Jeffrey Ptak, CFA

More From Jeffrey Ptak

The Most Successful ETF Launch of All Time Raises Questions

JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF has been a magnet for investors. The question is whether they’ll stay the course.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA Jun 27, 2023

Talmon Smith: Assessing the Greatest Wealth Transfer in History

The New York Times economics reporter on the state of the economy and inflation, tax policy, wealth inequality, and more.

Christine Benz Jun 20, 2023

Jeremy Schwartz: Why Stocks Are Good Inflation Hedges

The WisdomTree CIO on ‘do-nothing’ strategies, the market outlook, what constitutes a risk factor, and more.

Christine Benz Jun 13, 2023

The Inflation Hedge That Cost Investors 17% of Their Purchasing Power

The average dollar invested in TIPS funds has lost money over the past decade.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA Jun 12, 2023

Ramit Sethi: Investing Shouldn’t Be Your Identity

The author and personal finance expert discusses his new Netflix show, what it means to have a ‘rich life,’ and why he’s not a fan of budgeting.

Christine Benz Jun 6, 2023

They Came. They Saw. They Incinerated Half Their Funds’ Potential Returns.

Tactical allocation funds of funds would have earned twice as much if their managers didn’t trade over the past decade.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA May 30, 2023

Mike Piper: Financial Considerations for People Who Have Enough

How having sufficient assets for one’s own lifetime affects decision-making for investments, charitable giving, estate planning, and taxes.

Christine Benz May 23, 2023

Aswath Damodaran: A Valuation Expert’s Take on Inflation, Stock Buybacks, ESG, and More

The distinguished NYU professor expounds on whether stocks look cheap or dear, market efficiency, and the rise of AI.

Christine Benz May 16, 2023

Why Pay Up for Bond Funds?

Fees predict bond fund performance, with cheaper funds consistently outperforming pricier offerings.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA May 15, 2023

Michael Kitces: How Higher Yields Affect Asset Allocation and Retirement Planning

The financial planning expert discusses the equity risk premium, tax-efficient retirement drawdown, and where to stash cash in a higher-interest-rate era.

Christine Benz May 9, 2023

Liz Ann Sonders: Navigating a New ‘Temperamental Era’ in Markets

The Charles Schwab strategist on recession risks, inflation, Fed policy, the housing outlook, and more.

Christine Benz May 2, 2023

How Can Active Stock Managers Improve Their Funds’ Performance? By Taking a Vacation—a Long One

Active large-cap funds would have generated better risk-adjusted returns over the past decade if their managers’ hadn’t traded their holdings.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA May 2, 2023

Jill Schlesinger: ‘The Great Money Reset’

The popular author and podcast host discusses navigating financial transitions in the wake of the pandemic, the current financial environment, and how to negotiate in the workplace.

Christine Benz Apr 18, 2023

What Beat the S&P 500 Over the Past Three Decades? Doing Nothing

A strategy of buying a basket of stocks and leaving them untouched outperformed the index, not to mention scores of active managers.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA Apr 17, 2023

Micah Hauptman: Advocating for Investors’ Best Interests

The director of investor protection at the Consumer Federation of America discusses conflicts of interest in the financial-advice space, crypto assets, and how social media affects investment decision-making.

Christine Benz Apr 11, 2023

James Choi: How to Improve the Way We Present and Make Investment Choices

A noted household- and behavioral-finance researcher discusses conventional personal finance advice, emergency savings, and the role of defaults in improving retirement outcomes.

Christine Benz Apr 4, 2023

How Will AI Change Investing? I Asked a Chatbot

Are analysts toast? Will opportunities to find mispriced securities disappear? Is my fund bloated? ChatGPT kisses and tells.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA Apr 3, 2023

Mark Berg: Hourly Financial Planning Is ‘A Vast Blue Ocean’

The founder of Timothy Financial Counsel on the best candidates for hourly advice, direct indexing and tax planning, and how his firm advises clients in retirement.

Christine Benz Mar 28, 2023

Brad Barrett: ‘Start With a Small Win’

The podcaster and blogger discusses what financial freedom means to him, his thoughts on safe withdrawal rates, and travel tips and hacks.

Christine Benz Mar 21, 2023

5 Ways Investors Can Succeed by Knowing Their Limits

You don’t know what you don’t know when investing.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA Mar 20, 2023

Robert Powell: ‘How Do I Generate Income?’

The retirement-planning specialist discusses whether the 60/40 is broken, annuities, and the challenges of creating one-size-fits-many solutions for retirement.

Christine Benz Mar 14, 2023

Lubos Pastor: ‘Judging Fund Managers by the Company They Keep’

A leading academic researcher on stock volatility, ESG and expected returns, the liquidity risk factor, and more.

Christine Benz Mar 7, 2023

Want to Invest Successfully? Quit Trying to Make Sense of It

Intuition usually fails us when it comes to investing.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA Mar 6, 2023

Stacy Francis: On a Mission to Help Women Thrive

The financial advisor on whether women invest differently than men, how couples can find financial peace, and why widows often switch financial advisors.

Christine Benz Feb 28, 2023

What’s The Surest Route to Investing Excellence?

Hint: It’s not about pursuing perfection.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA Feb 22, 2023

Derek Tharp: An Alternative Approach to Calculating In-Retirement Withdrawals

The financial planning professor and researcher discusses retirement-spending strategies, sequence risk, and portfolio construction.

Christine Benz Feb 21, 2023

Cody Garrett: ‘Give Every Dollar a Job and a Use-By Date’

A financial planner discusses his shift from music to finance, his work in financial education, and where he thinks advisors can add the most value.

Christine Benz Feb 14, 2023

Kathy Jones on Inflation: ‘The Worst Is Behind Us’

Charles Schwab’s chief fixed-income strategist on the interest-rate picture, the jobs market, the recession outlook, housing, and more.

Christine Benz Feb 7, 2023

Katie Gatti Tassin: ‘Openness Has Been a Bit of a Secret Sauce’

The popular blogger and host of The Money with Katie Show talks about finding her audience, key financial decisions like whether to buy a home, and ‘the monetization of self.’

Christine Benz Jan 31, 2023

How Well Have Morningstar Ratings Sorted Global Funds?

A look at how the Morningstar Rating for funds, the Morningstar Analyst Rating, and the Morningstar Quantitative Rating for funds have predicted performance.

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA Jan 27, 2023

More About Jeffrey Ptak

Jeffrey Ptak, CFA, is chief ratings officer for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

Before assuming his current role, Ptak was head of global manager research. Previously, he was president and chief investment officer of Morningstar Investment Services, Inc., an investment unit that provides managed portfolio services through fee-based, independent financial advisors, for six years. Ptak joined Morningstar in 2002 as a senior mutual fund analyst and has also served as director of exchange-traded fund analysis, editor of Morningstar ETFInvestor, and an equity analyst. He briefly left Morningstar to become an investment products analyst for William Blair & Company, and earlier in his career, he was a manager for Arthur Andersen.

Ptak also co-hosts The Long View podcast with Morningstar's director of personal finance and retirement planning, Christine Benz. A full episode list is available here: https://www.morningstar.com/podcasts/the-long-view. You can find him on social media at syouth1 (X/fka 'Twitter') and he's also active on LinkedIn.

Ptak holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin and the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Podcasts

The Long View