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 Bond funds can serve many purposes in retirees' portfolios. For one, they throw off much needed income. They also can provide some ballast against stock market swings. Here we take a look at two Gold-rated funds and a Silver medalist in the short-term, multisector, and inflation-protected bond categories.

10 In June Morningstar manager research analysts upgraded the ratings of 10 funds, downgraded the ratings of two funds, placed one fund's rating under review, and assigned new ratings to seven funds. After some rigorous due diligence they also affirmed the Morningstar Analyst Ratings of 142 funds.

$25 Casper mattress company has launched a nap store. At The Dreamery, customers can pay $25 for a a private pod where they can take a 45-minute nap on a Casper mattress, furnished with Casper sheets, pillows, blankets, socks, and an eye mask, according to Racked.com.

10 Looking for cheap stocks that share their profits with investors? The Morningstar US Dividend and Buyback Index is composed of companies that return profits to investors through dividends, buybacks, or a combination--what we refer to as total shareholder yield. Here we list 10 undervalued index components.

3 What do you do if you contribute to a Roth IRA, but then realize upon completing your tax return that you were not eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA because income was too high? The penalty for an excess Roth contribution is 6% of the excess contribution ($330 is $6% of $5,500), reapplied annually until the excess contribution is removed from the account. Morningstar contributor Natalie Choate, an estate planning and retirement benefits specialist, runs through three ways to correct this error.

59%/41% The statisticians at 538 give France a 59% chance and Croatia 41% chance of winning it all in Russia. This 538 chart explores the paths each team took to the final World Cup game.

5 We recently awarded narrow moat ratings to five of the lowest-cost upstream oil and gas producers in our coverage. We think these five firms can sustainably earn their cost of capital.

10% We think shares of Pepsi offer a compelling opportunity for long-term investors, given a more than 10% discount to our valuation combined with a 3%-plus dividend yield.

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