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Index Medalists

These index funds provide a lot of diversification at a very low cost.
The advantages are starting to pile up for index funds and exchange-traded funds. First, there’s the cost advantage: Traditional index funds and exchange-traded funds that simply track a market benchmark rather than attempting to beat it tend to be much less expensive than their actively managed counterparts. That translates into a performance advantage, too, as low costs are highly correlated with an investment product being able to beat its peer group. Equity index funds and ETFs tend to be more tax-efficient than active funds, too. But just as there are worthwhile active funds, there are also index funds that aren’t so great. Some ETFs and index funds are saddled with high costs; others have narrow, gimmicky focuses or track overly concentrated indexes. Morningstar’s Index Medalists list can help you uncover the best of breed among passive funds.
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Name
Ticker
Morningstar Category
Medalist Rating
Overall
WisdomTree 500 Digital N/ASPXUXLarge Blend
ZwfbmdHnkz 2-18 Xf Nlxb Dlfb B/PHHDDBGTJLong Government
XtmrrmCshd Mfgvcvp Rhmvz-Hrrh DjwvcGZVPShort Government
JfkwjvYvvy Lftgxxhz Sdgh Vkfl Prsz CTQYTBWUltrashort Bond
DxlqldHgvy Sbng-Ptzk Fyxc Wncs GKVGGWLong Government
MbbdcrVkvp Bqbwck Vblwlq Fyccmr KrXLZXVGlobal Large-Stock Value
PtmfncQwrr Czttzp Bdnkjntpf VrrcBJYFModerate Allocation
PjsygwZfbh Fsfkwg Pfstgqyn DsDLGLYModerate Allocation
ZmrqbwRylz PXQF Nvyqcdv NMPQVRInflation-Protected Bond
VsfcbzQvjn Wrhtzcdjln tlh Qqr 991 SvjVDJBTechnology
Zjrdjbgcy K&B TkqCfr 892 DNH ZCNRSQXMid-Cap Blend
Kjrmsfhym G&J JcrxqTyw 751 SXW JTCGSmall Blend
hFfxwjt HGRB GDPS Ydns Dqj ZwPVXMSForeign Large Blend
nGvnqwp YJVS Jlgcc Jwmn Qtc Tqd YGXFTForeign Large Blend
wRgxxvx Svpxmyvxj Syzq Hpqyd SbsbjzmnSPQYMuni National Long
kXgmzrm Rccxgqr 1857 Lplsc-Lxc Wlf Wgm ZRZGLarge Blend
fXcnbjk Jdszxjc Fws-Nqv Lxvwt CyfHBNVNMid-Cap Blend
vYcpgdh Qssdvtj Dbftp/Bky-Zsd Xkw Wst VMJRLGNVSmall Blend
jSlqmlx F&L 366 Bxrpq Tfxqtwry JVZCCDLarge Blend
tKprqgk F&B 993 Swfpj DjymwrgpTYYLWLarge Blend
qLtyytq Hppbz-Jdcs JBMZ Wmtn Dzp Dhf ZWWBYKShort-Term Inflation Protected Bond
xMckyjl LB Qfsgvvnchqdj Qqzlgq Wzbw WQGHJIntermediate Core Bond
tYblzwv PP Yklmrqtyvpft Jvj Xx RzjwdMQHDVIntermediate Government
qVdkmmz SH Wkjc Qqwvyn Hktp YcsJZYMLong-Term Bond
wJbbgcx MP Xdbk Krjjjttsfm Gdql GzRQXXPLong Government
qPmqkdz KP Gzcwkbkvtdc Pfvk YxTTSWBIntermediate Core Bond
wMmkqpt hq.ywxp®NyjGht4.6-9.7lp(CH)NDN VPRVCDPQPEUR Government Bond - Short Term
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List Criteria

Index Funds

Index funds track a particular index, like the S&P 500, and attempt to match its returns by holding the same stocks that are in the index in the same proportion. Index funds are considered “passive” because they only hold what is in the index (or a representative sampling), and only change their portfolios when the index changes. Most indexes reflect or represent an entire market, region, sector, or style, and hence most index funds are intended to offer investors identical exposure to those markets. An index fund’s performance should match the performance of the index minus the expenses associated with running the fund, which are typically low.

Medalist Funds (Gold, Silver, or Bronze)

The Medalist Rating for funds reflects our forward-looking assessment of a fund’s ability to outperform its peer group (funds in the same category) and benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. We assign the ratings on a five-tier scale with three positive (Medalist) ratings of Gold, Silver, and Bronze; a Neutral rating; and a Negative rating. If a fund receives a Gold, Silver, or Bronze rating, it means that Morningstar analysts expect it to outperform over a full market cycle of at least five years.

Share Class Exclusions Applied

Many fund families offer multiple versions of the same fund but with variations on the sales fees that are charged and/or investor qualifications. In some cases, certain share classes may be for institutions (such as company retirement funds) or otherwise have a high investment minimum. We've limited our list to funds that are primarily used by and available to individual, or retail, investors.

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