The Long View

Hi, and welcome to The Long View. I’m Dan Lefkovitz, strategist for Morningstar Indexes. In this episode, we’ll share some of our favorite clips from 2025 interviews with portfolio managers, economists, and investment researchers. It’s a companion to Christine Benz’s “Best Of” episode featuring highlights from conversations with financial planners, advisors, and retirement researchers. We’ll begin with some prescient words from Hendrik du Toit, co-founder of global investment manager, Ninety One, who spoke to Christine Benz and me at the start of the year from Cape Town, South Africa. Hendrik talked about the appeal of emerging-markets investments, both debt and equity, asset classes that went on to have good years in 2025.“Hendrik du Toit: ‘Small Things Can Make a Big Difference,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Jan. 21, 2025.“Cliff Asness: ‘The Problem Was Never Beta. The Problem Was Paying Alpha Fees for Beta,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, July 29, 2025.“Vincent Montemaggiore: ‘The Two Best Defenses Against Tariffs Are a High-Gross Profit Margin and Pricing Power,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, April 15, 2025.“Louis-Vincent Gave: ‘The Future Is Being Built Over There,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Feb. 25, 2025.“Jason Zweig: Revisiting ‘The Intelligent Investor,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, May 27, 2025.“Mike Pyle: Looking for Uncorrelated Sources of Return,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Oct. 14, 2025.“Neal Shearing: The World Isn’t Deglobalizing; It’s Fracturing,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Aug. 26, 2025.“Sudarshan Murthy: ‘These Countries Are in Much Better Shape Than They Were 10 Years Back,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, March 25, 2025.“Joe Davis: How to Capitalize on ‘Megatrends,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Sept. 2, 2025.“Callie Cox: A Student Teacher of Financial Markets,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Nov. 11, 2025.“Brian Selmo: ‘Winning by Not Losing,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, July 15, 2025.“Daniel Rasmussen: ‘Be Very Wary of Illiquid Asset Classes,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, May 6, 2025.“Eric Jacobson: The Entire Face of the Bond Market Has Changed,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Nov. 25, 2025.“Barry Ritholtz: ‘How Not to Invest,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Oct. 7, 2025.“John Rekenthaler: ‘The House Is With You When You’re Investing,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Jan. 28, 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Our guest on the podcast today is Lyle Fitterer, a senior portfolio manager and co-lead on the municipal bond sector for Baird Advisors. He has 36 years of experience managing bond portfolios. Prior to joining Baird in 2019, he served as the co-head of global fixed income and the head of the municipal fixed income team as Wells Fargo Asset Management. Lyle obtained his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of North Dakota. He earned the chartered financial analyst designation in 1996 and is currently a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Milwaukee.BackgroundBioBaird Short-Term Municipal Bond Fund BTMIXBaird Strategic Municipal Bond Fund BSNIXBaird Quality Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund BMBIXBaird Core Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund BMNIXBaird Municipal Bond Fund BMQIXMuni-Bond Funds“The New Allure of Muni Bond Funds. Two Pros Point the Way,” by Debbie Carlson, barrons.com, Aug. 21, 2025.“Fitterer: Muni Bond Market Offers Compelling Opportunities,” Podcast with Chuck Jaffe, bairdassetmanagement.com, July 29, 2025.“Muni Bonds Aren’t Just for Rich Folks,” by Jeff Schlegel, fa-mag.com, Nov. 1, 2024.“Muni Bonds Are Looking Better,” by Elizabeth Foos, Morningstar.com, Oct. 28, 2025.OtherVanguard Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund ETF Shares VTEBVanguard Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares VTEAX“In Wreckage of Muni Market Crash, Brave Investors Eye Bonds at 90% Yields,” by Amanda Albright, advisorperspectives.com, March 25, 2020. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Our guest on the podcast today is Joy Loverde. Joy is the author of Who Will Take Care Of Me When I’m Old? and The Complete Eldercare Planner. She also gives keynotes and workshops on aging and eldercare to many different types of organizations. In addition, she serves as a consultant to senior housing providers, HR professionals, attorneys, financial planners, clergy, and other members of the eldercare industry. She has also been a family caregiver to family and friends.BackgroundBioWho Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old? Plan Now to Safeguard Your Health and Happiness in Old AgeThe Complete Eldercare Planner, Revised and Updated 4th Edition: Where to Start, Which Questions to Ask, and How to Find HelpEldercare“'Aging in Place Has a Shelf Life’: What This Eldercare Expert Wants You to Know,” by Beth Pinsker, marketwatch.com, Oct. 28, 2023.“Preparing Solo Agers to Receive Long-Term Care,” by Joy Loverde, generations.asaging.org, June 21, 2023.“How to Manage Sibling Conflict Over Care of Elderly Parents,” by Elaine K. Howley, health.usnews.com, Feb. 5, 2025.“Going Solo: How to Plan for Retirement When You’re on Your Own,” by Diane Harris, nytimes.com, July 20, 2025.“Create a Life of Independence and Connection in Later Years,” seattletimes.com, June 30, 2025.OtherMy Mother’s Money: A Guide to Financial Caregiving, by Beth Pinsker“Beth Pinsker: Lessons From ‘My Mother’s Money,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Nov. 4, 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Our guest on the podcast today is Mark Higgins. Mark serves as senior vice president for IFA Institutional, where he specializes in providing advisory services to institutional plans such as endowments, foundations, pension plans, defined-contribution plans, and various corporate plans. He’s the author of Investing in US Financial History: Understanding the Past to Forecast the Future. Mark graduated from Georgetown University, Phi Beta Kappa, and Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology. He received an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He is a CFA Charterholder and CFP professional. Mark, welcome to The Long View.BackgroundBioInvesting in US Financial History: Understanding the Past to Forecast the FutureMuseum of American FinanceArticles and Papers Discussed“The Story of Hetty Green: America’s First Value Investor and Financial Grandmaster,” by Mark Higgins, ssrn.com, March 11, 2022.“Rediscovering an American Treasure: The True Value of Hetty Green’s Legacy,” by Mark Higgins and Bethany Bengtson, researchgate.net, February 2025.“Investors Can Temper Their Inflation Fears: Post-Covid Inflation Is Unlikely to Resemble the Great Inflation of 1968-1982,” by Mark Higgins, papers.ssrn.com, Aug. 15, 2021.“The Phantom Menace: Inflated Expectations,” by Mark Higgins, finhistory.substack.com, Sept. 26, 2023.“Six Stages of Asset Bubbles: The Crypto Crash,” by Mark Higgins, businesstimes.com, Jan. 24, 2023.Other“Origins of the Great Inflation,” by Allan Meltzer, fedinprint.org, 2005.“The Anguish of Central Banking,” Lecture by Arthur F. Burns, perjacobsson.org, Sept. 30, 1979.Charles E. Merrill“A Rediscovered Masterpiece by Benjamin Graham,” by Jason Zweig, jasonzweig.com, March 31, 2015.“Portraits in Oversight: Ferdinand Pecora and the 1929 Stock Market Crash,” levin-center.org.Pioneering Portfolio Management: An Unconventional Approach to Institutional Investment, by David Swensen“Private Equity Confronts Swollen Investment Backlogs With Dealmaking Stuck,” by Maria Armental, wsj.com, June 2, 2025.“The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be for These Funds,” by Jason Zweig, wsj.com, June 6, 2025.The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: The Past and Future of American Affluence, by Robert SamuelsonThe Big Board: A History of the New York Stock Market, by Robert Sobel Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Long View, we’re featuring an episode from another Morningstar podcast, The Morning Filter, which you can subscribe to on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. In this special episode of The Morning Filter podcast, co-host Susan Dziubinski sits down with Morningstar columnist Dan Lefkovitz to take a deep dive into dividend stock investing today. They discuss what’s caused U.S. dividend stocks to lag this year while international dividend stocks have outperformed. Tune in to find out why the stock buyback boom is bad news for dividend seekers and what metrics investors should look at if they want to avoid dividend cuts.They name drop a few undervalued stocks that Morningstar thinks have stable dividends, cover why dividend growth stock investing is underappreciated, and close with a discussion about whether dividend stocks are poised to outperform in 2026. Episode Highlights Dividend Stock Performance: 2025 RecapWhat the Buyback Boom Means for Dividend Investors3 Ways to Spot a Dividend Cut EarlyDividend Growth Stocks: Why Bother? Read about topics from this episode. Stock Buybacks Are Booming in 2025. That’s Bad News for Dividend InvestorsThe Surprising Truth About Dividend Growth StocksNot All Dividend Stocks Are Safe. Here’s How to Avoid Dividend TrapsWhy International Dividend Stocks Have Pulled Ahead Got a question for Dave? Send it to [email protected]. Follow Dave on social media.Dave Sekera on X: @MstarMarketsDave Sekera on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesekera Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.