CHICAGO, March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc.
(NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment
research, has launched a new alternative investments center as part
of several enhancements to MorningstarAdvisor.com, a free website
that provides financial advisors with practice management
information, investment trends, and industry insights.
"Advisors play a crucial role in educating their clients about
alternative investments because these vehicles are increasing both
in popularity and complexity," said Nadia
Papagiannis, Morningstar's director of alternative fund
research. "Now, advisors have a comprehensive resource for
providing clients with a more complete perspective on alternative
investments."
In addition to the new Alternatives tab, the site now contains
Morningstar market tools and an expanded video library featuring
interviews with top portfolio managers and newsmakers, analysts,
and some of the leading voices in the advisory community, along
with access to select research reports on funds, stocks, ETFs,
closed-end funds, and alternatives.
"We want to create a destination site where financial advisors
can find timely information to improve their practices as well as
help investors who depend on their guidance," said Chris Boruff, president of Morningstar's
software division. "Our free portal connects with the Morningstar
advisor software platforms they use every day for their financial
planning and portfolio management tasks."
The site currently has three main content tabs: Alternatives,
Practice Management, and Research and Insights.
- Alternatives, the site's newest tab, provides detailed
educational information and analysis of alternative investments, in
vehicles such as hedge funds, ETFs, mutual funds, and separate
accounts; weekly articles discussing the latest on alternative
investment topics and trends; access to Morningstar's comprehensive
quarterly Alternative Investments Observer newsletter; video
interviews with alternative investment managers; downloadable
handbooks explaining different alternative strategies; and a
Solution Center featuring videos and slides designed to help
advisors educate their clients about alternative investments.
- The recently expanded Practice Management tab includes
advisor profiles, fiduciary topics, technology news and reviews,
and best practices for building an advisory business.
- Research & Insights features in-depth interviews
with leading portfolio managers, research on college savings plans,
screening tips for the best stocks and funds for a client
portfolio, sector spotlights, and commentary from Don Phillips, Morningstar's president of fund
research.
The enhanced site also features additional components for social
interactivity, a discussion feature allowing advisor dialogue and
debate on articles and industry issues, a webinar audio archive,
and links to Morningstar's advisor services, publications, and
software platforms—Morningstar Advisor Workstation, Morningstar Office, and Morningstar
Principia.
RAMP, a web content optimization company based in Woburn, Mass., worked with Morningstar to
develop the new user interface and menu navigation, adding faster
search and browsing capabilities, and integrating an iPad-enabled
video player with a searchable transcript feature.
About Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent
investment research in North
America, Europe,
Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of
products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and
institutions. Morningstar provides data on approximately 375,000
investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar
vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 5
million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and
precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury
markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services
through its investment management subsidiaries and has more than
$180 billion in assets under
advisement and management as of Dec. 31,
2011. The company has operations in 27 countries.
©2012 Morningstar, Inc. All
rights reserved.
MORN-P
Media Contact:
Shawn Malayter, 312-696-6050,
shawn.malayter@morningstar.com
SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.