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 62 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 | |
| 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 | |
| iShares U.S. Aggregate Bond Index Fund | 0.05% | — | Jul 1993 | MSTRX vs WFBIX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to MSTRX
MSTRX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 11. There are 102 mutual funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 61.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford Schroders Tax-Aware Bond Fund | 61 | — | Oct 2011 | MSTRX vs STWTX | |
| Loomis Sayles Securitized Asset Fund | 59 | — | Mar 2006 | MSTRX vs LSSAX | |
| PACE Mortgage-Backed Securities Fixed Income Inves... | 55 | — | Aug 1995 | MSTRX vs PCGTX | |
| Manning & Napier Credit Series | 44 | — | Apr 2020 | MSTRX vs MCDWX | |
| DFA Diversified Fixed Income Portfolio | 39 | — | Aug 2016 | MSTRX vs DFXIX |
Top Performing MSTRX Alternatives (YTD)
MSTRX is at -0.48% YTD. There are 101 mutual funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 2.72%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PACE Mortgage-Backed Securities Fixed Income Inves... | 2.72% | — | Aug 1995 | MSTRX vs PCGTX | |
| Loomis Sayles Securitized Asset Fund | 1.20% | — | Mar 2006 | MSTRX vs LSSAX | |
| Hartford Schroders Tax-Aware Bond Fund | 1.08% | — | Oct 2011 | MSTRX vs STWTX | |
| DFA Diversified Fixed Income Portfolio | 0.77% | — | Aug 2016 | MSTRX vs DFXIX | |
| Fidelity SAI Investment Grade Securitized Fund | 0.76% | — | May 2023 | MSTRX vs FSMOX |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to MSTRX
MSTRX has 4.11% 1-year volatility. There are 91 mutual funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 2.47%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Education Income Fund | 2.47% | — | Mar 2021 | MSTRX vs FEDUX | |
| Baird Intermediate Bond Fund | 2.49% | — | Sep 2000 | MSTRX vs BIMSX | |
| Baird Intermediate Bond Fund Class Institutional | 2.50% | — | Sep 2000 | MSTRX vs BIMIX | |
| DFA Diversified Fixed Income Portfolio | 2.63% | — | Aug 2016 | MSTRX vs DFXIX | |
| Johnson Institutional Intermediate Bond Fund | 2.73% | — | Aug 2000 | MSTRX vs JIBEX |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to MSTRX
MSTRX has a 1-year max drawdown of -3.06%. There are 66 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 | -2.07% | — | 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, MSTQX and span 7 categories.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morningstar Alternatives Fund | Multistrategy | 80 | 1.69% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTVX | |
| Morningstar International Equity Fund | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 16 | 11.62% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTFX | |
| Morningstar U.S. Equity Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities | 2 | 7.28% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTQX | |
| Morningstar Global Income Fund | Global Allocation | 65 | 6.54% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTGX | |
| Morningstar Multisector Bond Fund | Multisector Bonds | 45 | 1.94% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTMX | |
| Morningstar Defensive Bond Fund | Short-Term Bond | 25 | -0.07% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTBX | |
| Morningstar Global Opportunistic Equity Fund | Global Allocation | 7 | 8.74% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTSX | |
| Morningstar Municipal Bond Fund | Municipal Bonds | 77 | 1.44% | — | Nov 2018 | MSTRX vs MSTPX |
Often Compared With MSTRX
Investors most often compare MSTRX with MSTR, BTC-USD, CRPT. These 17 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