Janet Yang, CFA

But another series loses its medal.

Nevertheless, it was a busy month for Morningstar Analyst Ratings.

If your state doesn't offer a college savings plan tax benefit, Gold-rated Invest529 from Virginia is a good choice with low fees and a sensible mix of strategies.

Market timing generally detracts from this category's results, but there are a few funds we like.

Fidelity's Brett Sumsion has trimmed positions in higher-yielding sectors recently as the rest of the market gets more excited about them.

The departure of a long-tenured manager can leave big shoes to fill.

Principal Global Diversified Income and Hartford Balanced Income are worthwhile multiasset funds delivering both income and total return.

Balanced funds come in all shapes and sizes.

Despite disappointing results, there's still an argument for these distinctive funds.

A simple blended index can protect you better.

Investors would have generally done better in portfolios of passive investments than in target-return funds.

Multiasset income funds often pursue yield at the cost of total return.

The results haven't matched the hype for objectives-based funds.

The Utah Educational Savings Plan offers hands-on customization while the Vanguard 529 College Savings Plan works well for less-involved investors.

Target-date funds' built-in discipline makes for an industry anomaly: positive investor return gaps.

An updated ratings methodology brings a few notable changes.

The team at Brown Capital Management Small Company--Morningstar's 2015 Domestic-Stock Fund Manager of the Year--finds sustainable growth potential in firms that save time, lives, money, and headaches.

Buy stock-pickers, avoid sector rotators: large-cap growth edition

So far in 2015, shorter-dated funds are outperforming longer-dated funds.

Investors armed with the knowledge of their state’s tax benefits can readily narrow their 529 plan choices.

The equity side of American Funds' parent company remains among the best, and it's making strides with its fixed-income business.

With their smaller equity stakes, conservative-allocation funds have performed best, while tactical-allocation funds have turned in the worst results.

Highlights from Morningstar's 2015 target-date research through pictures and tables.

Asset managers do all right, too.

Target-date funds haven't been immune from the question of whether to replace or retain the strategy following Bill Gross' departure.

Even the strongest have to evolve.

Separating skill from luck with manager attribution.

Tactical target-date funds are outperforming those that don't zig when the market zags.

Highlights from Morningstar's 2014 Target-Date Series Research Paper.

Morningstar's annual industry study points to Fidelity as the new price leader, replacing Vanguard.

Given Facebook's strong network effect and high switching costs, its direct rivals are a smaller concern than something completely different that might divert users' attention away from social networks, say Morgan Stanley manager Dennis Lynch. Plus: Why Lynch lowered his Apple stake.

Knowing the sources of a company's revenue, not just its country of domicile, is important for investors to get the actual exposures they want, says American Funds portfolio manager Rob Lovelace.

Stock and bond movements in 2014 have created a wide range of outcomes among target-date series from different providers.

Morgan Stanley's growth team rises above the crowds with its flexible process and distinctive culture.

As the target-date series' process evolves, so does its team.

Morningstar's 2013 Domestic-Stock Fund Manager of the Year describes how he and his team size up the growth giants of today and tomorrow.

The firm is evolving in the face of industry trends--and continued redemptions from its funds--but certain hallmarks remain intact.

Is your target-date fund taking the risk you need?

Some manager replacements are more hopeful than others.

Although gold equities have lagged the performance of bullion, miners will do a much better job of executing and delivering margin expansion to investors, says Fidelity's Joe Wickwire.

Fidelity's Andrew Dierdorf discusses how his firm's new open architecture strategies jell with Fidelity's legacy college-savings options.

Recent changes to this fund's portfolio manager structure shows much tinkering going on.

Four funds whose Morningstar Analyst Ratings are worse than their star ratings.

Tracking the web of the family's interlocking managers can be a complicated task.

At least one mutual fund has been able to grab hold of some shares of the social networking company.