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Insights for Investing Professionals

Stay up to date on topics that range from portfolio construction to sustainable investing. By accessing transparent insights and unique tools, break down today’s investor trends with practical ideas you can apply to your business.

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10 Items

Managing Expectations During Market Downturns

Learn why the next decade's market outlook could make advisor value more critical than ever.

How to Consider Careers in Stock Portfolios

By overlooking human capital, financial advisors might be ignoring an important source of risk at the total portfolio level.

Advisor's Guide: Investing in Emerging Markets

Despite negative sentiment, emerging markets reveal investment opportunities.

Navigating ESG Conversations

The way financial advisors talk about ESG may need to change.

Building Client Confidence: Navigating Uncertainty

Discover how advisors build client confidence amid market turmoil.

Bridging Public and Private Market Data

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

Why We ❤️ Strategy Data

Discover how strategy data connects similar investments and aids asset managers.

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

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

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?

Active Vs. Passive Funds by Investment Category

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

Funds

6 Items

Interval Funds: Benefits, Risks, How They Work

When are interval funds right for a client?

What Financial Advisors Don't Know About Bitcoin ETFs

Has cryptocurrency finally hit the mainstream? How should financial advisors think about its fundamentals?

Are Active ETFs a Lifeline for Active Managers?

What successful actively managed ETFs have in common.

Active Vs. Passive Funds by Investment Category

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

How Mistakes and Discoveries Led ETFs to Reshape Capital Markets

Here's how ETFs have evolved and shaped our market as we know it today.

All Funds Blog Posts

Portfolio Construction

6 Items

How to Consider Careers in Stock Portfolios

By overlooking human capital, financial advisors might be ignoring an important source of risk at the total portfolio level.

How to Uncover Security Exposure Faster

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.

The Rise of Model Portfolios for Advisors

Model portfolios are continuing to gain traction across the industry. With their rise in popularity, the current marketplace is flooded with options. So how can advisors sort through the wide range of choices?

Making Portfolios Personal With Direct Indexing

Read about the fuel behind direct indexing's recent popularity.

All Portfolio Construction Posts

ESG

6 Items

ESMA Rules for ESG Fund Names: Scope, Timeline, Exclusions

The European Securities and Markets Authority set new standards for naming funds with ESG or sustainable terms. Here’s how it affects the EU market.

What You Need to Know About SFDR Article 8 Funds

Look under the hood of first-quarter outflows. See how many article 8 funds launched in 2023.

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.

All ESG Posts

Client Engagement

7 Items

Managing Expectations During Market Downturns

Learn why the next decade's market outlook could make advisor value more critical than ever.

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 Answer "Are You Worth It?" from Clients

Here are four ways for financial advisors to demonstrate value.

Future-Proofing Your Business: The Next Generation of Advice

Many younger investors don’t know what financial planning is. When they go online, the information they find is overwhelming.

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

6 Items

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.

It’s Time to Have the Talk ... About Sustainability

What drives sustainability and how to make sense of ESG data.

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

All Sustainable Investing Posts

Retirement

6 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.

2024 Trends in Retirement Savings and Spending With BlackRock

Dissect emerging trends in retirement income.

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.

All Retirement Posts

Markets

12 Items

Investing in Emerging Markets: A Guide for Advisors

Despite negative sentiment, emerging markets reveal attractive investment opportunities.

Asset Management Trends: 7 Key Ways the Industry is Evolving in 2024

The asset management industry is undergoing significant changes. Discover key trends—and how asset managers can take action.

Morningstar’s Q2 2024 US Asset Managers Industry Pulse Study

Morningstar researchers analyze the latest Q2 2024 asset managers industry insights.

2024 Apparel Industry Pulse Study: What Advisors Need to Know

The apparel industry has struggled to find consistency, but there are attractive long-term opportunities.

Mining Industry 2024: Key Insights for Financial Advisors

Morningstar explores the global landscape on mined commodities.

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.

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.

Practice Management

4 Items

How to Grow a Family Office Without Losing the Personal Touch

Rockefeller Global Family Office is good at being small.

How Have Broker-Dealer Practices Evolved, and What’s Coming Next?

How badly does the market need to re-think its traditional notions of broker-dealers and advisors?

Decode AI Uses in Wealth Management With Fidelity’s Head of Data Strategy

Here's what AI means for wealth management professionals and investors.

How to Grow a Family Office Without Losing the Personal Touch

Unpack strategic growth, consistent culture, and differentiation in a crowded marketplace.

Risk

8 Items

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

5 Items

The SEC’s 2024 Rulemaking Agenda: What’s Ahead for Climate and AI Proposals

Here's what investors need to keep an eye on in 2024.

ESG Regulation: Coming Up or Catching Up?

The impact of new ESG regulation on financial advisory practices.

Not Your Grandfather's Advertising Rule

The nuts and bolts of the SEC marketing rule. Here's how it affects advisors.

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

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

All Regulations 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.

What to Know About the Trend Toward Institutional Investing

Understand the impact and implications of an investing world gone institutional

Top 10 HSA Providers: Our 2018 Assessment

A few are healthy, but most need attention

All Personal Investor Posts