Mutual funds can be your best friend—or your biggest money leak.
The difference? Knowing how to pick the right ones.
Morningstar’s Fund Screener takes the guesswork out of the process. It turns endless options into curated, data-driven choices.
Here’s how to use it like a pro.
TLDR: What the Fund Screener Can Do for You
- Filter mutual funds by performance, risk, fees, and more
- Find top-rated funds with Gold, Silver, or Bronze Medalist ratings
- Search by fund family, category, or manager tenure
- Screen for tax efficiency and income generation
- Save custom screens for ongoing research
Read our review and learn how you can get an exclusive discount here.
1. Start with the Right Criteria
Before you dive in, decide what you’re looking for:
- Growth or income?
- Active or passive?
- Domestic, international, or global exposure?
Morningstar lets you filter for all of it. Just toggle what matters to you.
And if you’re not sure? Start with top-rated Gold Medalist funds and refine from there.
2. Filter by the Numbers That Actually Matter
Here’s where most investors get stuck: they chase past performance.
Morningstar lets you go deeper. Filter by:
- 3-, 5-, and 10-year returns
- Expense ratio (lower is usually better)
- Sharpe ratio and standard deviation (for risk-adjusted returns)
- Morningstar risk and return ratings
Now you’re not just picking winners. You’re picking reliable winners.
3. Prioritize Quality with Medalist Ratings
Morningstar’s analyst team assigns Medalist Ratings based on their confidence in a fund’s future performance:
- Gold = Top-tier, high conviction
- Silver = Strong, but with slight concerns
- Bronze = Decent, but less certainty
- Neutral/Negative = Avoid unless you have a really good reason
Use this filter to instantly surface analyst-approved options.
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4. Dig Into Fund Details Before You Commit
Click any fund in your screener results and you’ll get:
- Historical performance
- Fees and expense ratios
- Portfolio breakdown (sector, geographic, etc.)
- Management tenure and strategy
- Analyst commentary on risks and opportunities
It’s like a full background check—before you invest.
5. Save Your Custom Screens
Once you’ve built the perfect screener? Save it.
Morningstar lets you create custom screen presets so you can monitor the same criteria over time.
You’ll be ready whenever new funds hit your radar—or old ones drop off the list.
The Cost? Practically Pays for Itself
Let’s talk cost.
Morningstar Premium runs about $34.95/month or $249/year if you go annual (get $50 off with this exclusive offer).
Think about it: one solid insight from a Morningstar analyst could help you dodge a costly mistake or catch a breakout stock early. That alone can cover the subscription—and then some.
If you’re serious about building long-term wealth, this isn’t an expense.
It’s an investment in making smarter decisions.
Key Takeaways
- Morningstar’s Fund Screener helps you find mutual funds that actually fit your goals
- Use filters for risk, return, fees, and analyst quality ratings
- Medalist ratings quickly highlight high-conviction picks
- Save custom screens to make fund shopping faster and smarter
If you want to stop picking funds based on gut feelings—
Morningstar’s Fund Screener is the upgrade your portfolio needs.
Because when your research is smarter, your returns follow.
[GET AN EXCLUSIVE AT MORNINGSTAR]
Here are additional investment research tools to check out. I’ve always been a big fan of Seeking Alpha. But Morningstar has it’s advantages.
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