Pros

-Casual dress code
-great 401K & health benefits
-flexible work hours
-ability to take a day off when needed
-friendly people

Cons

-Under paid & over worked, which is why they have such a young workforce they can pay whatever they feel.
-You quickly realize that it's a job not a career
-No career development whatsoever, short of someone leaving it is difficult to move up
-You can remain in the same position for years and your salary will be the same
-Laid back attitude manages to permeate it's way into everything including everyday processes making it difficult to get things done and putting client needs at risk
-Wasteful spending on things the company does not need and as a result the workforce suffers

Advice to Senior Management

The first thing Morningstar can do is to respect people and what they bring to the table. And the best way to do that is with a consistent raise every year - assuming a good review. That way employees feel that the long hours and hard work they have been doing means something. Furthermore, allow employees to be curious and foster an environment where employees can harness that curiosity to learn new skills and build a strong career. Lastly, stop wasting money on superfluous things like summer parties and chandeliers that cost 50K - because that is money that can be spent to build employee loyalty.

Pros

Relaxed environment from attire to personalities
Generous benefits when available
Accomodating management

Cons

Way below industry-level pay
Not suitable for those who thrive in pressured environments

Advice to Senior Management

Remunerate your staff better otherwise you will never retain your staff in the long term.

Pros

Overall in good times a great company to work for, w/ a great benefits package, intelligent and motivated individuals that are a pleasure to work with, and many opportunities to move around and develop your skill sets. Management is very approachable.

Cons

Morningstar touts its benefits heavily in the interview process, and for good reason, as this largely makes up for lower salaries relative to the industry. In bad times, true colors may show. In 2009 the company, though profitable, cut numerous benefits, including the large 401k match, the professional/educational stipend, and the tuition reimbursement. These were all cut without notice, and students enrolled in expensive programs (e.g. Chicago/Booth School at ~$100k cost of education) were not grandfathered in. Despite these painful cuts, employees are still encouraged to investigate and recommend potential acquisition opportunities. The cuts have been justified as a means of avoiding job cuts in bad times, yet each month positions are cut and people who have spent much of their career with the company have found themselves out of a job in a very cold job market.

Advice to Senior Management

2009 may have caused Morningstar to lose some credibility with some of its most dedicated and hard-working employees. I notice from my peers an unusually high level of stress and in many cases some uncharacteristically long hours being worked since the start of 2009. You may need to be proactive as the job market turns to avoid loosing valuable and hard-to-replace individuals. I know that this tough year was a first for management and I appreciate your intentions to make the best of a difficult situation. Overall, I personally am proud to work for the company and hope that the worst is behind us.

Pros

1) Short hours
2) Good, comprehensive benefits
3) Funny, interesting people
4) An excellent vacation policy ("take as much as you want" officially, but unofficially four weeks)

Cons

Some managers are not mindful of the implicit trade-off of Morningstar's compensation scheme: lower pay for leisure time. If you have a slave-driving manager, Morningstar's leisure-time advantage is nil; you might as well just quit.

Advice to Senior Management

Make an effort to rein in the (rare) slave-driving managers. They destroy morale and increase turnover.

Pros

Great people that you actually enjoy spending time with. The company on a whole does very interesting work, but your position itself may not be so interesting.

Free bagels every Wednesday is a plus, and there are 'patio parties' with free beer each month during the summer. People get out of the office and socialize

The schedule is fair, and vacation time is good - almost everyone takes 3 weeks per year.

Cons

Pay could be better, work can become a little repetitive.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more transparent about what a position will involve

Pros

Smart people, transparent policies, low level of bureaucracy, fantastic benefits. The competency rate of the technical people seems to hover around 80% which is actually quite good for a company of its size.

Cons

Communication and data sharing between divisions can be painful.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work!

Pros

Great corporate culture. Relax and friendly. Everybody is nice and helpful. Great hour (9-5) for most of the time. Good benefits. Great vacation policy (most people take more than 15 business days off each year).

Cons

Pay, pay and pay. Mstar is so underpaying its employees. I can't think of anything else bad about this company.

Advice to Senior Management

It would be nice to be more honest about what Mstar does in recruiting. Cut the "we are an independent investment research firm" crap. Mstar is a financial data provider. No one buys Mstar's equity research/fund research. They get it as part of Mstar's license data, which is the largest revenue source of the company. I mean, I don't mind working for an information providing financial service firm, but just don't pretend to be a real financial research firm.

Pros

A entrepreneurial atmosphere and generally great people to be around. The wealth of knowledge here is a huge boost for perks at Morningstar. Benefits, including medical, etc., sabbatical, no close monitoring of vacation and / or sick days, graduate degree assistance, the list goes on and on.

Cons

As mentioned, compensation might be on the low side. People starting a year later for the same position get a salary that is higher by 10%? When I found this out, I was quite irritated. Also, some roles might be mundane starting out, but every person needs a starting point in life, so somewhat expected.

Advice to Senior Management

To remain competitive and keep people happy, consider paying out higher salaries and/or bonuses. This is the biggest complaint I have about the company, but overall, it really is a great environment that fosters growth and development.

Pros

Excellent teamwork spirit. Flexibility to take time off when you need it. Managers are very approachable. Even under stress circumstances, people tend to have a good sense of humor. You can "feel" that the company cares about the employees.

Cons

Poor compensation package. Salaries seem to be lower than those of competitors

Advice to Senior Management

Company should pay more attention to salaries.

Pros

Great benefits and a truly entrepreneurial environment...new analysts are given immediate responsibility. More flexible working conditions and fewer hours than is typical in the financial services industry.

Cons

A good place to start your career and learn how to cover an industry, but turnover is high...the better analysts realize that they could be earning much higher compensation almost anywhere else.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on retention of the better analysts by fostering more interest in their personal and professional development. A better bonus plan might also encourage top analysts to stay.