial advisors, what are some of the behavioral pitfalls to avoid for clients? And what opportunities can you seize? We're joined by two experts to help us dig into these important questions - Michael Laughlin, Head of Portfolio Specialists, and Samantha Lamas, Senior Behavioral Researcher at Morningstar.

What Actions Add Value in This Environment?

What are the positive client messages we can share leading into 2023? With inflation and a recession on everyone’s minds, what actions make sense to support clients? The topics we’re discussing today align with the recent release of Morningstar Investment Management’s 2023 outlook titled “the positives of investing in this environment”.  In today’s episode, I’m delighted to have Marta Norton and Philip Straehl with us to dig into the outlook, share their perspective, and as always, be sure to address the implications on client portfolios and any suggested actions to be taken.

2023 Outlook: Inflation, Recession, Valuations, and Retirement

Direct indexing is becoming a key addition to financial advisors’ toolkits. It provides the ability to tailor an index, like removing a stock or even industry, which can bring the fun back to investing and help with after-tax outcomes. In 2022, Morningstar launched a direct indexing offering for financial advisors and joined the ‘fun’. So, what’s all the fuss about? What are the salient points you need to know? Who’s it right for? And what are the thorny issues to weigh? We're joined by Sheryl Rowling, Editorial Director, and Andy Kunzweiler, Portfolio Manager for Morningstar’s direct indexing proposition.

An Inside Look at Direct Indexing

Daniel Needham

Across the globe, the financial advice community continues to navigate a significant period of change. The need for financial advice has only increased, intensifying the demands placed on advisors and their most valuable commodity - their time spent with clients. Morningstar's Wealth group has also evolved by providing an integrated suite of offerings to equip advisors as they seek to empower investor success. This environment of increasing global demand for advice, and the evolution of new and improved capabilities available to advisors can be summarized in one word - opportunity.

“Advisors Will Want to Run a More Profitable, Growing, Scalable Practice” - Daniel Needham to Financial Advisors

Stagflation is now on the radar for financial advisors and the investors they serve. At the same time, our latest research shows that investor sentiment is plummeting. With this in mind, we are delighted to have two of our most senior researchers who will help us unpack the news headlines, where we are joined by Philip Straehl, Morningstar’s Global Head of Research for Investment Management, and Tyler Dann, our Head of Research for the Americas.

Latest Research on Stagflation & Market Impacts

Investors can become confused in today’s challenging climate, and understandably so. It can be difficult for advisors and investors of all types and sizes. In this new season of Simple but Not Easy, we welcome Jonathan Linstra as your new host, along with two of Morningstar’s investment chiefs, Dan Kemp and Marta Norton, who offer straight talk to help navigate this difficult environment. They also shed light on investment lessons and what they look for. We hope you enjoy the episode, from the team at Morningstar Wealth.

Investing in Today's Volatile Markets: New Season, 100th Episode

Hello, and welcome to Simple, but Not Easy, where we turn complicated financial developments into actionable ideas. This is a podcast from Morningstar’s Wealth Group, where we equip financial advisors with our best ideas to remove friction and help clients achieve goals.

Simple, but Not Easy

When you save and invest, most likely your biggest financial goal is retirement, a topic that can be daunting or even frightening on both a personal level and on a macro level. Host Drew Carter discusses the state of retirement with David Blanchett, head of retirement research at Morningstar Investment Management, who has called retirement the "largest purchase most Americans will ever make."Today's discussion revolves around the "right" age to retire, online savings and management tools, retiring earlier than planned, and how far off people tend to be when planning for retirement, as well as if there is in fact a retirement crisis.

When you save and invest, most likely your biggest financial goal is retirement, a topic that can be daunting or even frightening on both a personal level and on a macro level. Host Drew Carter discusses the state of retirement with David Blanchett, head of retirement research at Morningstar Investment Management, who has called retirement the "largest purchase most Americans will ever make." Today's discussion revolves around the "right" age to retire, online savings and management tools, retiring earlier than planned, and how far off people tend to be when planning for retirement, as well as if there is in fact a retirement crisis.

"The Largest Purchase Most Americans Will Ever Make": Researching the State of Retirement

In this episode, John Owens and Ryan Murphy talk about why price-weighted indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average can be distracting to investors. John, who's a senior equity portfolio manager at Morningstar Investment Management, explains why investors should disregard single-day Dow point drops, and also any short-term performance. Ryan, who's head of decision science at Morningstar Investment Management, shares some recent research that shows someone's risk perspective can be affected by what they pay attention to. Together, our guests discuss with host Drew Carter how discipline and nudges can help investors ignore the noise and stay focused on their financial goals.

In this episode, John Owens and Ryan Murphy talk about why price-weighted indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average can be distracting to investors. John, who's a senior equity portfolio manager at Morningstar Investment Management, explains why investors should disregard single-day Dow point drops, and also any short-term performance. Ryan, who's head of decision science at Morningstar Investment Management, shares some recent research that shows someone's risk perspective can be affected by what they pay attention to. Together, our guests discuss with host Drew Carter how discipline and nudges can help investors ignore the noise and stay focused on their financial goals.

Dump the Dow: Why What You Pay Attention to Matters

Market losses can be upsetting. Aside from the pain of losing money, there’s something about it that just doesn’t feel right. Yet, we know that market dips, declines, and disasters are all a part of investing. So, what can investors do about them? Host Drew Carter is joined by Andrew Lill, chief investment officer, and Ryan Murphy, head of decision science, both at Morningstar Investment Management LLC, to discuss what investors can do to prepare for market declines, and how to respond when we find ourselves in the middle of an unfortunate drop in prices.

Market losses can be upsetting. Aside from the pain of losing money, there’s something about it that just doesn’t feel right. Yet, we know that market dips, declines, and disasters are all a part of investing. So, what can investors do about them? Host Drew Carter is joined by Andrew Lill, chief investment officer, and Ryan Murphy, head of decision science, both at Morningstar Investment Management LLC, to discuss what investors can do to prepare for market declines, and how to respond when we find ourselves in the middle of an unfortunate drop in prices.

Market Turbulence and Loss: Behaving Well When Markets Go Bad

Is "outsourcing" a dirty word? Are managed money offerings all the same?Matt Radgowski and Peter Dugery share insights on the challenges and rewards for financial advisors when choosing a money manager to handle client portfolios. Drew Carter hosts.Matt is managing director, Americas, at Morningstar Investment Management, and Peter is head of sales at the same firm.

Is "outsourcing" a dirty word? Are managed money offerings all the same? Matt Radgowski and Peter Dugery share insights on the challenges and rewards for financial advisors when choosing a money manager to handle client portfolios. Drew Carter hosts. Matt is managing director, Americas, at Morningstar Investment Management, and Peter is head of sales at the same firm.

Think Integration, not Outsourcing: The Importance of Choosing the Right Money Manager

The market for initial public offerings, or IPOs, in the U.S. is hot, with household names like Lyft, Uber, and Pinterest coming to the public markets with a lot of media coverage and interest from investors. But many of these so-called unicorns who’ve achieved $1 billion valuations before they’ve gone public have never turned a profit. So, how can investors tell if these IPOs are potentially worth investing in?Host Drew Carter speaks with Ali Mogharabi, senior equity analyst at Morningstar Research Services, about the history of the IPO market, internet bubble, and 'tech unicorns.' Then, we learn from John Owens, senior portfolio manager at Morningstar Investment Management, about the caution taken when approaching 134 firms that went public last year. Recorded on: May 14, 2019

The market for initial public offerings, or IPOs, in the U.S. is hot, with household names like Lyft, Uber, and Pinterest coming to the public markets with a lot of media coverage and interest from investors. But many of these so-called unicorns who’ve achieved $1 billion valuations before they’ve gone public have never turned a profit. So, how can investors tell if these IPOs are potentially worth investing in? Host Drew Carter speaks with Ali Mogharabi, senior equity analyst at Morningstar Research Services, about the history of the IPO market, internet bubble, and 'tech unicorns.' Then, we learn from John Owens, senior portfolio manager at Morningstar Investment Management, about the caution taken when approaching 134 firms that went public last year. Recorded on: May 14, 2019

Some Like It Hot: Looking into the IPO Market

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?Host Drew Carter is joined by Dan Kemp, chief investment officer for EMEA at Morningstar Investment Management. In this episode, Drew and Dan will discuss who is susceptible to behavioral biases and Annie Duke's book, 'Thinking in Bets.'

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? Host Drew Carter is joined by Dan Kemp, chief investment officer for EMEA at Morningstar Investment Management. In this episode, Drew and Dan will discuss who is susceptible to behavioral biases and Annie Duke's book, 'Thinking in Bets.'

Thinking in Bets, and About Biases: A Deep Dive into Using Behavioral Science Techniques in Investing

Questions? Contact us at simple@morningstar.com.Learn more about Morningstar® Managed PortfoliosSM at mp.morningstar.com.

Questions? Contact us at <a href="mailto:simple@morningstar.com">simple@morningstar.com</a>.Learn more about Morningstar® Managed PortfoliosSM at <a href="mp.morningstar.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mp.morningstar.com</a>.

Markets Quiz: Test Your Knowledge!

Four portfolio managers describe how they evaluate and select stocks for their concentrated portfolios.

Picking Stocks for the Long Run: 4 Portfolio Managers Share Their Thoughts

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, explores why markets are frequently efficient and what makes them become inefficient; explains how contrarians can act like a thermostat for markets; and explains how bees can be better decision-makers than humans at times. He also shares a checklist his team uses to help them make rational decisions that go against the crowd. Drew Carter hosts.

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, explores why markets are frequently efficient and what makes them become inefficient; explains how contrarians can act like a thermostat for markets; and explains how bees can be better decision-makers than humans at times. He also shares a checklist his team uses to help them make rational decisions that go against the crowd. Drew Carter hosts.

Theories, Crowds, Bubbles, & Bees: Daniel Needham on Contrarian Investing

Millennials. Has a generation ever attracted so much attention from—or created so much angst within—the financial services industry? If you Google “Millennials and financial advisors” or “Millennials and investing,” you’ll find a dizzying array of surveys and published opinion pieces on the topic. And for good reason—Millennials and those that will come after them represent the future of investing and financial advice. Host Drew Carter decides to leave the surveys and data behind, and focus some interviews on real… live… Millennials, here in the studio to talk about investing and financial advice. Drew Carter asks our 4 millennials in the studio about their investing habits, their opinions on working with a financial advisor--and what specific types of financial advice they're looking for, and their approach to savings.

The Next Generation of Investors: A Conversation with Millennials

Take our markets quiz before Dec. 16! Follow this link now: https://bit.ly/36cXEo9 

Take our markets quiz before Dec. 16! Follow this link now: <a href="https://bit.ly/36cXEo9" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/36cXEo9</a>

Red Dusk: Do Post-Rally Prices Call for Russian Bearishness?

Like all investments, MLPs have risks investors should consider before making an investment decision. Those risks include governance features that can favor management over other investors, potential conflicts of interest, and concentrated exposure to a single industry or commodity. Since most MLPs are clustered in the energy sector, they can therefore be sensitive to shifts in oil and gas prices. There may be advantages and disadvantages associated with MLPs including, but not limited to, MLPs’ net income being passed through to the investor, which is then taxed at the investor’s individual tax rate and certain distributions being deemed as return of capital. Morningstar and its affiliates, including Morningstar Investment Management do not provide tax advice. Individuals should consult with their Financial Adviser and/or tax professional about this and other tax issues relating to their accounts

Like all investments, MLPs have risks investors should consider before making an investment decision. Those risks include governance features that can favor management over other investors, potential conflicts of interest, and concentrated exposure to a single industry or commodity. Since most MLPs are clustered in the energy sector, they can therefore be sensitive to shifts in oil and gas prices. There may be advantages and disadvantages associated with MLPs including, but not limited to, MLPs’ net income being passed through to the investor, which is then taxed at the investor’s individual tax rate and certain distributions being deemed as return of capital. Morningstar and its affiliates, including Morningstar Investment Management do not provide tax advice. Individuals should consult with their Financial Adviser and/or tax professional about this and other tax issues relating to their accounts

Not-So-Crude Markets: Energy Infrastructure and MLPs

Ryan Murphy talks about why it's good to give thanks, and how it can make us better investors. Then Brian Huckstep, Dan McNeela, Cindy Galiano, and Mike Stathakis share what investment developments they're thankful for, as well some things they would be thankful for if they came to pass. Drew Carter hosts.

Talking Turkey: What We're Thankful for in 2019, and What We'd Be Thankful for in the Future, Pt. 1

In part two of our giving-thanks episode, more members of our investment team share what they're thankful for, and what they'd be thankful for if it were to happen. John Owens talks IPOs, Marta Norton is doubly thankful, Paul Arnold looks forward to greater wealth equality, and Shannon Steiner--new to the podcast--is thankful for her internship with Investment Management and discusses the findings of her study of Morningstar Investment Management's record of selecting funds over more than two decades. Drew Carter hosts.

Talking Turkey: Pt. 2

While host Drew Carter is on sabbatical, producer Sammie Spector guest hosts a two-part series on top reading recommendations from Morningstar employees. Guests include everyone from our portfolio managers to our sales directors, as well as a glimpse into our Investment Management Book Club and an interview the Morningstar HQ librarian.

Our Back-to-School Reading List (Part 2)

Today's episode explores what the role of financial advisors really entails. When you think about, did the role of 'behavioral coach' cross your mind? Guest Ryan Murphy, Ph.D., head of decision sciences at Morningstar, Inc. thinks it should. Host Drew Carter and Ryan Murphy discuss the responsibilities, such as behavioral coaching, that may be central to an advisor’s role, perhaps even more important than some traditional roles, like, say, building investment portfolios.

Bringing Their "A-Game": Advisors as Behavioral Coaches

Terry Hawkins, sales manager at Morningstar Investment Management and Paul Kaplan, research director for Morningstar Canada, 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 underperform a lump-sum approach. But what if it's what gets an investor into the markets?

Is Dollar-Cost Averaging Irrational? Compared to What?

On September 14, 2019, Saudi Arabian oil fields were attacked, leading to a spike in oil prices. But the spike quickly subsided, with prices falling back—and even below—their pre-spike prices about two weeks later. But the phenomenon of lower oil prices is of course not new. And that’s reflected in the returns of U.S. stocks in the energy sector, which lost an average of about 5% a year over the five years ended September 30, according to S&amp;P 500 sector index data on Morningstar Direct. The S&amp;P 500, during that same period, rose nearly 11% annualized, while the IT sector climbed more than 18% on average each year. How does this weigh on our views of the energy sector going forward? We think energy is the most underpriced sector and, as valuation-driven investors, we therefore believe this sector may be poised for better growth than the broad market in the future.

On September 14, 2019, Saudi Arabian oil fields were attacked, leading to a spike in oil prices. But the spike quickly subsided, with prices falling back—and even below—their pre-spike prices about two weeks later. But the phenomenon of lower oil prices is of course not new. And that’s reflected in the returns of U.S. stocks in the energy sector, which lost an average of about 5% a year over the five years ended September 30, according to S&amp;P 500 sector index data on Morningstar Direct. The S&amp;P 500, during that same period, rose nearly 11% annualized, while the IT sector climbed more than 18% on average each year. How does this weigh on our views of the energy sector going forward? We think energy is the most underpriced sector and, as valuation-driven investors, we therefore believe this sector may be poised for better growth than the broad market in the future.

Contrarian Ideas: Have Lower Oil Prices Made Energy Stocks Attractive?

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