8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.  20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  January 29, 2010

MORNINGSTAR, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Illinois (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	000-51280 (Commission File Number)		36-3297908 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
22 West Washington Street Chicago, Illinois (Address of principal executive offices)		60602 (Zip Code)

(312) 696-6000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

oWritten communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

oSoliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

oPre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

oPre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02.Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

(d)  On January 29, 2010, Morningstar, Inc. issued a press release announcing that Hugh Zentmyer, the former executive vice president of Illinois Tool Works Inc., was appointed to serve on its board of directors.  A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.  The information set forth in Exhibit 99.1 is hereby incorporated by reference in Item 5.02(d).

Item 9.01.Financial Statements and Exhibits.

Include the following information:

(d)       Exhibits:

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release issued January 29, 2010.

2

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	MORNINGSTAR, INC.
Date: February 1, 2010	By:	/s/ Richard Robbins
	Name:	Richard Robbins
	Title:	General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

3

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release issued January 29, 2010.

4

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

	News Release
	22 West Washingtion Street	Telephone: +1 312 696-6000
	Chicago	Facsimile:   +1 312 696-6009
	lllinois 60602

Media Contact:

Margaret Kirch Cohen, 312-696-6383 or margaret.cohen@morningstar.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hugh Zentmyer, Former Executive Vice President of Illinois Tool Works, Joins Morningstar’s Board of Directors

CHICAGO, Jan. 29, 2010—Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced that Hugh Zentmyer, 63, has been appointed to serve on its board of directors.

Zentmyer was executive vice president of Illinois Tool Works (ITW), a diversified manufacturer of advanced industrial technology, until his retirement in January 2009. He was responsible for ITW’s Food Equipment segment and Test and Measurement business group. He began his career in 1968 at Signode Corp., a protective packaging systems manufacturer and distributor, where he held a variety of accounting roles. At the time of ITW’s acquisition of Signode in 1986, he was vice president of finance for its Strapping division. Zentmyer moved into operations management with ITW and became executive vice president in 1995.

“We’re pleased to welcome Hugh to our board of directors,” said Joe Mansueto, chairman and chief executive officer of Morningstar. “As executive vice president of ITW, he led businesses with worldwide operations that market their products through multiple channels. We’ve long admired ITW’s business strategy. Hugh’s experience at ITW, particularly with strategic acquisitions, fits well with Morningstar’s global expansion growth strategy.”

Zentmyer holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in business administration from Xavier University. He currently serves on the board of trustees of St.

1

Patrick’s High School in Chicago. He is a former board member of Ingersoll International and the Marmon Group, where he chaired the audit committee.

About Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of Internet, software, and print-based products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on more than 325,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 4 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. The company has operations in 20 countries and minority ownership positions in companies based in two other countries.

# # #

©2010 Morningstar, Inc.  All rights reserved.

MORN-C

2