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Funds

6 Items

Active Vs. Passive Funds by Investment Category

What are the odds of succeeding with active funds vs. passive funds?

6 Contrarian Investing Ideas

Cupid’s arrow points to six Morningstar categories with high outflows.

How Morningstar Analysts Find Funds to Watch

Borrow tips from our manager research team to assess up-and-coming investment strategies.

U.S. Fund Flows: February Sees a Massive Haul of Inflows

Read on for a category by category breakdown.

How to Flag Investment Style Drift With the Risk Model

Dig into why we downgraded one of Matthews Asia's biggest funds.

All Funds Blog Posts

Portfolio Construction

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Uncover Security Exposure Faster With Portfolio Risk Analytics

Quickly peel apart the holdings in managed investments, models, ETFs, custom benchmarks, and client portfolios to see what’s below the surface.

Stress-Test Portfolios Under Realistic Market Scenarios

Stress-testing your portfolios can prepare you for unforeseen circumstances and put your clients at ease. Here’s how to analyze and build resilient portfolios with Morningstar Direct Lens.

5 Reasons to Use a Holdings-Based Style Analysis for Risk Assessment

Holdings-based style analysis can provide insights advisors need to guide clients toward constructing a less risky portfolio. Learn five benefits of this approach.

A Closer Look at Model Portfolios

Model portfolios are one of the cheapest ways for investors to buy a professionally managed, diversified portfolio and represent a real bargain vs. mutual funds.

All Portfolio Construction Posts

ESG

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How Investors Can Limit Climate and ESG Risk

ESG risks are often less tangible and less immediately visible than traditional financial risks and can be harder to assess. Accurate and reliable data is key to analyzing ESG risk.

How to Build ESG Into the Advisor Workflow

Sustainable investing isn’t all or nothing. Explore how advisors can make ESG factors part of their routine.

How Does Investing in ESG Companies Affect Returns?

Morningstar research uses a new model to compare the returns of companies with strong and weak ESG practices.

Drawing an ESG Materiality Map and Measuring the ESG Practices Around the World

Financial advisors and asset managers can use our latest data to map country indexes' portfolio sustainability scores and ESG material risk. Here's how.

A Look at the Thematic Funds That Offer a Sustainable Focus

Morningstar’s thematic funds' taxonomy provides a new lens to value funds with a sustainable focus. Download our report to understand the ESG nuances.

All ESG Posts

Client Engagement

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Is a Financial Advisor’s Role All About Financial Well-Being Now?

The value investors place on financial advisors is evolving. Now more than ever, clients expect comprehensive advice that improves their financial well-being—which, by itself, is a complex, multifaceted concept.

How to Improve Client Conversations With AI for Financial Advisors

Technical concepts will come up with clients sometimes; it’s inevitable. So how exactly can an advisor strike the balance between explaining them too much or too little?

Why Do Investors Keep Their Advisors?

Every good financial advisor wants to deliver value to their clients. Still, the methods to keeping investors satisfied aren’t always clear. So how can you build long-term relationships and retain clients?

How to Make Goals-Based Investing More Personal

Many investors struggle to articulate their intrinsic motivation, but financial advisors can unlock it with a simple exercise.

Why Do Investors Hire Their Advisors?

Every investor has different goals—and needs. So what motivates people to work with a financial advisor? From handling stock options to preparing for retirement, investors tend to seek help for a wide range of issues.

How Can Your Clients Use New Tools to Reach Investment Goals?

The investing landscape is rapidly evolving. And with that change comes the onslaught of investment tools.

All Client Engagement Posts

Corporate Sustainability

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Get Ready for Sustainability Reporting Requirements

What corporations need to know about mandatory disclosure regulations.

Net-Zero Data Public Utility Platform Makes Climate Data Accessible

With its debut at COP28, the NZDPU improves access to credible data to speed climate action.

Morningstar’s Sustainable Investing Summit: Three Corporate Sustainability Trends

Over 300 industry leaders participated in discussions about climate transition, net-zero goals, and driving impact in sustainable finance.

ESG Strategy: A Guide for Corporate Sustainability

Deepen your understanding of corporate sustainability with this guide from Morningstar. For general readers and financial advisors alike. Download now!

Morningstar’s Latest Corporate Sustainability Report is Here

This year, our Corporate Sustainability Report examines how Morningstar is grappling with some of the biggest challenges facing industry leaders.

Delivering Climate Data Resources

A trusted, central source of verifiable data to track and understand carbon emissions.

The Future of Corporate Sustainability

A focus on the future at Morningstar's first public corporate sustainability discussion.

UN Global Compact: Q&A With Kunal Kapoor

Morningstar signed the U.N. Global Compact in 2021, committing the firm to align our business strategy and operations with the U.N.’s 10 universal principles.

Morningstar’s 2021 Corporate Sustainability Report: Increasing Transparency

The report examines the firm’s commitment to building ESG data, research, and tools for all investors and prioritizing principles of sustainability in our workplace and the communities in which we operate.

Our Decarbonization Strategy and Net Zero Transition Plan

Morningstar’s Climate Transition Plan summarizes our initial approach to executing our organization’s net-zero commitment.

Sustainable Investing

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What Are Sustainable Funds and How Have They Performed?

Advisors who present clients with how they can include sustainable funds in a portfolio and explain exactly what they are can earn clients' trust.

Help Your Clients Tackle Food Insecurity With Personalized Portfolios

Here’s how to guide client sustainability conversations on community issues and use that insight in personalized portfolios.

Which Sustainable Funds Are Fossil-Fuel-Free?

Despite the overall growth of sustainable funds, avoiding fossil-free funds requires a closer look. Learn more in this post by Morningstar researcher Jon Hale.

Sustainable Investing in Government Bonds

ESG Bond Indexes Reveal How Country Risk Changed in 2020

How Can Investors Measure Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?

A Morningstar Index Highlights Corporate Leaders in DEI

All Sustainable Investing Posts

Retirement

14 Items

A Breakdown of Target-Date Mutual Funds in 2024

Investors continue to invest their retirement savings in target-date strategies. Morningstar researchers analyze the landscape and how asset managers are evolving their offerings.

How Can Advisors Deliver Better Retirement Advice?

In a changing retirement landscape, advisors must deliver better advice. Our Morningstar professionals share takeaways from the NAPA 401(k) Summit 2024.

Financial Planning Advice Isn’t Just a Math Equation

Now more than ever, investment expertise and core menu design are table stakes for a retirement plan advisor. And helping the participant tactically with their financial life is at the center of the ask from plan sponsors to their plan advisor.

How to Invest for Retirement: Income Strategies

Retirement income strategies can help clients reach their goals. Morningstar researchers analyze and compare common approaches.

3 Retirement Innovations We're Excited About in 2024

The retirement income landscape is constantly evolving. Here's what advisors and recordkeepers need to consider this year.

Retirement Plan Design: A Look at Managed Account Allocation

A unique retirement plan design can help clients reach their goals. Morningstar experts take a closer look at managed account allocations across siblings.

Retirement Income Strategies to Maximize Savings

Learn what Morningstar has to say about the state of retirement income. Our latest report tests and compares retirement withdrawal strategies

Chart A Retirement Course With A Glide Path Analysis

Use a glide path analysis to determine if the retirement target date is a fit. View the sample bubble chart to tell if your plan's investment is right for participants.

Naive Diversification Effect: The Hidden Cost to Retirement Portfolios

How plan sponsors can help investors avoid the cost of naive diversification.

Could Multiple-Employer Plans Be a Game Changer for Retirement Security?

Considering key questions around the new, sweeping legislation

How Core Investment Menu Size Impacts Participant Investment Decisions in Defined-Contribution Plans

Morningstar’s research counters long-standing belief that smaller core investment menus result in better participant investment outcomes

Target-Date Funds May Not Play Well With Others in Defined-Contribution Plans

Morningstar research explores the profiles of investors who mix target-date funds with other investment options

Managed Retirement Accounts: The Value of Advisors and Consultants

Debunking the myth of a diminished role

All Retirement Posts

Markets

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ESG Voting Policies 2024: What Asset Managers Need to Know

A closer look at the recent ESG voting policies of 10 of the largest US asset managers.

Morningstar’s 2024 Software Industry Outlook

Our analysts see total software revenue growing more than 10% annually through 2027.

Morningstar’s Q1 2024 US Asset Managers Industry Pulse Study

Morningstar researchers analyze the latest Q1 2024 asset managers industry insights.

Four Trends Will Power the Utilities Sector in 2024

Our analysts have an optimistic outlook—here's why.

39 Charts That Track Market Data for Financial Advisors

Keep up with constantly changing markets with the latest from Morningstar analysts and researchers. These charts reveal the financial market shifts that advisors need to monitor in early 2024.

What Advisors Need to Know About Inflation, Recession, and the 2024 Economic Forecast

Forecasting economic conditions in the United States.

2024 Fixed-Income Outlook

Over the last two years, the bond market hasn’t provided the defensive features that investors love. New, higher interest rates present an investing opportunity.

2024 Financial Advisor Trends

What the economy, inflation, and AI mean for investors.

Asset Managers Industry Pulse Study

Our researchers take a closer look at the latest Q4 2023 insights in the asset management industry.

Risk

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How to Measure and Manage Investment Risk

Risk assessments only work if they help advisors understand their clients’ true appetite for risk and then match them to appropriate investments.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Calculate Risk Tolerance in an Economic Downturn

Don’t let your clients’ emotions interfere with their investing success.

Do Investment Risk Profiles Work? How to Calculate Profiles for Top-Notch Financial Plans

The science behind investment risk profiles can feel fuzzy. No wonder why many financial advisors see risk profiles as another compliance requirement to cross off.

How Accurate Risk Profiles Set Clients Up for Long-Term Success

Recession rumblings. Inflation fears. Interest rate hikes. In the palms of their hands, investors have access to market information like never before.

How to Understand a Portfolio’s Risk Exposure

Learn how to leverage the Morningstar Global Risk Model to assess risk exposure for your client's portfolios in this post by equity ratings director Tom Whitelaw. Read more.

Financial Scenario Analysis With Examples

How scenario analysis tools can help investors manage financial risk and evaluate returns.

Our Take on Why Securities-Lending Risk is Overblown

3 key considerations for investors evaluating securities-lending programs

All Risk Posts

Fund Managers

2 Items

Women in Asset Management Are Confronting the Gender Gap

While the asset management industry has made strides toward inclusion, women remain underrepresented.

Female Fund Manager Performance: What Does Gender Have to Do With It?

We looked at if gender affects investment performance. Here's what we found.

Investment Data

3 Items

From Noise to Signal: Using a Closed-Loop Data Model

See what data and models are needed to drive portfolio optimization.

Why We ❤️ Strategy Data

The shift to private equity is creating a need for better data.

Bridging Public and Private Market Data

A roadmap for broader coverage and deeper integration.

Indexes

5 Items

Don't Neglect Investments Outside the US

The strategic case for global diversification is less about noncorrelated assets and more about broadening the investment opportunity set to the fullest.

The Future of Indexing; Who Will Survive? Who Will Thrive?

In recent industry discussions, I've been asked who will win in this industry going forward. The choice appears to be between the small upstarts or the established players. My answer? Neither.

How Did Meta Become a Value Stock and Why Isn't It Considered "Sustainable"?

For long-term shareholders, Meta Platforms, previously Facebook, has been a stomach-churning investment.

Gain Diversified Exposure to Transformational Technologies with the Morningstar Exponential Technologies Index

Companies with significant exposure to innovational technologies can disrupt industries, create new markets, and enjoy strong growth, which can make them attractive investments.

All Indexes Posts

Regulations

4 Items

Burden Vs. Competitive Advantage: Why You Should Embrace Today's Regulatory Environment

Addressing the SEC Marketing Rule and the demand for greater transparency.

How a Changing Regulatory Landscape Presents an Opportunity for Advisors When Conducting Rollovers

Rollovers are the lifeblood of growing assets for any financial advisor—and regulators have taken notice.

What’s New With the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan

A look at the latest developments in the context of the Plan’s overall goals.

All Regulations Posts

Advisors

2 Items

Financial Advisor Technology: How Does Your Firm Compare?

What our advisor survey tells us about technology overload

All Advisor Posts

Personal Investor

5 Items

Introducing Morningstar Investor

The successor to Morningstar Premium helps investors like you navigate the noise.

Why You Should Be a Risk-Taker

Risk-taking investors know they can take control and make smart risks to reach their goals.