logo
episode-header-image
Aug 15
11m 33s

These 16 Standout Funds Are Making Big B...

MORNINGSTAR
About this episode

It can sometimes seem like there’s an endless number of mutual funds for you to invest in. But not all of them are a right fit for your portfolio—and some aren’t worthy investments at all. A popular feature from Morningstar’s FundInvestor newsletter greatly shrinks the list and can help you home in on the winners. Russ Kinnel is the newsletter editor and senior principal of ratings for Morningstar Research Services. And he’s here to brag about his thrilling funds list.

 

On this episode:

Let’s begin with the idea behind the thrilling funds list. How did this get started, and what’s the mission? 

You start with thousands of fund share classes. How do you narrow the list to a few dozen, and what are you looking for? 

Thirty-three funds met your high standards and made the cut, and they’re all repeats. Did that surprise you? 

What kept some funds off this year’s list?

A select group of these standouts are making big bets. Let’s start with the only thrilling fund from the diversified emerging-markets category.

A trio of foreign large growth funds from Fidelity are focusing heavily on financials and industrials. What’s their story, and what makes each of these unique? 

Can you describe the funds that are wagering big time on the tech sector? 

The healthcare sector has struggled this year. But some funds from Vanguard, Fidelity, and Dodge & Cox appear ready to benefit from a rebound, right? Talk about those funds. 

Where should fixed-income investors look if they’re tweaking that side of their portfolio? 

Which income and dividend-focused funds are outshining their category peers? 

And finally, how can the audience test the funds in their portfolio against your thrilling list?

 

Read about topics from this episode.  

The Thrilling 33

How Smart People Screen for Funds

Stop Screening Funds This Way

Worried About a Market Selloff? These 10 Funds Reduce Portfolio Risk

The Big Secret to Long-Term Investment Success

Holy Smokes! These Funds Could Get Barbecued

4 New Funds on Our Radar

Morningstar Medalist Rating for Funds

 

What to watch from Morningstar. 
Market Volatility: Investors Are Seeking Safety in Gold ETFs. Is It Working?

Why Bonds Belong in Your Diversified Portfolio (Even Now)

Covered-Call ETFs Are Booming. But Not All Yield Is Good

This Dividend Investing Strategy Deserves a Second Look

 

Read what our team is writing.

Russel Kinnel

Ivanna Hampton

 

Follow us on social media.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorningstarInc/

X: https://x.com/MorningstarInc

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morningstar... 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/5161/

Up next
Aug 22
This Classic Investment Strategy Is Still Alive in 2025
Is the 60/40 portfolio living up to its reputation of resilience this year? The merit of a classic portfolio of 60% stocks and 40% bonds has been a matter of debate in recent years. A diversified 60/40 strategy failed to protect investors in 2022’s broad market crash—in fact, an ... Show More
14m 48s
Aug 8
Market Volatility: Investors Are Seeking Safety in Gold ETFs. Is It Working?
Investors are piling into global gold ETFs for a safe haven from uncertainty. Demand surged in the first half of 2025, according to a new report from the World Gold Council. The industry trade group points to geopolitical turmoil, global trade policies, and higher gold prices for ... Show More
12m 25s
Aug 1
Why Bonds Belong in Your Diversified Portfolio (Even Now)
Fixed-income investors, bonds are rising to the occasion and looking attractive again. Their yields are higher, and they have delivered as diversifiers against stock sell-offs this year. Yet, uncertainty has muddled the outlook as the bond market seeks clarity about tariffs, infl ... Show More
18m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
How the Rise of 'Pod Shops' Is Reshaping the Way Markets Trade
 The hedge fund industry has gone through multiple evolutions. Investing styles go in and out of fashion as market conditions change. Strategies that work become crowded with investors, which can mean they stop working as well. The hottest thing these days are so-called multi-str ... Show More
49m 21s
Jul 2024
How the Hottest Hedge Funds on Wall Street Really Manage Risk
Multi-strategy hedge funds, also known as "pod shops," have become the hottest ticket on Wall Street. The business model is supposed to allow hedge funds to operate more efficiently. That includes deploying capital in a more productive manner and better managing risk. But how doe ... Show More
49m 27s
Aug 17
Deep Dive: 3 Stocks Betting Everything on Crypto Treasuries
Crypto treasury companies are suddenly one of the hottest trends on Wall Street. We explain how Michael Saylor and MicroStrategy created the model and why new players like BitMine, ETHZilla, and Upexi are rushing to copy it. The strategy has sent stocks soaring but it comes with ... Show More
14m 59s
Nov 2023
Best of Money Clinic: WTF are ETFs?
Exchange traded funds, or ETFs, have been growing in popularity recently, but as Money Clinic listener Saranya has found, there’s a bewildering array of different types of ETFs to choose from. In an episode first aired earlier in 2023 presenter Claer Barrett is joined in the stud ... Show More
26m 5s
Jan 2020
Building an investment portfolio
What does it take to build a great portfolio?This episode we debunk the myth that you need to be an expert to build a great portfolio. The truth is, it's simple, as long as you're dedicated, do your own research and are prepared to have some fun. We discuss the simple building bl ... Show More
33m 47s
Mar 2025
111: How to Build a Winning Stock Portfolio, Automatically w/ JJ Maxwell
In this week's episode of the Rich Habits Podcast, Robert Croak and Austin Hankwitz sit down with JJ Maxwell, the CEO of Double Finance. Double Finance is an online brokerage platform that allows investors to build their own strategies from scratch using characteristic screen ... Show More
44m 15s
Feb 2025
104: Exposing Unknown Hedge Fund Strategies w/ Chris DeMuth
In this week's episode of the Rich Habits Podcast, Robert Croak and Austin Hankwitz sit down with hedge fund manager Chris DeMuth to uncover the lesser-known investing strategies of the "smart money."We discuss merger-arbitrage, 2025 expectations, and how Chris was able to profit ... Show More
45m 58s
Mar 2023
Popular Investing Strategies That Are Actually LOSING You Money
Is there an investing strategy out there that consistently beats index investing over time?! In this episode, we do a deep dive on popular investing strategies including dividend investing, factor investing, and the 3-fund portfolio. Are any of these investing strategies worth it ... Show More
41m 39s
Jun 2023
Is Now the Time to Buy Dividend-Paying Stocks? (ft. BBAE’s James Early)
Investors love dividends. There's something special about receiving cold hard cash into your brokerage account every quarter, which you can use to pay for expenses or reinvest and buy more stock. Over time, reinvesting dividends can compound your returns. But how do dividend- ... Show More
23m 49s
May 2020
What the Market Crash Says About How Investing Works
We’ve seen a huge market crash this year and a number of firms reporting portfolio losses. So why were so many big investors crowded into the same trades, and what does it say about investing as a whole? Should investors be playing up to their competitive advantage, or following ... Show More
43m 14s