Investing Insights

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 corporate debt are growing but for different reasons. How should investors think about it?   Dominic Pappalardo is the chief multi-asset strategist for Morningstar Wealth. It’s part of registered investment advisor, Morningstar Investment Management.     Why Bonds Still Have Long-Term Appeal Despite Recent Wobbles     On this episode: 00:00:00 Welcome 00:01:29 Big Tech's AI bond-issuing spree explained 00:03:51 What's driving the US federal deficit higher 00:06:04 Calls to prepare for a bond market emergency  00:07:38 Government vs. corporate debt key differences 00:08:45 Potential risks lurking in today's bond market 00:10:33 Bond portfolio opportunities and investor takeaways   Watch more from Morningstar: 10 Exceptional Stocks With Double-Digit Dividend Raises Investors May Be Ignoring Big Market Disruptions. Is There Risk to the Rebuff? Vanguard Wrote the Playbook for Success. Now, It Must Evolve to Stay on Top   Follow Morningstar on social: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MorningstarInc/ X https://x.com/MorningstarInc Instagram https://www.instagram.com/morningstarinc/?hl=en LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/morningstar/posts/?feedView=all Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 this episode: 00:00:00 Welcome 00:01:08 Dividend Growers qualifications and key caveats 00:03:17 How the 2026 Dividend Growers list changed from last year 00:04:11 Meet the three newcomers: Intuit, Motorola Solutions, and TJX 00:05:43 Near-miss stocks and why the group’s average yields run higher 00:08:19 Who dividend growth stocks suit 00:11:13 Which 2026 Dividend Growers look undervalued now   Watch more from Morningstar: Investors May Be Ignoring Big Market Disruptions. Is There Risk to the Rebuff? Vanguard Wrote the Playbook for Success. Now, It Must Evolve to Stay on Top Vanguard Is Entering a New Era. Can It Keep Winning for Another 50 Years? Follow Morningstar on social: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MorningstarInc/ X https://x.com/MorningstarInc Instagram https://www.instagram.com/morningstarinc/?hl=en LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/morningstar/posts/?feedView=all Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tom Lauricella, Morningstar’s global markets editor and Smart Investor newsletter editor, offers market analysis and commentary on geopolitical and economic shifts. He discusses market reactions to the Iran war and why US stocks hit records despite oil shocks. He highlights worries about complacency, private credit stress, tech crosswinds from AI, and what inflation and Fed signals mean for investors.

Dan Sotiroff, Morningstar associate director who researches index funds and ETFs, breaks down Vanguard's next moves. He discusses rapid client growth and leadership shifts. He covers fee-cut fallout, a target-date trust with annuity options, multi-asset tie-ups with Wellington and Blackstone, and a big push into active and high-yield bond ETFs.

Dan Sotiroff, Morningstar associate director who analyzes Vanguard, offers a concise look at Vanguard’s changing direction under CEO Salim Ramji. He discusses the firm splitting into two advisors, leadership shifts, ETF share-class moves for active funds, and the launch and positioning of new low-fee active equity ETFs. Short, topical conversation about strategy, structure, and product evolution.

Russ Kinnel, senior principal of ratings at Morningstar and editor of Morningstar FundInvestor, guides listeners through balanced and allocation funds. He discusses mixing stocks and bonds to lower volatility. He compares funds with foreign exposure, income and inflation protections, and highlights specific offerings like Vanguard, PIMCO, T. Rowe Price, and tactical approaches.

Maciej Kowara, principal in fixed-income strategies at Morningstar who studies active bond tools, and Eric Jacobson, senior principal and bond-market expert at Morningstar, discuss why active bond funds can outperform passive peers. They cover market inefficiencies, who trades bonds, where mispricings arise across bond types, examples when indexing hurt investors, and the tools and exposures active managers use.

The stock market has cooled on stocks caught up in the whirlwind of artificial intelligence. Fears over whether AI will disrupt a variety of sectors have triggered big sell-offs. Morningstar equity analysts have investigated 132 companies to determine whether that’s the case. They have concluded that AI is not a universal destroyer. The team thinks investors should sort through the wreckage and find newly cheap companies with enduring competitive advantages. Eric Compton, director of equity research for the technology sector at Morningstar, tells you where to look. Moat Ratings Guidebook Amid AI Disruption  On this episode: 00:00:00 Welcome 00:01:28 What are Moats, and How Does Morningstar Use Them? 00:04:11 In-Depth Analyst Review of 132 Companies 00:06:27 Why Cybersecurity Holds Up 00:10:02 Why Design Software Looks Resilient 00:13:10 How Financial Data Benefits From AI 00:15:32 Finding Opportunity After AI Selloffs     Watch more from Morningstar: 2 Cautionary Tales from Private Equity and Private Credit Markets Are You Ready for Tax Day? Here’s What You Need to Know Before You File Avoid This IRA Distribution Error to Protect Your Retirement Cash   Follow Morningstar on social: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MorningstarInc/ X https://x.com/MorningstarInc Instagram https://www.instagram.com/morningstarinc/?hl=en LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/morningstar/posts/?feedView=all   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alec Davis, Morningstar PitchBook writer covering public-private market convergence. Jeff Patak, Morningstar managing director specializing in manager research and ETFs. They unpack XOVR’s risky private-holdings approach and SpaceX concentration swings. They also dig into Blue Owl’s halted redemptions, liquidity choices, and fallout for alternative asset managers.

Tax day is quickly approaching, and it’s time to get organized. New tax rules might make it worth your while to itemize rather than take the standard deduction this year. And don’t just file away your 1099 forms—they can offer valuable insight into your portfolio’s tax efficiency. Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, discusses what you need to consider before, and after, you file. Morningstar’s Tax-Planning and IRA Resources for 2026 On this episode: 00:00:00 Welcome 00:01:15 The "Procrastination Penalty" of Last-Minute IRA and HSA Contributions 00:02:35 How to Decide Whether to Itemize or Claim the Standard Deduction 00:04:18 Tips for Itemizing 00:05:37 Other Deductions You May Qualify For 00:07:45 Insights from Your 1099 Forms: Dividends  00:10:40 Insights from Your 1099 Forms: Capital Gains 00:09:39 Insights from Your 1099 Forms: Tax-Exempt Interest 00:12:35 How to Avoid Overpaying Your Taxes   Watch more from Morningstar: Avoid This IRA Distribution Error to Protect Your Retirement Cash  Elevate Your 60/40 Portfolio With These Simple Tweaks Why REIT ETFs Still Work as Real Estate Slumps   Follow Morningstar on social: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MorningstarInc/ X https://x.com/MorningstarInc Instagram https://www.instagram.com/morningstarinc/?hl=en LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/morningstar/posts/?feedView=all Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.