Morningstar Total Return Bond Fund (MSTRX) belongs to the Intermediate Core Bond category. Below you'll find alternative mutual funds from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with MSTRX. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to MSTRX
MSTRX charges 0.55% annually. There are 64 mutual funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.02%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federated Hermes Mortgage Strategy Portfolio | 0.02% | — | Dec 2007 | MSTRX vs FMBPX | |
| Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Institutiona... | 0.02% | 398.10B | Feb 2010 | MSTRX vs VBMPX | |
| State Street Aggregate Bond Index Portfolio | 0.02% | — | Sep 2014 | MSTRX vs SSAFX | |
| Fisher Investments Institutional Group Fixed Incom... | 0.03% | — | Dec 2019 | MSTRX vs QDIBX | |
| Fisher Investments Institutional Group ESG Fixed I... | 0.04% | — | Dec 2019 | MSTRX vs QDVBX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to MSTRX
MSTRX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 11. There are 103 mutual funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 65.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard California Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt F... | 65 | 19.40B | Mar 1994 | MSTRX vs VCAIX | |
| Hartford Schroders Tax-Aware Bond Fund | 64 | — | Oct 2011 | MSTRX vs STWTX | |
| Loomis Sayles Securitized Asset Fund | 64 | — | Mar 2006 | MSTRX vs LSSAX | |
| PACE Mortgage-Backed Securities Fixed Income Inves... | 58 | — | Aug 1995 | MSTRX vs PCGTX | |
| Manning & Napier Credit Series | 50 | — | Apr 2020 | MSTRX vs MCDWX |
Top Performing MSTRX Alternatives (YTD)
MSTRX is at -0.93% YTD. There are 82 mutual funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 2.13%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PACE Mortgage-Backed Securities Fixed Income Inves... | 2.13% | — | Aug 1995 | MSTRX vs PCGTX | |
| Loomis Sayles Securitized Asset Fund | 0.81% | — | Mar 2006 | MSTRX vs LSSAX | |
| DFA Diversified Fixed Income Portfolio | 0.66% | — | Aug 2016 | MSTRX vs DFXIX | |
| Manning & Napier Credit Series | 0.57% | — | Apr 2020 | MSTRX vs MCDWX | |
| Fidelity SAI Investment Grade Securitized Fund | 0.15% | — | May 2023 | MSTRX vs FSMOX |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to MSTRX
MSTRX has 4.04% 1-year volatility. There are 90 mutual funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 2.36%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard California Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt F... | 2.36% | 19.40B | Mar 1994 | MSTRX vs VCAIX | |
| Fidelity Education Income Fund | 2.45% | — | Mar 2021 | MSTRX vs FEDUX | |
| Baird Intermediate Bond Fund | 2.49% | — | Sep 2000 | MSTRX vs BIMSX | |
| Baird Intermediate Bond Fund Class Institutional | 2.49% | — | Sep 2000 | MSTRX vs BIMIX | |
| DFA Diversified Fixed Income Portfolio | 2.62% | — | Aug 2016 | MSTRX vs DFXIX |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to MSTRX
MSTRX has a 1-year max drawdown of -3.06%. There are 68 mutual funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -1.69%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Diversified Fixed Income Portfolio | -1.69% | — | Aug 2016 | MSTRX vs DFXIX | |
| Fidelity Education Income Fund | -1.72% | — | Mar 2021 | MSTRX vs FEDUX | |
| Baird Intermediate Bond Fund | -1.87% | — | Sep 2000 | MSTRX vs BIMSX | |
| Baird Intermediate Bond Fund Class Institutional | -2.08% | — | Sep 2000 | MSTRX vs BIMIX | |
| Fidelity Intermediate Bond Fund | -2.11% | — | May 1975 | MSTRX vs FTHRX |
Other Mutual Funds from Morningstar
The 8 most viewed Morningstar mutual funds shown here include MSTVX, MSTFX, MSTMX and span 7 categories.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morningstar Alternatives Fund | Multistrategy | 87 | 1.98% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTVX | |
| Morningstar International Equity Fund | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 27 | 13.40% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTFX | |
| Morningstar Multisector Bond Fund | Multisector Bonds | 44 | 1.39% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTMX | |
| Morningstar Global Income Fund | Global Allocation | 83 | 7.57% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTGX | |
| Morningstar U.S. Equity Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities | 2 | 7.20% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTQX | |
| Morningstar Global Opportunistic Equity Fund | Global Allocation | 12 | 10.66% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTSX | |
| Morningstar Municipal Bond Fund | Municipal Bonds | 69 | 0.42% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTPX | |
| Morningstar Defensive Bond Fund | Short-Term Bond | 31 | 0.13% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTBX |
Often Compared With MSTRX
Investors most often compare MSTRX with MSTR, BTC-USD, CRPT. These 19 comparison targets span 5 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
Compare MSTRX with Any Fund or Stock
Compare MSTRX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair MSTRX with funds that move differently
Morningstar Total Return Bond Fund alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to MSTRX.
Explore MSTRX Diversifiers