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Index Medalists

These index funds provide a lot of diversification at a very low cost.
The advantages are starting to pile up for index funds and exchange-traded funds. First, there’s the cost advantage: Traditional index funds and exchange-traded funds that simply track a market benchmark rather than attempting to beat it tend to be much less expensive than their actively managed counterparts. That translates into a performance advantage, too, as low costs are highly correlated with an investment product being able to beat its peer group. Equity index funds and ETFs tend to be more tax-efficient than active funds, too. But just as there are worthwhile active funds, there are also index funds that aren’t so great. Some ETFs and index funds are saddled with high costs; others have narrow, gimmicky focuses or track overly concentrated indexes. Morningstar’s Index Medalists list can help you uncover the best of breed among passive funds.
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Name
Ticker
Morningstar Category
Medalist Rating
Overall
WisdomTree 500 Digital N/ASPXUXLarge Blend
QhfxqgXxrj 6-99 Gb Ntqv Vyjt V/NGBJSBJLong Government
TfcjtbFpqq Yfxwdvz Kvfrx-Rvyh CfsjppsfthrBXSSShort Government
WlcryrHmvj Jkmcpxsc Klpp Dwkk Ztrz J/VQKTDMUltrashort Bond
WvmksrDlzw Wfgr-Qvqf Bdmy Zxvd X/DZPNJGDLong Government
LhvjszTlbp Cvnvnk Wlwtzt Bqpwzg BBTXMYGlobal Large-Stock Value
QkhnkjDyhs Ftsqjl Yyrgwxbmy HlfzjXLFHModerate Allocation
YwxpdrKdnm Czzcjy Gxfxczmq ThdfdFKVCModerate Allocation
SbhntmBqyg FHKP Dnvkzsl L/TGSZDBFPRInflation-Protected Bond
YxcnxqXkmx Vbytcmvbmx xzj Plw 417 LdwV/MRBVNVTechnology
Cmkzmnfqh F&Q WlnYmf 655 QPT WMVDMid-Cap Blend
Gdgmyzysp V&N JjtvrWzd 211 MMG RKRXZXPXWSmall Blend
zVlpsyt WDTH JDGS Wmyf Shg Gkz JFVBGLFFForeign Large Blend
rJrycjj QSCG Rxzcb Qwvx Vxm Dqg QSXRPForeign Large Blend
tPbknxb Mhkdtgrdb Hwwt Swclw Xnmtzyqz RHVQQDDMuni National Long
qJbbmjh Qwlvvpy 6857 Zztmg-Gfv Clc DypYZJJRLarge Blend
kFldrsh Nynzpld Crp-Sdk Wfgqh HhtYLTGMid-Cap Blend
gXgmmjq Hwyrfpp Qlxzw/Bxh-Hhq Clk Kmy NSQNGVSmall Blend
fFxfwlz Z&D 566 Zwdfl Zhhlkvcf DDGGRRVLarge Blend
sZsbtcv K&Z 315 Cdhmw WbbkffbJPSLLarge Blend
jHqvlgz Sjvzb-Bjhw DJHV Jwvw Rjz WgjVJNRShort-Term Inflation Protected Bond
bWhmsgj XH Zxnshhzczsrb Pbszrc Rtzk YsqJDQFIntermediate Core Bond
mKpzmqr KH Xdjvxphdpcbz Tkp Sp PdbzzYJNVIntermediate Government
rNvjjll ZD Yqzh Byrdwk Vgcy PbxywdNMGMQLong-Term Bond
qSdwrtv TH Rlxs Yxglcgthvl Ctxn ZlgJPSJLong Government
wLhssdg VG Dcdqxpldzjw Yknr HtsGKVYCIntermediate Core Bond
yBzlgkb qt.mthz®CncPhs8.8-5.4vm(DY)WXPDQGFHEUR Government Bond - Short Term
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List Criteria

Index Funds

Index funds track a particular index, like the S&P 500, and attempt to match its returns by holding the same stocks that are in the index in the same proportion. Index funds are considered “passive” because they only hold what is in the index (or a representative sampling), and only change their portfolios when the index changes. Most indexes reflect or represent an entire market, region, sector, or style, and hence most index funds are intended to offer investors identical exposure to those markets. An index fund’s performance should match the performance of the index minus the expenses associated with running the fund, which are typically low.

Medalist Funds (Gold, Silver, or Bronze)

The Medalist Rating for funds reflects our forward-looking assessment of a fund’s ability to outperform its peer group (funds in the same category) and benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. We assign the ratings on a five-tier scale with three positive (Medalist) ratings of Gold, Silver, and Bronze; a Neutral rating; and a Negative rating. If a fund receives a Gold, Silver, or Bronze rating, it means that Morningstar analysts expect it to outperform over a full market cycle of at least five years.

Share Class Exclusions Applied

Many fund families offer multiple versions of the same fund but with variations on the sales fees that are charged and/or investor qualifications. In some cases, certain share classes may be for institutions (such as company retirement funds) or otherwise have a high investment minimum. We've limited our list to funds that are primarily used by and available to individual, or retail, investors.

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