Will Danoff: ‘Be Very Careful of Unprofitable Companies’

We’re taping this podcast live at the Morningstar Investment Conference, where we’re delighted to be joined by Fidelity’s Will Danoff. Will runs a number of Fidelity equity strategies, the best known of which is Fidelity Contrafund FCNTX, a mutual fund he’s been managing since September 1990. Morningstar named Will its Domestic-Stock Manager of the Year in 2007. Prior to becoming a portfolio manager, Will served as a retail analyst at Fidelity and assistant portfolio manager at Fidelity Magellan FMAGX. He graduated from Harvard University and earned his MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Will, welcome back to The Long View. Episode Highlights 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:56 Investing Origins and Early Influences 00:00:53 Retail Analysis and Unit Economics 00:10:29 Reg FD Changes and Adapting Research Processes 00:15:00 Identifying Durable Competitive Advantages 00:19:24 SpaceX and Buying Private Companies 00:22:40 Investing Mistakes and Avoiding Unprofitable Companies More From Morningstar 2026 Morningstar Investment Conference: From SpaceX to Safeguarding Retirement Here’s Fidelity Contrafund’s Will Danoff’s Secret Sauce As Legendary Manager Will Danoff Leaves Fidelity, Should Investors Follow Him Out the Door? If you have a comment or a guest idea, please email us at TheLongView@Morningstar.com. Follow Christine Benz (@christine_benz) and Ben Johnson (@MstarBenJohnson) on X, and Christine Benz, Amy Arnott, and Ben Johnson on LinkedIn. Visit Morningstar.com for new research and insights from Christine, Ben, and Amy. Subscribe to Christine’s weekly newsletter, Improving Your Finances. If you want more Morningstar podcasts, check out The Morning Filter and Investing Insights. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.