Ben Johnson

More From Ben Johnson

Indexing, Structure Help ETFs Win Tax Battle

Ben Johnson Feb 8, 2018

3 Investing Mistakes to Avoid

Investors spend a massive amount of time trying to make all the right moves and not enough time avoiding the wrong ones.

Ben Johnson Feb 7, 2018

Investors Stay With Vanilla Amid Tremendous ETF Flows in '17

Ben Johnson Dec 28, 2017

A Tale of Two Emerging-Markets ETFs

At face value, these two funds could not be more alike. A closer look reveals significant differences.

Ben Johnson Dec 15, 2017

The Evolution of Emerging Markets

The complexion of emerging-markets stocks has changed dramatically over the past 10 years and will continue to do so.

Ben Johnson Dec 13, 2017

Shattering Myths About Emerging-Markets Investing

Ben Johnson Nov 29, 2017

Vanguard Active ETF Launch No Game Changer

Ben Johnson Nov 28, 2017

My Investing Do's and Don'ts

It's important to focus on the things that you can control.

Ben Johnson Nov 10, 2017

Strategic Beta Is the New Active

Morningstar's Ben Johnson considers the future of factor investors. Plus, two other top take-aways from this year's ETF conference.

Ben Johnson Nov 8, 2017

2 ETF Picks to Harness the Small-Cap Effect

Christine Benz Nov 8, 2017

My Favorite Free Investing Tools

I tell you where you can find them, what you will find, and my favorite features of each.

Ben Johnson Oct 6, 2017

Sizing Up Small Caps

Maximizing the benefits of owning small caps depends in part on how you piece the puzzle together.

Ben Johnson Oct 4, 2017

Why Is the Success Rate of Strategic Beta Falling?

Ben Johnson Sep 22, 2017

Not All Dividend ETFs Are Created Equal

It's important to look beyond these funds' label and understand what is in the tin.

Ben Johnson Aug 25, 2017

Active Managers' Short-Term Success Rates Have Spiked Higher

Despite short-term trends, picking good active managers is hard and keeping costs low is paramount.

Ben Johnson Aug 23, 2017

Why Have Investors Bailed on Low-Volatility Funds?

A bout of underperformance seems to have led many to jump ship.

Ben Johnson Jul 28, 2017

Have Strategic-Beta ETFs Delivered for Investors?

Despite their advantages, on average, these funds haven't been a clear improvement over their cap-weighted counterparts.

Ben Johnson Jul 26, 2017

News From ETF Land: Record Flows and Quincy Jones

Ben Johnson Jul 5, 2017

The Performance Chase Is On in Value

Somewhat ironically, investors' bad behavior ensures the value premium's longevity.

Ben Johnson Jun 23, 2017

MSCI News Has Meaningful, Long-Term Implications

Ben Johnson Jun 23, 2017

Home Bias Blues: Investors Really Should Get Out More

The reasons for sticking to local stocks are fewer by the day.

Ben Johnson Jun 21, 2017

MSCI Takes a Step to Bring China A-Shares Into the Fold

While the near-term impact of the change may be small, the long-term implications could be tremendous.

Jackie Choy Jun 21, 2017

The Death of Active Management Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

Active investing will never die, but it's being forced to evolve.

Ben Johnson Jun 18, 2017

The World's Largest Fund Just Got a Bit Cheaper

It is hard not to like this fund, especially following another fee cut.

Ben Johnson May 19, 2017

Mind the Gap: Active Versus Passive Edition 2017

Investors in low-fee index funds can still rack up big bills by behaving badly.

Ben Johnson May 17, 2017

$4 Trillion, 4 Basis Points, and 4 Times-Leveraged ETFs

Ben Johnson May 17, 2017

Why Active Bond Managers Are Succeeding

Ben Johnson May 2, 2017

Can Your Factor Fund Deliver True Alpha?

Ben Johnson Apr 29, 2017

A Different Way to Frame Fees

Investors know what they are paying in fees, but more should be asking if they are getting what they pay for.

Ben Johnson Apr 21, 2017

Penny-Pinching Index Fund Investors May Pay a Price

Fussing over fees has smaller payoffs as some fund's expenses draw nearer to zero.

Ben Johnson Apr 14, 2017

More About Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson, CFA, is the head of client solutions, working with asset-management clients to leverage Morningstar's capabilities in advancing our shared mission of empowering investor success.

Prior to assuming his current role in 2022, Johnson was the director of global exchange-traded fund and passive strategies research within Morningstar's manager research group. Earlier in his tenure in the manager research organization, he served as the director of ETF research for Europe and Asia. He also previously served as a senior equity analyst, covering the agriculture and chemicals industries. Before joining Morningstar in 2006, he worked as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley.

Johnson holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. In 2015, Fund Directions and Fund Action named Johnson among the 2015 Rising Stars of Mutual Funds.