Investing Compass

We strongly believe that investors should know what they're investing in. Vanguard's 2 new ETFs, Vanguard Diversified All Growth Index ETF VDAL and Vanguard Diversified Income ETF VDIF are bound to interest investors as they are income and growth plays. We take a deep dive into both, and multi-asset offerings in general.You can read the full article here.To submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

In a listener-requested episode, we look at the pros and cons of the US and Australian retirement systems.To submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

In a listener requested episode, we explore the trade offs that parents are making with private school. We look at the costs of Government, Catholic and Independent schools, and the impact that these costs can have on your financial outcomes. Although schooling is a personal preference and not a purely financial one, it is always important to understand the opportunity cost.You are able to find the full article here.You can find the travel fund episode here. To submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

We run through the Monte Carlo simulation and how you can use it to understand how asset allocation and other variables in your portfolio will determine the longevity of your retirement portfolio. You can use these outcomes to improve your retirement outcomes.You can find the Monte Carlo simulator here.You can read Mark's full article here.To submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Some investors don't think that they have any goals to work towards, so they are unable to add proper structures and frameworks to their investment portfolios. This episode goes through a framework to dig deeper for your financial goals by exploring what you want from life, and therefore your finances.You are able to find the full article here.As cost of living increases and careers become more demanding, many younger people are also turning to income investing to derive a passive income. As more Aussies move towards this style of investing, we must understand what the opportunity cost is. Mark's Unconventional Wisdom column explores the opportunity cost of being an income investor. In Shani's Future Focus column, she looks at the insights for investors from a man responsible for $16 trillion. Salim Ramji is the new captain at the helm of Vanguard. His recent visit to Australia included a conversation with Johnathan Shapiro which revealed insights into how Salim sees the world, and how investors can apply those insights to how they invest. A study found that younger generations were disengaged when it came to their superannuation – and this isn't surprising. It's hard for young people to be excited at the prospect of retirement. But the reality is, failing to review your super is like cutting a hole in your wallet and walking around as the money falls out. This week Sim explores how your level of engagement with superannuation can have a significant impact on your retirement outcomes. Every big decision in life has trade offs. This can make it hard to make a decision in the first place and, perhaps even worse, lead to regrets seeping in later. In this week's Bookworm, Joseph explores a simple three-step method for tackling life's big choices with confidence. From deciding between two jobs to choosing whether to rent or buy. To submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

We look at the ETFs that would go into a 3 ETF portfolio, using Morningstar's Manager Research Medalist ratings. In this week's Unconventional Wisdom column, Mark runs through what he should do about a position in his portfolio that has grown too large. He is reluctant to sell shares, especially due to the tax consequences, but it also aware of the dangers of having a large concentration in one share that violates his investment policy statement. Shani recently wrote an article on why she includes managed funds in her portfolio. She received many questions about whether it was the right choice. Her Future Focus column this week comes out in defence of her decision, and why it's important that investors consider their own situation when choosing investment products. Benjamin Graham is widely revered as the dean of value investing and the master of flipping stocks that traded below their asset value. Despite this, Graham's best ever investment actually stemmed from a very different approach. In this week's edition of Bookworm, Joseph finds buy and hold inspiration from this most unlikely of sources. In Sim's day to day, she often gets asked for investment advice when she least expects. Whether it's about shares at the dinner table or Bitcoin at a doctor's appointment. Recently this turned into a request from her younger sister to invest her savings in the market as I see fit. In Sim's latest column, she discusses how she constructed her sister's portfolio amidst the added pressure of giving financial advice to family. To submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

This episode focuses on tarriffs - how investors should think about them, how they should position their portfolios, and the types of companies that will continue to prosper.Industry super funds have turned to private assets to invest the retirement savings of millions of Australians. In this week's Unconventional Wisdom column, Mark explores whether they live up to the hype. The proposed $3 million super cap was originally seen as a tax for the wealthy. With no adjustment for inflation, with time it will impact more and more Australians. Shani's Future Focus column looks at whether investors should stop contributing to their super, and the ways in which they can approach the problem. Warren Buffett often cites Phil Fisher as one of his biggest investing influences. In this week's Bookworm, Joseph explores one of Fisher's essential criteria for a long-term holding. As Joseph shows, this 'X factor' can be the difference between owning a company that fizzles out after an initial success and one that continues to thrive for many years. Australia’s obsession with homeownership is constantly increasing, as first home buyers rush to get on the ladder. Last week, Sim explored whether you should save for a deposit or invest in shares. It appears that amongst the shares vs housing debate, there emerges a third, enigmatic wildcard that is ‘Rent-vesting’.To submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

Mark goes through why the conventional wisdom is to reinvest dividends, but despite this, why he has stopped.This week, Mark’s Unconventional Wisdom column takes a deep dive into the Yale model. He looks at whether Industry superfunds are following the wrong investment strategy, as there are signs that it may not work as well in the future as it has in the past. For International Women's Day, Shani's Future Focus column looks at how women have been able to find financial security regardless of vigorous societal opposition, looking at examples from different cultures around the world. She leans into new research from Morningstar's Behavioural Research team to provide evidence based insights on how to increase your financial security by focusing on strengthening your foundations. Australians are often told that the only way to achieve wealth is through the property market. This week Sim explores the question many young people are grappling with amid sky rocketing house prices, should you invest in shares or save for a house deposit? A company’s moat and the returns on capital it is able to generate for shareholders are not static. Over time they can get better or they can get worse, for reasons in and outside of a company’s control. In this week’s Bookworm, Joseph looks at two Aussie companies that may be scoring what Pat Dorsey sees as a classic own goal when it comes to capital allocation.To submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.

In a listener requested episode, Shani goes through why she uses managed funds and how she chose to use the investment product for the problems that it solves for her.Mark's Unconventional Wisdom column takes readers on a trip to Monte Carlo this week. He looks at the levers that investors can pull to have a more secure retirement, reducing uncertainty for investors. Shani's Future Focus column explores the trade offs that parents are making with private school. In an Investing Compass listener requested column, Shani explores the costs of Government, Catholic and Independent schools, and the impact that these costs can have on your financial outcomes. The concept of economic moats is central to how our analysts weigh up companies. In this week's Bookworm, Joseph taps a classic investing article on the idea of "legacy" versus "reinvestment" moats. As it turns out, the differences could explain why some companies are able to compound in value far faster than others.Australia is undoubtedly in a housing crisis with young, prospective homeowners feeling betrayed by our governments. This frustration can be attributed to appalling public policy failures that have proliferated demand in an already overpriced housing market. This week Sim explores the issue of housing affordability by looking at proposed solutions and their implications.  To submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Additional resources from our episodes are available via our website.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton.