Morningstar Mutual Fund Information
Morningstar, an independent investment research company, offers a variety of services for mutual fund investors. The Chicago-based company follows more than 7,000 mutual funds, as of 2010, and rates them based on performance. You can access some fund information at the Morningstar website without charge, while more in-depth details can be purchased as research reports.
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Basic Fund Information
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Whether you're just starting out in mutual funds or a seasoned investor looking for quick information, Morningstar can serve as a resource for basic statistics. At the Morningstar homepage, when you type in the call letters of a particular fund in the quote box, a screen appears with details such as the daily price change, expense ratio, minimum investment, Morningstar rating and a one-line comment summarizing the fund. The summary page also shows you the fund's top five holdings. This basic information can be used as a starting point for your fund research.
Ratings
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Morningstar rates funds based on a one to five scale, with five being the highest. These ratings are assigned according to performance, adjusted for risk, over three, five and 10 years. Morningstar recalculates the star ratings each month, so you can be sure the ratings data are as up to date as possible.
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Style Box
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Morningstar also offers a style box on each fund summary page. This box explains the investment style of the fund you're researching and identifies value, growth and blend funds, plus the categories of large, mid- and small capitalization. So a large-cap fund that's invested primarily in value stocks will show shading in the area of the box that designates large and value. A quick glance at this box tells you immediately what kind of fund you're reviewing.
Mutual Fund News, Videos and Newsletters
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At its Mutual Fund Insights page, Morningstar offers a variety of articles on fund news and developments. Many of these articles are free; some can be read only with a premium membership. If you'd like to listen to advice on different aspects of mutual fund investing, Morningstar's video reports can be accessed for free. These video reports, which feature Morningstar pros interviewing mutual fund executives and other Morningstar executives, also can be found at the Mutual Fund Insights page. Morningstar also produces a variety of newsletters delivered to your email in-box. You can subscribe for free by registering at the Morningstar website.
Premium Content
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To access more information about a fund, including Morningstar's full analysis of past performance, manager quality and other details, you must pay a membership fee. Morningstar offers a 14-day free trial, so you can sample information on various funds before committing to a full membership. As of 2010, the full membership price is $19.95 per month or $179 per year. You can also purchase two- and three-year memberships for $299 and $399.
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