Weekly Wrap: An Investor Guide to Crypto, Funds to Ditch, and Stocks to Pick

Editor's note: Read the latest on how the coronavirus is rattling the markets and what investors can do to navigate it.

The 2020-21 school year has--mercifully--come to an end. Weary students (and their equally weary parents) are shaking off a less-than-ideal experience. But no amount of fatigue will stop parents from trying to keep their kids’ brains active and avoid the summer slide. Math games! Cooking classes! Summer reading programs! Museums!

How about you, Smart Investor readers? Are you looking for ways to keep your mind engaged during the dog days of summer?

If so, I have a few ideas. Start by watching the replay of Morningstar's recent live-streamed event, "Morningstar Classroom: Apple, Tesla, Amazon--Overvalued?" Chief markets strategist Dave Sekera and director of investor education Karen Wallace walk viewers through Morningstar's approach to valuing stocks, interview analysts about the market's most popular names, and reveal where to find opportunity today.

Not interested in individual stocks? No problem. Take a few courses in Morningstar's Investing Classroom, which covers everything from dealing with financial stress to understanding bonds to building a suitable portfolio. Catch up on The Long View podcast, which features conversations with some of the financial industry's best minds. Or tackle one (or more) of these summer money projects suggested by director of personal finance Christine Benz.

And of course, be sure to relax with family and friends. We’ve earned it.

--Susan Dziubinski

Editor's Picks

4 Undervalued Stocks With Momentum These wide-moat names have all returned twice as much as the market this year but remain undervalued by our metrics.

4 Funds Investors Are Dumping What's behind the outflows?

A Financial To-Do List for June Make a blueprint of your financial plan and keep it on track with investment and retirement policy statements.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Active ETFs Active ETFs are not an oxymoron.

Cryptocurrency in 2021 Digital currencies are immensely popular. Here's what investors need to know.

How Have Older Workers Fared in the Pandemic-Induced Downturn? For some income groups, job loss and early retirement have been higher than in the Great Recession, writes contributor Mark Miller.

Portfolio Planning and Personal Finance With Christine Benz

Where to Go for Cash in a Pinch Without an emergency fund, here are some avenues to pursue--and one that you should definitely avoid.

Clearing Up QCD Confusion As this strategy becomes more commonplace, so do questions about how to execute it.

Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds

Looking Under the Hood at Schwab Charitable Fund We take a close look at the ongoing fees and underlying investment options for the second-largest donor-advised fund in the United States.

ESG Model Portfolios Don't Have to Cost More Green Going all-in on ESG investments doesn't mean you have to pay high fees.

Markets and ETF Investors Plow Forward in May Markets scraped forward while stock ETFs continued to haul in new money.

How to Use Thematic Funds Thematic funds from ARK Invest and others have generated a lot of interest.

Stress-Testing Some Vanguard and T. Rowe Allocation Funds These Morningstar Medalists show it's possible for longer-duration strategies to beat peers when rates rise.

Stocks

6 Fast-Food Stocks to Savor Of the menu options, these U.S. quick-service restaurants are worth tasting.

5 Dividend Stocks That Are Sustainable Twice Over These stocks offer solid dividends and low ESG risk.

Stock Analyst Updates

Abbott Reduces Outlook for Pandemic-Related Diagnostics We're not changing our $97 fair value estimate.

Zoom Has Another Blowout Quarter; FVE Up to $245 Given exceptional results and strong guidance, we are once again raising our estimates, which drives our fair value estimate to $245 per share from $223. We still view the shares as overvalued.

BlackBerry Caught Up in Meme Stock Fever Again We're maintaining our $7 fair value estimate.

Rekenthaler Report

What Retirees Get Right About Their Retirement Income Instinctively, they understand how to stretch their portfolios.

How Personalities Determine Investment Styles You're either born a growth-stock investor, or you're not, in this column from the archives.

Advisor Insights

Helping Clients With an ESG Investing Policy Statement How can you help them define "enough"?

Is Your Succession Plan Future-Focused? Here are some best practices for developing the next generation of leadership for your firm.

The Long View Podcast

Alan Moore: What Millennial Investors Want The XY Planning Network cofounder discusses serving younger clients, the trading frenzy in individual stocks and cryptocurrencies, and the future of a fiduciary standard.

The Short Answer Best Investing Podcasts for Beginners Check out these recommendations from Morningstar's employees.

7 Great Investing Books for Beginners Want to get smarter about investing? Try some of these books.

Policy The Viability of FTTs Within Post-Pandemic Tax Reforms How would a financial transaction tax affect investors, and what can we learn from existing implementations?

Commentary

How Can We Change Social Security to Make It Work Better? Economist Andrew Biggs discusses the current U.S. retirement system and how to tackle the Social Security funding gap.

The Next Great Extinction in Asset Management Asset managers are adapting for a new generation.

Large-Growth Funds That Flip-Flopped in the Value Rally Valuation-conscious growth approaches have seen their fortunes turn for the better this year.

Low Interest Rates, Uncharted Bond Markets, and the Income Conundrum Extraordinary times may require adjusting expectations.

Most Requested Stock Quotes

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Most Requested Fund Quotes

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Most Requested ETF Quotes

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