Morningstar's investing philosophy

At Morningstar, we aim to simplify the seemingly endless list of available investments and shed light on those designed to be intentionally complex. We accomplish this through rigorous research, elegant design, and analytical tools. These allow investors to distill investments to their fundamentals, understanding how they work, whether they’re worthwhile, and the role they should play in a holistic investment strategy. 

Our research comes from candid analysts who are willing to diverge from conventional wisdom and stand by their opinions. Our analysts work on teams that are truly independent and structurally separate from other Morningstar businesses. They are required to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investor’s point of view. They ask tough questions. They remove the camouflage that disguises many investments and replace it with transparency. They judge every investment by what it does—not what its manager or leadership team says it does. 

Our analysts also use proven methodologies to make sure we’re evaluating every investment according to the same standards. They examine the fundamentals of each investment and consider how it’s likely to perform over the long term. Our approach helps people find undervalued investments they can hold onto and benefit from for years. We are often contrarian—we don’t dismiss investments that have underperformed if their fundamentals look good and we caution investors about high-performing investments that we’re not confident in.