On March 30th, an upgraded version of the desktop edition of Morningstar Direct was released. This version brings the desktop edition to data parity with the web-based version of Morningstar Direct. That means that all data points users could previously find only in the web-based version are now available in the desktop edition.

Here are some quick tips for our Direct clients looking for insights as they prepare for challenging conversations with their clients.

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We will begin publishing daily posts here with links to content that our product and market experts have prepared to help you get the most use out of your Morningstar products, regardless of where you are. Please share your feedback on how we can better serve you and your clients!

The Standard Factor Model is the newest iteration of the Morningstar Risk Model. It contains seven standard investment factors broadly accepted in the investment industry as being important drivers of risk and return. These can be seen in various parts of the web-based version of Morningstar Direct.

As we begin a new year and plan for what is coming in 2020, it is helpful to review the progress Office Cloud has made in 2019.

Before we get too far into 2020 and the year of vision puns, we wanted to take a moment to recap where Direct has been over the course of the past year.

Use a screen to find newly updated funds, build a custom column set to see the data, and read more in the Analyst Take.

Morningstar Model Marketplace continues to grow, adding more model options for advisors.

Three new pre-defined scenarios were recently added to the Scenario Analysis tab for investment and portfolio workbooks. Use the Component Settings icon to select Scenarios > Pre-Defined Scenarios to see them.

A new layout and design make the menu even easier to use.

Learn about the upgraded menu in Morningstar Office Cloud.

In short, we built Morningstar Advisor Workstation specifically for registered representatives with the intent to deliver independent research, high-quality investment data and portfolio analytics, and “point of sale” reporting capabilities that are compliant (e.g. FINRA reviewed reports), easy to understand, and ultimately help financial advisors communicate the value of their investment advice. 

Read about some upcoming user experience enhancements to the web-based editions of Direct and Office

Summer is here, the weather is heating up and what is hotter the Morningstar Model Marketplace?

The latest enhancements to Morningstar's Risk Model.

Read Morningstar’s response to the Envestnet | Tamarac purchase of PortfolioCenter.

Two weeks ago, Joel Bruckenstein (Technology Tools for Today—T3) and Bob Veres (Inside Information) released their 2019 Software Survey. In its third year, the survey reveals the preferences of more than 5,000 advisors as it relates to the tools they’re using and their overall satisfaction with these software products. Read on to find out what they had to say about Morningstar.

As we move into 2019, our focus on making Office Cloud a great platform to work in is even stronger, especially when it comes to making the platform faster and more efficient to the way you work.

Check out the latest developments and hear and about our plans for 2019. 

As 2018 fades away in our collective rear-view mirrors, we wanted to take a minute to reflect on what shaped up to be a very busy, and productive, year.

There's nothing quite like New York City at the holidays, so it was my pleasure to join our team and our customers at the final Morningstar thought leadership forum of 2018. If you weren't able to attend, @Lakman summarized the key take-aways here. We covered everything from asset management to advisor trends, ESG/Sustainability and dug into some serious math with our quant and product team leaders for our Global Risk Model. Still as a relative newbie (I've been with Morningstar 18 months), this was my first Forum in which I was presenting. Here were my aha moments.

Looking for more info on the Sustainability Ratings methodology changes happening this month?

The Sustainability team had a very busy summer and is excited about several new developments that help round out the ESG workflow for our Direct Cloud users.

You can now calculate a Morningstar Sustainability Rating for a model portfolio, client account, or proposal.

Did you know that you can now bill new clients immediately, rather than waiting for next billing cycle?

Learn about upcoming changes to the Morningstar Sustainability Rating

Learn how to create custom Performance Reports with peer analytics, in the new Morningstar Direct Cloud Editions!

Take a look at what's coming next for our Wealth Management users!