Category

Aug 12, 2021

What is a Morningstar Category?

A category is a way to group investments based on similar risk, return, and behavior profiles.

Investments can be categorized by several factors: sector exposure, geographic region, or asset allocation, to name a few. Morningstar categorizes investments using the Morningstar Category.

Different investment categories behave differently. For example, funds in the small growth Morningstar Category have different risks and returns than funds in the large value Morningstar Category. By assessing these category differences, investors can better search for investments that suit their needs.

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How we make money

We sell different types of products and services to both investment professionals and individual investors. These products and services are usually sold through license agreements or subscriptions. Our investment management business generates asset-based fees, which are calculated as a percentage of assets under management. We also sell both admissions and sponsorship packages for our investment conferences and advertising on our websites and newsletters.

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How we approach editorial content

Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investor’s point of view. We also respect individual opinions––they represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.

What is a Morningstar Category?

At a Glance

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How we make money

How we use your personal data

How we approach editorial content