From the Editor: Introducing Morningstar.com Changes

We’re making some changes to Morningstar.com, and you may have noticed the first iteration of these improvements already. While most of what we’ve changed is reflected in the publishing experience for our research analysts and the editorial team, we’re outlining some of what we see as positive features for you and millions of other readers.

And while we know change can be disruptive for our readers as you traverse the well-worn paths to what’s important to you, we believe that what we are launching today will make both finding the features you already love and discovering new content easier. So, here’s what’s new:

The way we are organizing content on Morningstar.com has changed. The sections are: Alternative Investments, Bonds, Economy, ETFs, Financial Advice, Funds, Markets, Personal Finance, Portfolios, Retirement, Stocks, and Sustainable Investing. We see this as an important first step, the groundwork, for building a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate experience. We’ll be building on this foundation with more-detailed categories throughout the year. These 12 sections are just the foundation, and they won’t change.

The navigation has been updated on Morningstar.com. The main navigation across the top of each page will include many of our new sections under each drop-down, with an emphasis on investing ideas and our core topics. An updated sidebar navigation surfaces more helpful links to the content you love, including paths to our podcasts, videos, and email newsletters.

A new article template introduces a more modern design. Our authors have new opportunities to better contextualize their stories, and our charts and graphs will render better across different devices. You’ll also see more of an emphasis on the authors, so readers can see the depth of expertise informing our analysis and commentary.

Our Take on the Stock Market, Powered by Data

Readers may also have noticed a new feature on the Markets hub. We’ve built market updates, powered by natural language processing and our data, to deliver real-time insights and analysis on the stock market.

In short: You’ll be able to see our take on what’s happening in the markets throughout the day; sectors on the rise and what’s declining; and an overhead view of how stocks are moving, according to the Morningstar US Market Index.

You can see “Stock Market Today” during market hours, updating every five minutes. It has quickly become a regular mid-day destination for me.

A Refresh for Christine Benz’s Model Portfolios

A big focus of the changes we are bringing to Morningstar.com is better curated experiences around important topics for investors and financial advisors. To see where we’re heading, check out our revamped experience for Christine Benz’s popular model portfolio examples.

This series of investment portfolio examples provides a strong reference for both retirees and savers as they build their own portfolios. They’re meant to help people visualize what a long-term investment portfolio could look like.

Asset Management Company and Fund Family Insights

Morningstar.com recently introduced asset management company hubs. This new area is intended to put data and analysis into the hands of investors and financial advisors to help evaluate the firm’s lineups, strategies, share classes, flows, fees, historical performance, and more before making an investment decision.

As we continue to improve Morningstar.com, we’d like to hear from you. We value your input and feedback. You can email me directly at editor-in-chief@morningstar.com.

Thanks for reading.