Morningstar's guides to investing

Morningstar’s Guide to ETF Investing 

ETFs trade on stock exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange, in the same way that stocks do. This is different from mutual funds, for which trades are conducted through brokers or with the investment companies themselves, and for which orders are only processed once a day.  

Since ETFs debuted in 1993, investors have flocked to them because they’re typically cheaper, usually more tax-efficient, and simple to buy and sell. However, their attractiveness can vary substantially depending on the specific fund, so it’s still essential to evaluate each option carefully. 

Learn more about the types of exchange-traded funds, their costs, and how to invest in them with Morningstar’s Guide to ETF Investing.

Morningstar’s Guide to Stock Investing 

At Morningstar, we take an owner-oriented approach to stock investing: when investors buy stocks, we don’t think they’re just buying tickers or stories. Rather, they’re buying partial ownership in companies—and that’s why it’s important to understand a company’s fundamentals before purchasing its shares.  

Our approach to stock investing boils down to three basics:  

1. Having an intimate knowledge of the company’s sustainable competitive advantages 
2. Determining what its shares are worth  
3. Buying the stock only when there’s a significant margin of safety in doing so 

Learn more about how our approach to investing can inform your stock-picking process with Morningstar’s Guide to Stock Investing.

Morningstar’s Guide to Fixed-Income Investing 

How should investors be thinking about their fixed-income investments as interest rates rise and fall? Morningstar’s Guide to Fixed-Income Investing can help you tackle topics such as: 

• Bonds, interest rates, and your portfolio 
• The best bond funds and ETFs 
• Bonds vs. bond funds 

Morningstar’s Guide to Diversification

A diversified portfolio that holds a variety of assets—which may include stocks, bonds, cash, and more—allows you to cope with volatile markets while keeping your money protected and growing.

Morningstar's Guide to Diversification provides insights into how to build a portfolio that includes assets with different performance characteristics—which, as portfolio strategist Amy Arnott emphasizes, "often leads to better risk-adjusted returns than one that relies on a single asset class.”

Morningstar's Guide to 529 Plans

A 529 college savings plan can be a powerful tool when saving for future education expenses because investments in the plan can grow tax-free. In the Morningstar Guide to 529 Plans, you’ll find what you need to know about 529 savings plan options and how to choose a plan and start saving.

The guide also answers FAQs about 529 college savings plans and provides excerpts from our annual list of 529 plan ratings to help you find the best option for your situation.

Portfolio Basics Series

We’ve compiled this series on portfolio basics, detailing some of the larger, more popular categories that are widely used by investors. We discuss considerations, such as the advantages and risks of each category, when each tends to perform best, and how the various categories can complement each other.

Model Portfolios

Whether you’re retired or saving for retirement, Morningstar’s Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning Christine Benz has a collection of investment portfolio examples to show you how to build a portfolio that matches your financial goals.

These Morningstar model portfolios include funds that are well-regarded by our analyst team. You can use them as starting points for choosing an asset allocation and investments that reflect your goals, time horizon, risk tolerance, risk capacity, and expected portfolio withdrawals if you’re retired.