Morningstar

P933alilli

Hi,

           i want to use Morningstar to evaluate certain index funds but i'm having trouble navigating through the site! Do i need to have an account and login before i can use certain functions? 

eskbanker

I think they effectively have three tiers of data:

1. Generally visible to all site visitors
2. Some info restricted to those who register
3. Premium paid content

What exactly are you looking for?

Albermarle

I think sometimes you can sign up for paid content ( such as the full portfolio X ray ) , but with a free trial period , which you can then cancel before any payments become due .
However apparently they make the cancellation process rather difficult...........

P933alilli

Thanks, 
                i think i saw something on a Damian talks money you tube video where you can key in a certain fund on Morningstar and see all the important parameters all on one page. And contrast & compare like for like funds from different platforms. Then, i think there were options within individual funds for past performance but also future expectations from experts within the investment industry looking forward. I think Damien was briefly using the VLS100 as an example. I thought maybe you could bring up info on different global index funds side by side where you could see exactly the areas each fund was spread geographically to help prevent overlap in portfolios? Just using Vanguard, for example, you need to go through multiple clicks , memorise, unless printing off, and then go on to the next fund....then repeat!

dunstonh

      i think i saw something on a Damian talks money you tube video where you can key in a certain fund on Morningstar and see all the important parameters all on one page

The free version is a cut down version of the paid one (just as it is with trustnet - which many prefer to use as its more user friendly).   So, you get some data but not everything.   It really depends on what you are looking for.

gould300

I use the Morningstar free tier to track my portfolio returns. It's been especially useful after transferring between ISA providers as the old provider didn't send across accurate cost information so the P&L data is long gone now apart from via Morningstar. I also track my holdings and transactions in a spreadsheet too.

Also try https://www.trustnet.com for more detailed fund details and Lloyds also provider free fund information without having to have an account.

P933alilli

Thanks, i dont know what i'm looking for tbh! Inspiration probably! I'll bullit list my thoughts and mistakes!

a) In june last year i had a couple of two year fixed savings maturing with approx £50k in total ! So, the interest rates were really low and didnt appear to be moving and i panicked and put £40k into Aldermore @ 1.04% for 2 years. This was before inflation really started going up! And i cannot access that money. Ive thought about writing a letter to Aldermore that i need the money now!

b) About last september a fixed rate isa with £85k matured and i mulled over what to do. But instead of allowing it to stay in the tax wrapper it was in i told Shawbrook to send it to my nominated account. Interest rates were starting to rise but.....how long do you wait? Anyway....fast forward to middle of february, this year and i put 40k into what i thought was a decent rate of 1.5% for a year!
How long dyou wait though? Interest rates may be 3% for a year by christmas or maybe they'll decrease? Probably the former now!

c)  January this year i started considering investing and using a local wealth management firm. I started reading on here and in an educational forum i use that i dont need an investment firm and i should take a look at various Investing platforms to keep costs down.
So, i start drip-feeding £500 per month into VLS60. I can easily put in £20k that i dont need for 10 years and probably same next year! Then my head starts saying if i'm in it for the long haul should i take more risk ....VWRL, Global allcap, LS100?

d) Again in january I upped my private pension contributions with RL to £240 per month so with £720 tax free the max £3600 per year as i no longer work! At the beginning of March the value had decreased which is understandable considering the market volatility. However, i rang last week and the value had increased by £3k in three weeks!

So, basically my head is all over the place! Ive not had a complete disaster but i probably should have gone to an IFA but the advised routes such as Vouchedfor and Unbiased both sent me to these local wealth management firms. One of them is c.3 miles from me and they do use independants. But they would'nt give free advise although i can get an hour free consulatation!Two people locally to me use them and swear by them. I dont know the two people so not strictly word of mouth!

eskbanker

Collyflower1 said:

a) In june last year i had a couple of two year fixed savings maturing with approx £50k in total ! So, the interest rates were really low and didnt appear to be moving and i panicked and put £40k into Aldermore @ 1.04% for 2 years. This was before inflation really started going up! And i cannot access that money. Ive thought about writing a letter to Aldermore that i need the money now!

Unless it's an ISA, you'd be wasting your time trying to extricate yourself from a two-year fix, unless you have some sort of terminal condition - such deals are two-way commitments that can rarely be broken, and certainly not for buyer remorse.

Collyflower1 said:

Interest rates were starting to rise but.....how long do you wait? Anyway....fast forward to middle of february, this year and i put 40k into what i thought was a decent rate of 1.5% for a year!
How long dyou wait though? Interest rates may be 3% for a year by christmas or maybe they'll decrease? Probably the former now!

There's no point in trying to predict interest rates and aiming to optimise your entry point into fixed rate products, then kicking yourself if you get it wrong, so you should just fix when you need to and retain access in other circumstances (see below). 

Collyflower1 said:

So, basically my head is all over the place! Ive not had a complete disaster but i probably should have gone to an IFA but the advised routes such as Vouchedfor and Unbiased both sent me to these local wealth management firms. One of them is c.3 miles from me and they do use independants. But they would'nt give free advise although i can get an hour free consulatation!Two people locally to me use them and swear by them. I dont know the two people so not strictly word of mouth!

It's possible that you could benefit from engaging an IFA but you'd need to be realistic that this is a service you have to pay for.  Alternatively you could step back from your apparent attempts to jump from one idea to another and identify your financial objectives before planning the best way to meet them, encompassing how much money you need relatively easy access to, how much can be locked away for, say, 2-5 years, and how much can be invested for longer timeframes.

Alexland

Some platforms such as AJ Bell give access to the Morningstar X Ray tool for customers when they are logged in. I have yet to find any good reason to sign-up or subscribe directly to their service.

Albermarle

Alexland said:

Some platforms such as AJ Bell give access to the Morningstar X Ray tool for customers when they are logged in. I have yet to find any good reason to sign-up or subscribe directly to their service.

If AJ Bell are like Fidelity, you only get the X ray of your investments on that platform .
If you have multiple platforms, pensions etc , I think you have to pay Morningstar to get a full X ray .
Although if I remember correctly you can get a free one on Morningstar but only for a max 10 investments . Also it does not recognise all insured pension funds, like Scottish Widows , Aviva etc

Alexland

Albermarle said:

If AJ Bell are like Fidelity, you only get the X ray of your investments on that platform .
If you have multiple platforms, pensions etc , I think you have to pay Morningstar to get a full X ray .
Although if I remember correctly you can get a free one on Morningstar but only for a max 10 investments . Also it does not recognise all insured pension funds, like Scottish Widows , Aviva etc

AJ Bell's X-Ray is more advanced than Fidelity as you can build a basket of any 10 investments regardless of if you hold them and put in percentage allocations. Probably the same as you are describing on the direct free access but no need to register an account with Morningstar.