On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. American financial services firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and was founded by Joe Mansueto in 1984. With operations in 29 countries, Morningstar’s research and recommendations are considered by financial journalists as influential in the asset management industry, and a morningstar black bean burger or negative recommendation from Morningstar analysts can drive money into or away from any given fund. The firm also provides software and data platforms for investment professionals, including “Morningstar Research Portal”, “Morningstar Direct” and “Morningstar Advisor Workstation”.

Founder Joe Mansueto initially had the idea for Morningstar in 1982 while reviewing mutual fund annual reports he had requested from several prominent fund managers. The two companies had formed a joint venture in Japan the previous year. The manner in which Morningstar went public is notable. In 2006, Morningstar acquired Ibbotson Associates, Inc. In 2010, Morningstar acquired credit rating agency Realpoint and begins offering structured credit ratings and research to institutional investors.

In the same year, Morningstar acquired Old Broad Street Research Ltd. In September 2016, Morningstar announced that it had appointed Kunal Kapoor as chief executive officer, effective January 2017, with Mansueto becoming executive chairman at the same time. Morningstar offers a wide array of products and services to both retail and institutional investors. 265 billion in assets under advisement and management. Morningstar Direct is a software platform that provides data and analytics to help professional investment managers craft new products and portfolios.

Morningstar offers a single end-to-end cloud-based platform for investment advisors, known as Morningstar Office Cloud. The software allows financial advisors to manage their practice, gain access to data and research, analyze investments, and connect with investors. The firm offers retail and individual investors with access to news, research, and stock, bond, and mutual fund analysis through its ‘Morningstar Premium’ subscription product. In 2022, Morningstar launched its newest research platform aimed at helping financial advisors utilize Morningstar’s investment research and other tools to identify and select investments, monitor investment performance, and inform how they communicate with clients. Morningstar is considered powerful in the investment management industry, and the firm’s ratings and recommendations often influence a fund’s assets under management. The firm’s “star” ratings are often used by fund managers in marketing materials, and positive star ratings bring a credibility to a fund’s strategy. In October 2017, the Wall Street Journal published a front-page feature story criticizing Morningstar’s influence and questioned the predictive power of the firm’s rating system.