Morningstar stamps what it thinks about a fund’s future with this Medalist Rating. You’ve probably seen a star with the word Gold, Silver, or Bronze next to a fund you were researching on Morningstar.com. This represents the fund’s Morningstar Medalist Rating. The manager research team recently reworked and simplified how they judge funds to create a simpler process for investors to understand. The new methodology also brings more transparency and stability. Some funds’ ratings rose, while others fell or held steady. What were the key factors that led to the upgrades and downgrades, and which funds gained or lost status?

Morningstar Senior Principal of Ratings Russ Kinnel was in a room where it happened. Russ, who is also the editor of Morningstar FundInvestor, is here to talk about it.

How Morningstar’s New Medalist Rating Methodology Affects 11 of America’s Largest Funds

On this episode:

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:33 Why Morningstar refreshed its Medalist Rating methodology

00:02:43 How the new criteria evaluate active and passive funds

00:03:07 Rating changes across fund categories and equity style boxes

00:04:09 Fidelity Contrafund, Pimco Income, and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index reviewed

00:06:25 Upgrades for target date, bank loan, and allocation funds

00:08:44 High fees trigger downgrades for some funds

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