Advertisement
Skip to Content

Archives

Sandy Ward

Sandy Ward is a markets reporter and columnist for Morningstar.

Prior to joining Morningstar in February 2022, Ward worked at Dow Jones & Company, now a News Corp. subsidiary, for 32 years. For all but 10 of those years she was a senior editor at Barron's, where she headed up the widely read Q&A interview with top investors and strategists, served as mutual funds editor, penned cover stories on big-picture industry trends, provided analyses on a wide swath of Fortune 500 companies, profiled top chief executives, and wrote weekly columns on trading activity and market opportunities.

Ward also contributed to the Yale School of Management's Program on Financial Stability, interviewing leading government officials around the world about their roles and actions during the global financial crisis of 2007-09.

Ward began her journalism career as a news assistant at The Wall Street Journal in Boston in the mid-1980s and then covered news and wrote feature stories at Ottaway Community Newspapers (a one-time subsidiary of Dow Jones), including the New Bedford Standard-Times. In 1989, she joined Dow Jones' online financial reporting service Professional Investor Report, tracking unusual stock trading that would often lead to breaking news about material corporate events such as merger and acquisition activity.

Ward earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Follow Ward at @sandward.

Danielle Labotka

Danielle Labotka, Ph.D., is a behavioral scientist for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. She conducts original research to understand how investor and advisor behaviors and biases affect financial decision-making.

Before joining Morningstar in 2022, Labotka was a research fellow at the University of Michigan working on projects funded by the National Science Foundation. Her work has been published in academic journals such as Cognition and Frontiers in Psychology.

Labotka holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology and comparative human development from the University of Chicago. She also holds a doctorate in psychology from the University of Michigan.

Lindsey Stewart

Lindsey Stewart is the director of investment stewardship research on Morningstar’s global manager research team. Lindsey analyzes asset managers’ sustainable-investing policies and practices with a focus on their engagement, proxy voting, and public policy outreach activities. Lindsey joined Morningstar in April 2022 from the Financial Reporting Council—the UK regulator responsible for audit, accounting, corporate governance ,and investment stewardship—where he was head of stakeholder engagement. Prior to that, his career spans over 20 years in investor relations consulting, equity research, and financial reporting and regulation at KPMG and Makinson Cowell. Lindsey is a Chartered Global Management Accountant, and he also holds the CFA Institute's Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Leo Acheson

Leo Acheson, CFA, is director, multi-asset ratings, global manager research for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

He oversees Morningstar’s multi-asset ratings as well as the firm’s multi-asset and alternatives manager research team. The group covers a range of investment vehicles, including allocation strategies, alternatives, target-date funds, 529 plans, HSAs, model portfolios, and Mexican pension funds.

Before joining Morningstar in 2013, Acheson spent four years working for a Chicago-based investment consultant, conducting mutual fund and asset-class research to help corporations manage their investment programs.

Acheson holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Lauren Acker

Lauren Acker is an associate equity analyst on the communication-services team for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

Before joining Morningstar in 2019, Acker conducted statistical analyses to create new endowment market-value groupings as an institutional investment and endowment services intern at TIAA. In July 2017, she organized the annual 5K Run to End Homelessness for A Safe Haven Foundation.

Acker holds a bachelor's degree in economics and statistics from Grinnell College. She also holds a Credential of Readiness from Harvard Business School in business analytics, economics for managers, and financial accounting.

Karen Andersen

Karen Andersen, CFA, is a strategist for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. She is responsible for biotechnology research.

Before joining Morningstar in 2005, Andersen received a master’s degree in business administration from Rice University, where she served as senior healthcare analyst for the M.A. Wright Fund and earned the distinction of Jones Scholar. She has scientific research experience in both academia (at Rice University and the University of Queensland in Australia) and industry (at Lexicon Genetics and a subsidiary of Genzyme).

Andersen also holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Rice University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. She ranked first in the biotechnology industry, and had the highest score overall, in The Wall Street Journal’s annual “Best on the Street” analysts survey in 2013, the last year the survey was conducted.

Karin Anderson

Karin Anderson is director of North American fixed-income strategies for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. She oversees Morningstar’s U.S. fixed-income manager research team. She covers fixed-income strategies from Franklin Templeton, PIMCO, and TCW.

Before joining Morningstar’s manager research team in 2007, Anderson worked in investigations for the Chicago Board of Trade and Minneapolis Grain Exchange and in research for the Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy in Brussels.

Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Amy C. Arnott

Amy C. Arnott, CFA, is a portfolio strategist for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. She is responsible for developing and articulating best practices to help investors and advisors build smarter portfolios.

Before rejoining Morningstar in 2019, Arnott was an associate wealth advisor at Buckingham Strategic Wealth, where she was responsible for portfolio analysis, asset allocation, rebalancing, and trade recommendations. Arnott originally joined Morningstar as a mutual fund analyst in 1991 and held a variety of leadership roles in investment research, corporate finance, and strategy from 1991 to 2017.

Arnott holds a bachelor's degree with honors in English and French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Dan Baker

Dan Baker is a senior equity analyst for Morningstar Asia Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers Asian telecommunications and technology companies and is a member of the Moat Committee.

Before joining Morningstar in 2014, he had 10 years’ experience as an equity analyst with Merrill Lynch and Mirae Asset Securities and two years in equity sales with RBS. He also worked for eight years in the telecommunications industry as an engineer with Ericsson and a telecom industry consultant with Ovum.

Baker holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Melbourne, a diploma in applied finance and investment from the Securities Institute of Australia, and a master’s degree in accounting from Curtin University.

Anna Baran

Anna Baran is an equity analyst on the healthcare team for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

Before joining Morningstar in 2016, Baran completed a research project in oncology at the Feinberg School of Medicine and another research thesis in neurobiology at Northwestern University. Before moving to her current role in February 2018, she was on the global and managed portfolios service teams at Morningstar.

Baran holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and biological sciences from Northwestern University. She is also a Level II candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst® program.

John Barrett

John Barrett is an equity analyst, technology, for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers enterprise software companies such as Oracle, SAP, and Workday.

Before joining Morningstar in 2018, Barrett completed his Master of Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to business school, Barrett spent three years at Societe Generale as an analyst in prime clearing services.

Barrett also holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Johns Hopkins University.

Jack Barry

Jack Barry is a manager research analyst, equity strategies, for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He is responsible for covering U.S. fund managers in the equity space.

Before joining Morningstar in 2018, Barry worked as an investment analyst at a Registered Investment Advisor specializing in mutual fund managers across the equity, bond, and alternative asset classes. While at the firm, Barry served on the investment committee overseeing all firm assets. He also contributed to the management of globally allocated model portfolios.

Barry holds a bachelor’s degree in history from DePaul University. He also holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul.

Christine Benz

Christine Benz is Morningstar's director of personal finance and retirement planning and author of 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances and the Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds: 5-Star Strategies for Success. Follow Christine on Twitter: @christine_benz.

Vedran Beogradlija

Vedran Beogradlija is a manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers global multi-asset funds.

Since joining Morningstar in 2015, Beogradlija has worked on teams that analyze performance and operational fund data and maintain overall data quality. In the past two years, he has led projects to discover and implement new opportunities for data collection and calculation for the exchange-traded fund, closed-end fund, and model portfolio data sets.

Beogradlija holds a bachelor's degree in political science from DePaul University. He also holds a master's degree from the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago.

Rajiv Bhatia

Rajiv Bhatia is an equity research analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. His areas of focus include custody banks, credit bureaus, and life insurers.

Before joining Morningstar in 2019, Bhatia spent four years analyzing financial technology stocks for clients at Raymond James.

Bhatia holds a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and economics from Northwestern University as well as a master's degree in finance from Washington University in Saint Louis. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Andrew Bischof

Andrew Bischof, CFA, CPA, is an equity strategist for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers regulated utilities, diversified utilities, and independent power producers.

Before joining Morningstar in 2011, Bischof was a senior treasury analyst for Mead Johnson Nutrition. Previously, he was a group audit officer for Bank of America in Chicago, and before that, an auditor for Ernst & Young.

Bischof holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in finance, from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and the Chartered Financial Analyst® and Certified Public Accountant designations.

David Blanchett

David M. Blanchett, Ph.D., CFA, CFP®, is head of retirement research for Morningstar’s Investment Management group. In this role, he works to enhance the group’s consulting and investment services. He conducts research primarily in the areas of financial and tax planning, annuities, and retirement plans. Blanchett also serves as the chairman of the Advice Methodologies subcommittee, which is the group responsible for developing and maintaining all methodologies relating to wealth forecasting, general financial planning, automated investment selection, and portfolio assignment for Investment Management. Before joining Morningstar in 2011, he was director of consulting and investment research for Unified Trust Company’s retirement plan consulting group.

Blanchett’s research has been published in a variety of academic and industry journals, such as Financial Analysts Journal, Journal of Financial Planning, The Journal of Portfolio Management, Journal of Retirement, and The Journal of Wealth Management. He has also been featured in a variety of media outlets and publications, including InvestmentNews, MarketWatch, Money, The New York Times, PLANSPONSOR, and The Wall Street Journal. His research has won a number of awards, most recently the Journal of Financial Planning’s 2014 and 2015 Montgomery-Warschauer Awards, the Financial Analysts Journal 2015 Graham & Dodd Scroll Award, and the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning 2017 Academic Research Colloquium Best Investments Paper Award.

In 2014, InvestmentNews included him in their inaugural 40 under 40 list as a “visionary” for the financial planning industry, and in 2014, Money named him one of the brightest minds in retirement planning. He is a RetireMentor for MarketWatch and an expert retirement panelist for The Wall Street Journal. Blanchett is also on the executive committee for the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) and serves on the editorial boards of Morningstar Magazine and the Journal of Retirement.

Blanchett holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from the University of Kentucky, a master’s degree in financial services from The American College, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a doctorate in personal financial planning from Texas Tech University. Blanchett holds the Chartered Financial Analyst®, Certified Financial Planner™, Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), and Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst™ designations. Follow David on Twitter: @davidmblanchett

Alaina Bompiedi

Alaina Bompiedi is a manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. She assists with fixed-income coverage and contributed to Morningstar’s monthly closed-end fund newsletter until it ceased publication in May 2017.

Before assuming her current role in 2016, Bompiedi was a client services representative for the Morningstar Office and Morningstar Direct platforms.

Bompiedi holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Chicago.

Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown, CFA, is a senior equity analyst on the finance team for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers apartment, healthcare, and hotel REITs and real estate service companies in the United States.

Before joining Morningstar in 2018, Brown worked at an asset-management company focused on global real estate, spending nine years covering healthcare and hotel REITs.

Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Alfonzo Bruno

Alfonzo Bruno is a senior equity analyst for Morningstar Research Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers fixed-income strategies across the globe, inclusive of open-end mutual funds and separately managed accounts.

Before joining Morningstar in April 2018, Bruno spent more than three years at the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, where he was directly responsible for asset allocation, manager selection, risk management, and performance analysis within the firm’s public markets portfolio. Prior to IMRF, Bruno worked as a performance analyst for Aon Consulting in Chicago.

Bruno holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Alex Bryan

Alex Bryan, CFA, is director of product management for equity indexes at Morningstar.

Before assuming his current role in 2016, Bryan spent four years as a manager analyst covering equity strategies. Previously, he was a project manager and senior data analyst in Morningstar's data department. He joined Morningstar in 2008 as an inside sales consultant for Morningstar Office.

Bryan holds a bachelor's degree in economics and finance from Washington University in St. Louis, where he graduated magna cum laude, and a master's degree in business administration, with high honors, from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. In 2016, Bryan was named a Rising Star at the 23rd Annual Mutual Fund Industry Awards.

Sarah Bush

Sarah Bush is the director of investor relations for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. She directs the firm’s manager research analyst team in North America.

Before assuming her current role in 2019, Bush was director of manager research for fixed-income strategies, North America. Bush rejoined the firm in 2011 as a senior manager research analyst for fixed-income. Prior to that, Bush served from 2006 to 2010 as director of development and then director of investor programs for IFF, a community development financial institution that provides loans and real estate consulting to nonprofits serving low-income communities in the Midwest. Previously, she spent four years at Prudential Capital Group, an investment arm of Prudential Financial, where she researched, recommended, and negotiated private placement debt investments. Bush originally joined Morningstar in 1997 as a mutual fund analyst.

Bush holds a bachelor’s degree in history and mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, where she graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a master’s degree in business administration, with concentrations in finance, economics, and international business, from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Claire Butz

Claire Butz is a manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. She covers equity strategies.

Before her current position, Butz worked as a product consultant for Morningstar Office, the firm’s portfolio management platform for financial advisors. Additionally, she spent two summers at Morningstar, one of which was spent on the equity strategies team.

Butz holds a bachelor’s degree in cognitive science from the University of Michigan.

David Carey

David Carey is an associate manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers equity strategies.

Prior to assuming his current role, Carey served as a customer support representative for Morningstar Direct and was also a data journalist, writing articles for Morningstar Research Portal and Morningstar.com.

Carey holds a bachelor's degree in finance and business analytics from Benedictine University.

Greg Carlson

Greg Carlson is a senior manager research analyst, equity strategies, for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He focuses on a variety of domestic-equity, international-equity, and quantitative strategies. He is the lead analyst on the American Century, Artisan, First Eagle, and Janus Henderson fund families.

Before joining Morningstar in 2003, Carlson worked as a writer and editor for Mutual Funds magazine for six years.

Carlson holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Florida.

Drew Carter

Drew Carter is a manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He is responsible for qualitative research on equity strategies in the United States from asset managers including BlackRock, Lord Abbett, and Artisan Partners.

Before joining Morningstar in 2014, Carter was an editor and reporter for six years at Pensions & Investments in London and Chicago.

Carter holds a bachelor's degree in literature from the University of Miami and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Mark Cash

Mark Cash is a senior equity analyst on the technology team for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers networking and cybersecurity stocks.

Before joining Morningstar in 2018, Cash spent eight years at a leading LED technology company as a product manager with profit-and-loss responsibility after various product development roles.

Cash holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Northeastern University’s College of Engineering. He also holds a Master of Business Administration, with a finance concentration, from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Wing Chan

Wing Chan is Head of Manager Research, Europe and Asia-Pacific at Morningstar Asia Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He is responsible for leading Morningstar’s international manager research practices and analyst teams in 11 offices outside of North America, producing qualitative ratings and insightful research for investors around the globe. In addition, Wing oversees the delivery of manager research services to financial institutions and intermediaries in Asia. Chan was previously Director of Manager Research Practice, EMEA & Asia.

Prior to joining Morningstar in 2013, Chan was an investment counsellor for EFG Bank, where he advised on investment solutions and contributed to the bank’s mutual fund research and due-diligence effort in Asia. He also worked as an investment associate for Macquarie Private Bank and as an investment consultant for Lonsec Limited.

Chan holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance, with merit, from the University of New South Wales.

Josh Charlson

Josh Charlson, CFA, is a director, manager selection, for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. Charlson provides fiduciary services for retirement plans and is responsible for selecting portfolio managers and mutual funds.

Previously, Charlson was a director of manager research focused on alternatives research. He was an editor of the Alternative Investments Observer, a quarterly newsletter. Charlson was also a member of Morningstar's ratings committee for alternative strategies and the stewardship committee that oversees the manager research team's assessment of fund companies.

Before assuming the role overseeing the alternatives team in 2014, Charlson was a strategist for the manager research team, covering a number of risk parity, target-date, and other fund-of-funds strategies. He oversaw Morningstar's annual target-date series research white papers as well as its quarterly target-date series reports and ratings.

Prior to Charlson's role as a strategist, he served as a hedge fund analyst for Morningstar for two years and as a senior editor for Morningstar Associates for seven years, where he focused on retirement planning and advice solutions. Charlson began his career at Morningstar as a mutual fund analyst.

Charlson holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Michigan, as well as a master's degree and doctorate in English from Northwestern University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Josh Charney, CFA

Josh Charney, CFA, is a manager for quantitative research, a unit of Morningstar, Inc. He primarily works on the Morningstar Quantitative Rating for managed products and MQR Analysis, which generates automated text for managed investments that have Quantitative Ratings. Prior to becoming manager, Charney was the methodology lead for MQR and spearheaded the methodology for MQR Analysis.

Before joining quantitative research in early 2020, Charney was an associate director for the capital markets group and a senior analyst on the outcomes-based team for Morningstar Investment Management. Prior to 2016, he was a manager research analyst and team lead in the alternative strategies group.

Charney joined Morningstar in 2010, after earning a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation

Jackie Choy

Jackie Choy is director of passive investment ratings for Morningstar Asia Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He is responsible for the overall leadership of Morningstar's global research and ratings for passive investment strategies. Choy was previously Morningstar's director of exchange-traded fund research in Asia.

Prior to joining Morningstar in 2012, Choy was an investment analyst covering Hong Kong real estate securities for Cohen & Steers. Before joining Cohen & Steers in 2010, he was a research analyst for Nomura/Lehman Brothers, covering Hong Kong and China real estate securities.

Choy has a master's degree in mathematical sciences from the University of Oxford. He is a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Carter Cofield

Carter Cofield is a certified public accountant who is dedicated to helping business owners save money on taxes. He's spent years learning the best tax savings strategies so that he can teach them to entrepreneurs and business owners everywhere. He’s also the owner of Cofield’s Concepts which is a financial literacy website teaching people how to make more money, pay fewer taxes, and be their own boss! You can check out his website and podcast for free resources at cofieldsconcepts.com. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Morningstar. Follow Carter on Twitter: @Cofield_Advisor

Brian Colello

Brian Colello, CPA, is a technology sector director for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. In addition to leading Morningstar’s technology sector team, he covers semiconductor and hardware companies. Colello was a senior equity analyst before assuming his current role in 2015.

Before joining Morningstar in 2008, he worked in public accounting for KPMG and served as a manager in corporate finance for BMG Music, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG.

Colello holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bucknell University and a master’s degree in business administration from Wake Forest. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Eric Compton

Eric Compton, CFA, is an equities strategist for Morningstar Research Services LLC, covering the U.S. and Canadian banking sectors, including the U.S. money center banks, U.S. regional banks, and the Big Six Canadian banks.

Before joining Morningstar in 2015, Compton was a business analyst for ESIS, a global provider of risk management products and a subsidiary of ACE Group. Compton holds a bachelor’s degree in applied health science from Wheaton College. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Damien Conover

Damien Conover, CFA, is the director of healthcare equity research for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He is also director of equity strategy, responsible for helping to shape, package, and surface research based on Morningstar’s investment philosophy by working closely with the firm’s sector strategists and directors.

Before joining Morningstar in 2007, Conover was an equity research analyst covering the healthcare sector for Raymond James, Bank of Montreal, and Tucker Anthony.

Conover holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance from the University of Wisconsin and was a member of its Applied Security Analysis Program. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Damien Conover, CFA, is the director of healthcare equity research for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He is also director of equity strategy, responsible for helping to shape, package, and surface research based on Morningstar’s investment philosophy by working closely with the firm’s sector strategists and directors.

Before joining Morningstar in 2007, Conover was an equity research analyst covering the healthcare sector for Raymond James, Bank of Montreal, and Tucker Anthony.

Conover holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance from the University of Wisconsin and was a member of its Applied Security Analysis Program. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Nandita Das

Dr. Nandita Das is a professor of finance and the director of the CFP-board registered financial planning program at Delaware State University. She also advises clients on financial planning through Das Financial Health, LLC.

Nandita Das has published over 15 academic papers in peer-reviewed journals and over 30 presentations and conference proceedings both at the national and international level. She is a speaker, and her speaking engagements range from cultural competency and inclusion in the financial services profession to empowering the public with financial literacy. She is a recipient of 2021 Fulbright-Nehru Scholar Grant where she will be collaborating with a premier Indian Educational Institution on “Sustainable Investing & Portfolio Management- A global perspective”. Follow Nandita on Twitter: @NanditaFinPlan

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Morningstar.

Jesse Dashefsky

Jesse Dashefsky is an associate manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers multiasset and alternative strategies.

Before joining Morningstar in 2017, Dashefsky worked as an editor at Big Think, a digital media startup in New York City. He also completed a legislative internship in a congressional office in Washington, D.C., and a research internship for BEworks, a behavioral economics consulting company.

Dashefsky holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Swarthmore College and a master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago.

Lee Davidson

Lee Davidson, CFA, is the head of global manager research and global quantitative research for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

Before assuming his current role in 2021, Davidson was head of quantitative research for Morningstar, Inc. Previously, he held roles as a senior analyst on the quantitative research team and as an analyst on Morningstar’s passive strategies manager research team, covering European-domiciled commodities, Asian-equity, and fixed-income exchange-traded funds. He joined Morningstar in 2010 as a product consultant.

Davidson holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Christopher Davis

Christopher Davis is senior manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers U.S. equity funds, specializing in quantitative, small-cap, and healthcare strategies. He also sits on the Morningstar Parent Ratings Committee.

Prior to assuming his current role in 2016, Davis led Morningstar's Canadian manager research team and oversaw its thought leadership efforts first as director and then as strategist. From 2000 to 2012, Davis was an analyst for Morningstar's manager research team, where he oversaw coverage of Fidelity Investments and was the editor of the Fidelity Fund Family Report. He also served as the lead analyst on other asset managers including Baron, FPA, and T. Rowe Price. Davis joined Morningstar in 1999 as a data analyst and became a fund analyst in 2000.

Davis holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Illinois.

Abhinav Davuluri

Abhinav Davuluri, CFA, is a strategist for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers microprocessors, wafer manufacturing equipment, and other companies in the semiconductor space.

Before joining Morningstar in 2015, Davuluri spent two years as a process engineer for Intel.

Davuluri holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Samuel Deane

Samuel Deane is a financial advisor and CEO of Deane Wealth Management, an independent investment advisory firm for Millennials in technology. Samuel specializes in comprehensive financial planning, equity compensation, and tax planning. Follow Samuel on Twitter: @samuelsdeane

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Morningstar.

Aaron Degagne

Aaron DeGagne is an equity analyst, financial services, for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He contributes primarily to the research coverage of South American banks and Canadian insurance companies and conducts general research on the global financial-services sector.

Before joining Morningstar in 2017, DeGagne was an accounting intern for Campgroup and completed two lending-group internships with RBC Capital Markets.

DeGagne holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Gabriel Denis

Gabriel Denis is a senior manager research analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

Denis assists with parent research and is a member of the global parent ratings committee, which oversees the assignment of Morningstar Parent Pillar ratings for all investment managers under coverage. Additionally, he helps coordinate environmental, social, and governance research and is a member of the asset-manager and strategy ESG Commitment Level ratings committees.

Prior to his current role at Morningstar, Denis focused on fixed-income strategies and published research on sustainable bond strategies and broad taxable fixed-income market trends. Before joining Morningstar in 2016, Denis served with AmeriCorps Vista in Baltimore.

Denis holds a bachelor's degree in history from Johns Hopkins University.

Gabrielle Dibenedetto

Gabrielle DiBenedetto is a data journalist for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. She works to tell stories and create visualizations using Morningstar’s broad spectrum of data and research.

Before assuming her current role in 2018, DiBenedetto was a client-services representative for the Morningstar Direct and Morningstar Office platforms. Prior to that, she interned at Boston Magazine, covering startup companies and venture capital. She also interned on the business desk at the Wisconsin State Journal, covering local business development.

DiBenedetto holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Follow Gabrielle on Twitter: @gr_dibenedetto

Matthew Dolgin

Matthew Dolgin is an equity analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. He covers companies in the technology sector.

Before joining Morningstar in 2016, Dolgin was a compliance examiner for the National Futures Association.

Dolgin holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Northern Illinois University, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame, and a juris doctor degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Rianka R. Dorsainvil

Rianka R. Dorsainvil, CFP is the co-founder and co-CEO of 2050 Wealth Partners, a virtual, fee-only comprehensive financial planning firm dedicated to serving first-generation wealth-builders, entrepreneurs, and thriving professionals. She also hosts 2050 TrailBlazers, a podcast aimed to address the lack of diversity in the financial planning profession by engaging industry experts and leaders in conversation. Follow Rianka on Twitter: @Rianka_D

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Morningstar.

Sponsor Center