Morningstar Runs the Numbers

Inspired by Harper's Index (with a tip of the hat to FiveThirtyEight's Significant Digits blog), Morningstar Runs the Numbers uses a numbers-based approach to highlight recent Morningstar research, along with some outside news stories.

3

As

7%

News surrounding the security of

3 It's never a good idea to buy a stock without considering multiple valuation metrics and understanding how the business works. But it can be particularly perilous to buy a stock with a very high yield without investigating how safe that dividend is. By using qualitative as well as quantitative screens, the Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index can help investors find high-yielding stocks of companies that are financially healthy enough to sustain and even grow their dividend. Here we focus on three recent additions to the index that are selling at attractive discounts to our fair value estimates.

25 If you like puppies (and come on--who doesn't?) check out the Mental Floss list of "25 Adorable Facts About Puppies," complete with cute puppy photos.

3 Equity investors' preferences have been shifting toward index funds for years, and now fixed-income investors are increasingly turning to passively managed funds. Alex Bryan, director of passive research strategies for Morningstar in North America, gives an overview of what types of passive bond funds have been popular with investors. He also names three of our analysts' favorite passive bond funds and discusses why we like them.

6 Are you interested in making changes to your investments to more closely align them with your social values? Director of personal finance Christine Benz outlines six key questions you should ask yourself before you overhaul your portfolio.

Most Popular Articles

• 3 High-Quality Dividend-Payers Selling at a Discount
• How to Extract Income from a Retirement Portfolio
• Our Ultimate Stock-Pickers' Top 10 Dividend-Yielding Stocks
• Slow and Steady Wins the Race--in the Land of Make-Believe
• Our Favorite Dividend-Growth Funds and ETFs

Most Popular Videos

• 3 Funds That Buy Like Buffett
• 3 Undervalued Utilities for Dividend-Seekers
• Benz's Top Tips for Contributing to an IRA
• What Higher Rates, Inflation Could Mean for Bond Investors
• Big Changes for MLPs, but Some Values Remain

Most Requested Stock Quotes Facebook Apple GE Amazon.com CVS Health

Most Requested Fund Quotes Vanguard 500 Index Fidelity Contrafund T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth Vanguard Total Stock Market Index PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth Fund

Most Requested ETF Quotes SPDR S&P 500 ETF Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF Vanguard S&P 500 ETF PowerShares QQQ Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF