Morningstar (MORN) 10-K 27 Feb 15 2014 FY Annual report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information Document (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Billions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Feb. 20, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014
Document and Entity Information Abstract
Entity Registrant Name	MORNINGSTAR, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	1289419
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-14
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		44,354,426
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$1.40

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenue	$760,071	$698,266	$658,288
Operating expense:
Cost of revenue	318,638	271,437	246,783
Sales and marketing	111,088	103,614	108,884
General and administrative	108,865	106,868	108,857
Depreciation and amortization	54,886	45,693	43,096
Gain (Loss) Related to Litigation Settlement	61,000	0	0
Total operating expense	654,477	527,612	507,620
Operating income	105,594	170,654	150,668
Non-operating income (expense):
Interest income, net	2,050	2,712	5,153
Gain (loss) on sale of investments reclassified from other comprehensive income	1,018	4,207	538
Equity Method Investments Holding Gain	5,168	3,635	0
Other income (expense), net	68	-3,198	-2,734
Non-operating income (expense), net	8,304	7,356	2,957
Income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	113,898	178,010	153,625
Income tax expense	35,678	56,031	52,878
Equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	39	1,428	2,027
Consolidated Net Income from Continuing Operations	78,259	123,407	102,774
Gain on Sale of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax	0	0	5,188
Consolidated net income	78,259	123,407	107,962
Net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest	42	122	117
Net income attributable to Morningstar, Inc.	78,301	123,529	108,079
Net Income from Continuing Operations, net of tax	78,301	123,529	102,891
Net Income from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax	$0	$0	$5,188
Net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$1.75	$2.68	$2.23
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$1.74	$2.66	$2.20
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Per Diluted Share	$0	$0	$0.10
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Diluted Share	$1.74	$2.66	$2.10
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Per Basic Share	$0	$0	$0.11
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Basic Share	$1.75	$2.68	$2.12
Dividends per common share:
Dividends declared per common share	$0.70	$0.55	$0.43
Dividends paid per common share	$0.68	$0.38	$0.53
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	44,675	46,158	48,497
Diluted (in shares)	44,901	46,491	49,148

Consolidated_Consolidated_Stat

Consolidated Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Consolidated net income	$78,259	$123,407	$107,962
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
Foreign currency translation adjustment	-29,793	-4,539	6,838
Unrealized gains (losses) on securities:
Unrealized holding gains (losses) arising during period	420	2,408	1,455
Reclasification of (gains) losses included in net income	-643	-2,631	-344
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-30,016	-4,762	7,949
Comprehensive income	48,243	118,645	115,911
Comprehensive (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest	131	345	268
Comprehensive income attributable to Morningstar, Inc.	$48,374	$118,990	$116,179

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$185,150	$168,160
Investments	39,422	130,407
Accounts receivable, less allowance of $1,520 and $1,089, respectively	136,735	114,131
Deferred tax asset, net	9,000	3,892
Income tax receivable, net	6,870	3,942
Other	22,596	26,361
Total current assets	399,773	446,893
Property, equipment, and capitalized software, net	117,561	104,986
Investments in unconsolidated entities	28,798	38,714
Goodwill	370,054	326,450
Intangible assets, net	95,905	103,909
Other assets	7,190	9,716
Total assets	1,019,281	1,030,668
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	34,268	42,131
Accrued compensation	80,476	71,403
Deferred revenue	145,979	149,225
Short-term Debt	30,000	0
Other	3,036	6,786
Total current liabilities	293,759	269,545
Accrued compensation	7,946	8,193
Deferred tax liability, net	25,978	23,755
Deferred rent	26,390	23,938
Other long-term liabilities	10,810	13,947
Total liabilities	364,883	339,378
Morningstar, Inc. shareholders' equity:
Common stock, no par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, of which 44,345,763 and 44,967,423 shares were outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively	4	5
Treasury stock at cost, 8,257,214 shares as of December 31, 2014 and 7,202,896 shares as of December 31, 2013	-524,356	-449,054
Additional paid-in capital	561,075	539,507
Retained earnings	641,527	594,626
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):
Currency translation adjustment	-25,095	4,609
Unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale investments	341	564
Total accumulated other comprehensive income	-24,754	5,173
Total Morningstar, Inc. shareholders' equity	653,496	690,257
Noncontrolling interest	902	1,033
Total equity	654,398	691,290
Total liabilities and equity	$1,019,281	$1,030,668

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable, Current	$1,520	$1,089
Common Stock, No Par Value	$0	$0
Common Stock, Shares Authorized	200,000,000	200,000,000
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	44,345,763	44,967,423
Treasury Stock, Shares	8,257,214	7,202,896

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme1

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Equity (USD $)	Total	Common Stock	Treasury Stock	Additional Paid-In Capital	Retained Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Non Controlling Interests
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Balance at Dec. 31, 2011	$857,016	$5	($46,701)	$491,432	$409,022	$1,612	$1,646
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2011		50,083,940
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Net income (loss)	107,962				108,079		-117
Other Comprehensive Income (loss)
Unrealized gain on available-for-sale investments, net of income tax	1,455					1,455	0
Reclassification of adjustments for gains included in net income, net of income tax	-344					-344	0
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net	6,838					6,989	-151
Other comprehensive income (loss)	7,949					8,100	-151
Issuance of common stock related to stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units, net	4,809	0	1,342	3,467
Issuance of common stock related to stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units, net (in shares)		715,888
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Share-based Compensation, Requisite Service Period Recognition [Abstract]
Stock-based compensation - restricted stock units	13,451			13,451
Stock-based compensation - restricted stock	5,013			5,013
Stock-based compensation - stock options	441			441
Excess tax benefit derived from stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units	7,210			7,210
Noncontrolling Interest, Increase from Subsidiary Equity Issuance	0						0
Dividends declared - common shares outstanding	-20,420				-20,420
Dividends declared - restricted stock units	-56			271	-327
Common share repurchased	-256,480		-256,480
Common share repurchased (in shares)		-4,258,257
Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	726,895	5	-301,839	521,285	496,354	9,712	1,378
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2012		46,541,571
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Net income (loss)	123,407				123,529		-122
Other Comprehensive Income (loss)
Unrealized gain on available-for-sale investments, net of income tax	2,408					2,408	0
Reclassification of adjustments for gains included in net income, net of income tax	-2,631					-2,631	0
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net	-4,539					-4,316	-223
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-4,762					-4,539	-223
Issuance of common stock related to stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units, net	-1,275		1,633	-2,908
Issuance of common stock related to stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units, net (in shares)		437,263
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Share-based Compensation, Requisite Service Period Recognition [Abstract]
Stock-based compensation - restricted stock units	14,163			14,163
Stock-based compensation - restricted stock	388			388
Stock-based compensation - stock options	492			492
Excess tax benefit derived from stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units	5,898			5,898
Dividends declared - common shares outstanding	-24,977				-24,977
Dividends declared - restricted stock units	-91			189	-280
Common share repurchased	-148,848		-148,848
Common share repurchased (in shares)		-2,011,411
Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	691,290	5	-449,054	539,507	594,626	5,173	1,033
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2013	44,967,423	44,967,423
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Net income (loss)	78,259				78,301		-42
Other Comprehensive Income (loss)
Unrealized gain on available-for-sale investments, net of income tax	420					420	0
Reclassification of adjustments for gains included in net income, net of income tax	-643					-643	0
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net	-29,793					-29,704	-89
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-30,016					-29,927	-89
Issuance of common stock related to stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units, net	805		1,429	-624
Issuance of common stock related to stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units, net (in shares)		452,344
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Share-based Compensation, Requisite Service Period Recognition [Abstract]
Stock-based compensation - restricted stock units	16,307			16,307
Stock-based compensation - restricted stock	388			388
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Share-based Compensation, Other Long-term Incentive Plans, Requisite Service Period Recognition	505			505
Stock-based compensation - stock options	424			424
Excess tax benefit derived from stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units	4,449			4,449
Dividends declared - common shares outstanding	-31,211				-31,211
Dividends declared - restricted stock units	-70			119	-189
Common share repurchased	-76,732	-1	-76,731
Common share repurchased (in shares)		-1,074,004
Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$654,398	$4	($524,356)	$561,075	$641,527	($24,754)	$902
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2014	44,345,763	44,345,763

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme2

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Equity (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Unrealized Holding Gain (Loss) on Securities Arising During Period, Tax	$236	$1,469	$614
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Reclassification Adjustment for Sale of Securities Included in Net Income, Tax	$375	$1,576	$194

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Operating activities
Consolidated net income	$78,259	$123,407	$107,962
Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net income to net cash flows from operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	54,886	45,693	43,096
Deferred income taxes	3,028	-1,133	6,316
Stock-based compensation expense	17,624	15,043	18,905
Provision for bad debt	526	825	1,016
Equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	-39	-1,428	-2,027
Excess tax benefits from stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units	-4,449	-5,898	-7,210
Gain on sale of discontinued operations, Net of Tax	0	0	-5,188
Loss on sale of cost-method investment	-353	0	2,034
Holding gain upon acquisition of additional ownership of equity method investment	-5,168	-3,635	0
Other, net	-715	-1,830	142
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions:
Accounts receivable	-25,916	-1,593	-17,124
Other assets	-5,336	-2,302	223
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	-1,960	-1,244	1,173
Accrued compensation	19,484	3,153	-8,861
Income taxesbcurrent	2,274	16,794	-1,205
Deferred revenue	-1,690	3,658	7,769
Deferred rent	3,027	-1,484	407
Other liabilities	-1,261	-1,368	-1,432
Cash provided by operating activities	132,221	186,658	145,996
Investing activities
Purchases of investments	-20,353	-140,051	-145,491
Proceeds from maturities and sales of investments	111,551	171,243	260,317
Capital expenditures	-58,320	-33,583	-30,039
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	-64,447	-11,079	0
Proceeds from sale of a business, net	0	957	5,734
Purchases of cost and equity method investments	0	-2,751	-10,304
Other, net	353	403	-25
Cash used for investing activities	-31,216	-14,861	80,192
Financing activities
Common shares repurchased	-76,732	-153,514	-251,813
Dividends paid	-30,498	-17,425	-25,487
Proceeds from Short-term Debt	30,000	0	0
Proceeds from stock-option exercises, net	6,606	4,532	9,101
Taxes Withheld For Restricted Stock Units	-5,801	-5,807	-4,292
Excess tax benefits from stock-option exercises and vesting of restricted stock units	4,449	5,898	7,210
Other, net	297	-56	105
Cash provided by (used for) financing activities	-71,679	-166,372	-265,176
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	-12,336	-1,154	2,440
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	16,990	4,271	-36,548
Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period	168,160	163,889	200,437
Cash and cash equivalents - end of period	185,150	168,160	163,889
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for income taxes	30,392	40,364	47,355
Supplemental information of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale investments	-362	-328	1,723
Equipment obtained under long-term financing arrangement	$0	$4,860	$4,551

Description_of_Business

Description of Business	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business	Description of Business
	Morningstar, Inc. and its subsidiaries (Morningstar, we, our), provides independent investment research for investors around the world. We offer an extensive line of products and services for financial advisors, asset managers, retirement plan providers and sponsors, and individual investors. We have operations in 27 countries.

Correction_Notes

Correction (Notes)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
Corrections	Correction
	In 2014, we identified and corrected an immaterial classification error related to the current and long-term balance for deferred rent included on our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2013. The correcting entries had the effect of decreasing accounts payable and accrued liabilities by $10.7 million and increasing deferred rent (long-term) by the same amount. The financial statements have been corrected to reduce the current balance and increase the long-term balance as shown in the table below:
		As of December 31, 2013
	$0	Previously Reported		Correction			As Corrected
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	52,877	$	(10,746	)	$	42,131
	Deferred rent	$	13,192	$	10,746		$	23,938

Summary_of_Significant_Account

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	The acronyms that appear in these Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements refer to the following:
	ASC	Accounting Standards Codification
	ASU	Accounting Standards Update
	EITF	Emerging Issues Task Force
	FASB	Financial Accounting Standards Board
	SEC	Securities and Exchange Commission
	Principles of Consolidation. We conduct our business operations through wholly owned or majority-owned operating subsidiaries. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Morningstar, Inc. and our subsidiaries. We consolidate assets, liabilities, and results of operations of subsidiaries in which we have a controlling interest and eliminate all significant intercompany accounts and transactions.
	We account and report the noncontrolling (minority) interest in our Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with FASB ASC 810, Consolidation. A noncontrolling interest is the portion of equity (net assets) in a subsidiary not attributable, directly or indirectly, to the parent company. We report the noncontrolling interest in our Consolidated Balance Sheet within equity separate from the shareholders' equity attributable to Morningstar, Inc. In addition, we present the net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Morningstar, Inc.'s shareholders and the noncontrolling interest in our Consolidated Statements of Income, Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, and Consolidated Statements of Equity.
	We account for investments in entities in which we exercise significant influence, but do not control, using the equity method.
	As part of our investment management operations, we manage certain funds outside of the United States that are considered variable interest entities. For the majority of these variable interest entities, we do not have a variable interest in them. In cases where we do have a variable interest, we are not the primary beneficiary. Accordingly, we do not consolidate any of these variable interest entities.
	Comprehensive Income. In accordance with ASU No. 2011-05, Presentation of Comprehensive Income, we present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income (OCI) in two separate but consecutive statements, our Consolidated Statements of Income and separately, our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. In addition, effective January 1, 2013, we adopted FASB ASU No. 2013-2, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220). We show the effects of items reclassified out of each component of accumulated other comprehensive income to net income on the face of the financial statement along with net income.
	Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
	Reclassifications. Certain amounts reported in 2012 have been reclassified to conform to the 2013 presentation.
	Separately, as a result of our move to a more centralized structure in 2013 (including new positions created, changes in focus for some existing roles, and the refinement of employee cost categorizations as we moved to a more centralized structure), approximately 180 net positions shifted from the general and administrative and sales and marketing categories to cost of revenue. These changes added approximately $14 million of compensation expense to cost of revenue in 2014 versus 2013 as well as in 2013 versus 2012, and reduced the compensation expense included in the sales and marketing and general and administrative categories by approximately $8 million and $6 million in each of these periods, respectively. These changes did not affect total operating expense or operating income for any of the periods presented.
	Cash and Cash Equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consists of cash and investments with original maturities of three months or less. We state them at cost, which approximates fair value. We state the portion of our cash equivalents that are invested in money market funds at fair value, as these funds are actively traded and have quoted market prices.
	Investments. We account for our investments in accordance with FASB ASC 320, Investments—Debt and Equity Securities. We classify our investments into three categories: held-to-maturity, trading, and available-for-sale.
	•	Held-to-maturity: We classify certain investments, primarily certificates of deposit, as held-to-maturity securities, based on our intent and ability to hold these securities to maturity. We record held-to-maturity investments at amortized cost in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	•	Trading: We classify certain other investments, primarily equity securities, as trading securities, primarily to satisfy the requirements of one of our wholly owned subsidiaries, which is a registered broker-dealer. We include realized and unrealized gains and losses associated with these investments as a component of our operating income in our Consolidated Statements of Income. We record these securities at their fair value in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	•	Available-for-sale: Investments not considered held-to-maturity or trading securities are classified as available-for-sale securities. Available-for-sale securities primarily consist of fixed-income securities. We report unrealized gains and losses for available-for-sale securities as other comprehensive income (loss), net of related income taxes. We record these securities at their fair value in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	Fair Value Measurements. We follow FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements. FASB ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. Under FASB ASC 820, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the measurement date. The standard applies whenever other standards require (or permit) assets or liabilities to be measured at fair value. The standard does not expand the use of fair value in any new circumstances and does not require any new fair value measurements.
	Effective January 1, 2012, we adopted FASB ASU No. 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in GAAP and IFRS. ASU No. 2011-04 clarifies existing fair value measurement and disclosure requirements, amends certain fair value measurement principles, and requires additional disclosures about fair value measurements. The adoption of ASU No. 2011-04 did not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
	FASB ASC 820 uses a fair value hierarchy based on three broad levels of valuation inputs:
	•	Level 1: Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the company has the ability to access.
	•	Level 2: Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.
	•	Level 3: Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.
	We provide additional information about our cash equivalents and investments that are subject to valuation under FASB ASC 820 in Note 7.
	Concentration of Credit Risk. No single customer is large enough to pose a significant credit risk to our operations or financial condition. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, no single customer represented 5% or more of our consolidated revenue. If receivables from our customers become delinquent, we begin a collections process. We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts based on our estimate of the probable losses of accounts receivable.
	Property, Equipment, and Depreciation. We state property and equipment at historical cost, net of accumulated depreciation. We depreciate property and equipment primarily using the straight-line method based on the useful life of the asset, which ranges from three to seven years. We amortize leasehold improvements over the lease term or their useful lives, whichever is shorter.
	Computer Software and Internal Product Development Costs. We capitalize certain costs in accordance with FASB ASC 350-40, Internal-Use Software, FASB ASC 350-50, Website Development Costs, and FASB ASC 985, Software. Internal product development costs mainly consist of employee costs for developing new web-based products and certain major enhancements of existing products. We amortize these costs on a straight-line basis over the estimated economic life, which is generally three to five years. We include capitalized software development costs related to projects that have not been placed into service in our construction in progress balance.
	The table below summarizes our capitalized software development costs for the past three years:
	$0		2014		2013		2012
	Capitalized software development costs		$	18,804	$	8,142	$	8,527
	Business Combinations. Over the past several years, we have acquired companies that complement our business operations. For each acquisition, we allocate the purchase price to the assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and goodwill. We follow FASB ASC 805, Business Combinations. We recognize and measure the fair value of the acquired operation as a whole, as well as the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, at their full fair values as of the date we obtain control, regardless of the percentage ownership in the acquired operation or how the acquisition was achieved. We expense direct costs related to the business combination, such as advisory, accounting, legal, valuation, and other professional fees, as incurred. We recognize restructuring costs, including severance and relocation for employees of the acquired entity, as post-combination expenses unless the target entity meets the criteria of FASB ASC 420, Exit or Disposal Cost Obligations, on the acquisition date.
	As part of the purchase price allocation, we follow the requirements of FASB ASC 740, Income Taxes. This includes establishing deferred tax assets or liabilities reflecting the difference between the values assigned for financial statement purposes and income tax purposes. In certain acquisitions, the goodwill resulting from the purchase price allocation may not be deductible for income tax purposes. FASB ASC 740 prohibits recognition of a deferred tax asset or liability for temporary differences in goodwill if goodwill is not amortizable and deductible for tax purposes.
	Goodwill. Changes in the carrying amount of our recorded goodwill are mainly the result of business acquisitions, divestitures, and the effect of foreign currency translations. In accordance with FASB ASC 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, we do not amortize goodwill; instead, goodwill is subject to an impairment test annually, or whenever indicators of impairment exist. An impairment would occur if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeded the fair value of that reporting unit. We performed annual impairment reviews in the fourth quarter of 2014, 2013, and 2012. We did not record any significant impairment losses in 2014, 2013, and 2012.
	Intangible Assets. We amortize intangible assets using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives, which range from one to 25 years. We have no intangible assets with indefinite useful lives. In accordance with FASB ASC 360-10-35, Subsequent Measurement—Impairment or Disposal of Long Lived Assets, we review intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. If the value of future undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of an asset group, we record an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the asset group. We did not record any impairment losses in 2014, 2013, or 2012.
	Revenue Recognition. We recognize revenue in accordance with SEC SAB Topic 13, Revenue Recognition, ASC 605-25, Revenue Recognition: Multiple Element Arrangements, and ASC 985-605, Software: Revenue Recognition.
	We recognize revenue when all of the following conditions are met:
	•	There is persuasive evidence of an arrangement, as evidenced by a signed contract;
	•	Delivery of our products and services has taken place. If arrangements include an acceptance provision, we generally begin recognizing revenue when we receive customer acceptance;
	•	The amount of fees to be paid by the customer is fixed or determinable; and
	•	The collectibility of the fees is reasonably assured.
	We generate revenue through sales of Morningstar Data, Morningstar Advisor Workstation (including Morningstar Office), Morningstar Direct, Morningstar Research, Premium Membership subscriptions for Morningstar.com, our structured credit research and ratings offerings, and a variety of other investment-related products and services. We generally structure the revenue agreements for these offerings as licenses or subscriptions. We recognize revenue from licenses and subscription sales ratably as we deliver the product or service and over the service obligation period defined by the terms of the customer contract. For new-issue ratings and analysis for commercial mortgage- backed securities (CMBS), we charge asset-based fees that are paid by the issuer on the rated balance of the transaction and recognize the revenue immediately upon issuance.
	We also generate revenue from Internet advertising, primarily from “impression-based” contracts. For advertisers who use our cost-per-impression pricing, we charge fees each time we display their ads on our site.
	Our Investment Advisory business includes a broad range of services. Pricing for consulting services is based on the scope of work and the level of service provided, and includes asset-based fees for work we perform that involves investment management or acting as a subadvisor to investment portfolios. In arrangements that involve asset-based fees, we generally invoice clients quarterly in arrears based on average assets for the quarter. We recognize asset-based fees once the fees are fixed and determinable assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are met.
	Our Retirement Solutions offerings help retirement plan participants plan and invest for retirement. We offer these services both through retirement plan providers (typically third-party asset management companies that offer proprietary mutual funds) and directly to plan sponsors (employers that offer retirement plans to their employees). For our Retirement Solutions offerings, we provide both a hosted solution as well as proprietary installed software advice solution. Clients can integrate the installed customized software into their existing systems to help investors accumulate wealth, transition into retirement, and manage income during retirement. The revenue arrangements for Retirement Solutions generally extend over multiple years. Our contracts may include one-time setup fees, implementation fees, technology licensing and maintenance fees, asset-based fees for managed retirement accounts, fixed and variable fees for advice and guidance, or a combination of these fee structures. Upon customer acceptance, we recognize revenue ratably over the term of the agreement. We recognize asset-based fees and variable fees in excess of any minimum once the value is fixed and determinable.
	Some of our revenue arrangements combine multiple products and services. These products and services may be provided at different points in time or over different time periods within the same arrangement. We allocate fees to the separate deliverables based on the deliverables’ relative selling price, which is generally based on the price we charge when the same deliverable is sold separately.
	We record taxes imposed on revenue-producing transactions (such as sales, use, value-added, and some excise taxes) on a net basis; therefore, we exclude such taxes from revenue in our Consolidated Statements of Income.
	Deferred revenue represents the portion of licenses or subscriptions billed or collected in advance of the service being provided, which we expect to recognize as revenue in future periods. Certain arrangements may have cancellation or refund provisions. If we make a refund, it typically reflects the amount collected from a customer for which we have not yet provided services. The refund therefore results in a reduction of deferred revenue.
	Advertising Costs. Advertising costs include expenses incurred for various print and Internet ads, search engine fees, and direct mail campaigns. We expense advertising costs as incurred. The table below summarizes our advertising expense for the past three years:
	$0		2014		2013		2012
	Advertising expense		$	7,497	$	6,939	$	6,306
	Stock-Based Compensation Expense. We account for our stock-based compensation expense in accordance with FASB ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation. Our stock-based compensation expense reflects grants of restricted stock units, restricted stock, performance share awards, and stock options. We measure the fair value of our restricted stock units, restricted stock, and performance share awards on the date of grant based on the closing market price of Morningstar's common stock on the day prior to grant. For stock options, we estimate the fair value of our stock options on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model. We amortize the fair values to stock-based compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, ratably over the vesting period.
	We estimate expected forfeitures of all employee stock-based awards and recognize compensation cost only for those awards expected to vest. We determine forfeiture rates based on historical experience and adjust the estimated forfeitures to actual forfeiture experience as needed.
	Liability for Sabbatical Leave. In certain of our operations, we offer employees a sabbatical leave. Although the sabbatical policy varies by region, Morningstar's full-time employees are generally eligible for six weeks of paid time off after four years of continuous service. We account for our sabbatical liability in accordance with FASB ASC 710-10-25, Compensated Absences. We record a liability for employees' sabbatical benefits over the period employees earn the right for sabbatical leave and include this liability in Accrued Compensation in our Consolidated Balance Sheet.
	Income Taxes. We record deferred income taxes for the temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities for financial statement purposes and tax purposes in accordance with FASB ASC 740, Income Taxes. FASB ASC 740 prescribes the minimum recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. It also provides guidance on derecognition, measurement, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, and disclosure for uncertain tax positions.
	We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as part of income tax expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income. We classify liabilities related to unrecognized tax benefits as either current or long-term liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet, depending on when we expect to make payment.
	Income per Share. We compute and present income per share in accordance with FASB ASC 260, Earnings Per Share. The difference between weighted average shares outstanding and diluted shares outstanding mainly reflects the dilutive effect associated with our stock-based compensation plans. We further compute income per share in accordance with FASB ASC 260-10-45-59A, Participating Securities and the Two Class Method. Under the two-class method, we allocate earnings between common stock and participating securities. The two-class method includes an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for each class of common stock according to dividends declared and undistributed earnings for the period. For purposes of calculating earnings per share, we reduce our reported net earnings by the amount allocated to participating securities to arrive at the earnings allocated to common stock shareholders.
	ASC 260-10-45-59A requires the dilutive effect of participating securities to be calculated using the more dilutive of the treasury stock or the two-class method. We have determined the two-class method to be the more dilutive. As such, we adjusted the earnings allocated to common stock shareholders in the basic earnings per share calculation for the reallocation of undistributed earnings to participating securities to calculate diluted earnings per share.
	Foreign Currency. We translate the financial statements of non-U.S. subsidiaries to U.S. dollars using the period-end exchange rate for assets and liabilities and an average exchange rate for revenue and expense. We use the local currency as the functional currency for all of our non-U.S. subsidiaries. We record translation adjustments for non-U.S. subsidiaries as a component of “Other comprehensive income (loss)” in our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. We include exchange gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency in “Other income (expense), net” in our Consolidated Statements of Income.

Credit_Arrangements_Notes

Credit Arrangements (Notes)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Credit Arrangements	Credit Arrangements
	In July 2014, we entered into a one year, $75.0 million, single-bank revolving credit facility. We drew on the credit facility during 2014 and had an outstanding principal balance of $30.0 million at an interest rate of LIBOR plus 100 basis points as of December 31, 2014, leaving borrowing availability of $45.0 million.

Income_Per_Share

Income Per Share	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Income Per Share	Income Per Share
	The following table shows how we reconcile our net income and the number of shares used in computing basic and diluted income per share:
	(in thousands, except per share amounts)	2014				2013			2012
	Basic net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
	Net income attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:	$	78,301			$	123,529		$	108,079
	Less: Distributed earnings available to participating securities	(7		)		(10		)	(41		)
	Less: Undistributed earnings available to participating securities	(9		)		(36		)	(47		)
	Numerator for basic net income per share — undistributed and distributed earnings available to common shareholders	$	78,285			$	123,483		$	107,991
	Weighted average common shares outstanding	44,675				46,158			48,497
	Basic net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
	Continuing operations	$	1.75			$	2.68		$	2.12
	Discontinued operations	—				—			0.11
	Total	$	1.75			$	2.68		$	2.23
	Diluted net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
	Numerator for basic net income per share — undistributed and distributed earnings available to common shareholders	$	78,285			$	123,483		$	107,991
	Add: Undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities	9				36			47
	Less: Undistributed earnings reallocated to participating securities	(9		)		(36		)	(46		)
	Numerator for diluted net income per share — undistributed and distributed earnings available to common shareholders	$	78,285			$	123,483		$	107,992
	Weighted average common shares outstanding	44,675				46,158			48,497
	Net effect of dilutive stock options and restricted stock units	226				333			651
	Weighted average common shares outstanding for computing diluted income per share	44,901				46,491			49,148
	Diluted net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
	Continuing operations	$	1.74			$	2.66		$	2.1
	Discontinued operations	—				—			0.1
	Total	$	1.74			$	2.66		$	2.2
	The following table shows the number of weighted average stock options, restricted stock units, and performance share awards excluded from our calculation of diluted earnings per share from both continuing operations and net earnings because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive:
	(in thousands)	2014			2013			2012
	Weighted average stock options	—			—			83
	Weighted average restricted stock units	47			17			7
	Weighted average performance share awards	6			—			—
	Total	53			17			90
	Stock options and restricted stock could be included in the calculation in the future.

Segment_and_Geographical_Area_

Segment and Geographical Area Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment and Geographical Area Information	Segment, Enterprise-Wide, and Geographical Area Information
	Segment Information
	We report our results in a single reportable segment, which reflects how our chief operating decision maker allocates resources and evaluates our financial results.
	Because we have a single reportable segment, all required financial segment information can be found directly in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
	The accounting policies for our reportable segment are the same as those described in Note 3. We evaluate the performance of our reporting segment based on revenue and operating income.
	Products and Services Information
	We derive revenue from two product groups. The investment information product group includes all of our data, software, and research products and services. These products are typically sold through subscriptions or license agreements. The investment management product group includes all of our asset management operations, which earn the majority of their revenue from asset-based fees. The table below summarizes our revenue by product group:
	External revenue by product group
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	Investment information	$	597,046	$	555,642	$	526,147
	Investment management	163,025		142,624		132,141
	Consolidated revenue	$	760,071	$	698,266	$	658,288
	Geographical Area Information
	The tables below summarize our revenue and long-lived assets by geographical area:
	External revenue by geographical area
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	United States	$	550,740	$	500,730	$	466,947
	United Kingdom	61,844		56,298		56,794
	Continental Europe	62,677		57,580		49,844
	Australia	34,977		35,289		38,229
	Canada	30,790		31,845		30,664
	Asia	15,830		13,860		13,765
	Other	3,213		2,664		2,045
	Total International	209,331		197,536		191,341
	Consolidated revenue	$	760,071	$	698,266	$	658,288
	Long-lived assets by geographical area
		As of December 31
	$0	2014		2013
	United States	$	98,135	$	84,321
	United Kingdom	8,014		6,873
	Continental Europe	2,102		1,873
	Australia	794		1,051
	Canada	938		1,275
	Asia	7,491		9,479
	Other	87		114
	Total International	19,426		20,665
	Consolidated property, equipment, and capitalized software, net	$	117,561	$	104,986

Investments_and_Fair_Value_Mea

Investments and Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Investments and Fair Value Measurements	Investments and Fair Value Measurements
	We account for our investments in accordance with FASB ASC 320, Investments—Debt and Equity Securities. We classify our investments into three categories: available-for-sale, held-to-maturity, and trading. Our investment portfolio is primarily invested in proprietary Morningstar portfolios, exchange-traded funds that seek to track the performance of certain Morningstar proprietary indexes, and various mutual funds. We classify our investment portfolio as shown below:
			As of December 31
	$0		2014			2013
	Available-for-sale		$	13,187		$	91,461
	Held-to-maturity		17,930			31,214
	Trading securities		8,305			7,732
	Total		$	39,422		$	130,407
	The following table shows the cost, unrealized gains (losses), and fair values related to investments classified as available-for-sale and held-to-maturity:
			As of December 31, 2014											As of December 31, 2013
	$0		Cost			Unrealized			Unrealized			Fair		Cost		Unrealized		Unrealized			Fair
						Gain			Loss			Value				Gain		Loss			Value
	Available-for-sale:
	Government obligations		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—	$	19,693	$	8	$	(3	)	$	19,698
	Corporate bonds		—			—			—			—		49,913		22		(124		)	49,811
	Foreign obligations		—			—			—			—		505		—		(2		)	503
	Commercial paper		—			—			—			—		9,482		7		—			9,489
	Equity securities and exchange-traded funds		11,428			796			(289		)	11,935		8,872		1,011		(141		)	9,742
	Mutual funds		1,220			132			(100		)	1,252		2,095		221		(98		)	2,218
	Total		$	12,648		$	928		$	(389	)	$	13,187	$	90,560	$	1,269	$	(368	)	$	91,461
	Held-to-maturity:
	Certificates of deposit		$	17,930		$	—		$	—		$	17,930	$	31,214	$	—	$	—		$	31,214
	As of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, investments with unrealized losses for greater than a 12-month period were not material to the Consolidated Balance Sheets and were not deemed to have other than temporary declines in value.
	The table below shows the cost and fair value of investments classified as available-for-sale and held-to-maturity based on their contractual maturities as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. The expected maturities of certain fixed-income securities may differ from their contractual maturities because some of these holdings have call features that allow the issuers the right to prepay obligations without penalties.
			As of December 31, 2014						As of December 31, 2013
	$0		Cost			Fair Value			Cost			Fair Value
	Available-for-sale:
	Due in one year or less		$	—		$	—		$	45,486		$	45,402
	Due in one to two years		—			—			34,107			34,099
	Equity securities, exchange-traded funds, and mutual funds		12,648			13,187			10,967			11,960
	Total		$	12,648		$	13,187		$	90,560		$	91,461
	Held-to-maturity:
	Due in one year or less		$	17,929		$	17,929		$	31,210		$	31,210
	Due in one to three years		1			1			4			4
	Total		$	17,930		$	17,930		$	31,214		$	31,214
	As of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, held-to-maturity investments included a $1.5 million certificate of deposit, held primarily as collateral against bank guarantees for our office leases, primarily in Australia.
	The following table shows the realized gains and losses arising from sales of our investments classified as available-for-sale recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Income:
	$0		2014			2013			2012
	Realized gains		$	1,484		$	5,550		$	1,671
	Realized losses		(466		)	(1,343		)	(1,133		)
	Realized gains, net		$	1,018		$	4,207		$	538
	We determine realized gains and losses using the specific identification method.
	The following table shows the net unrealized gains (losses) on trading securities as recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Income:
	$0		2014			2013			2012
	Unrealized gains (losses), net		$	(188	)	$	827		$	269
	The table below shows the fair value of our assets subject to fair value measurements that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis using the fair value hierarchy and the necessary disclosures under FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement:
			Fair Value			Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2014
			as of			Using Fair Value Hierarchy
	$0		December 31, 2014			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
	Available-for-sale investments
	Government obligations		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—
	Corporate bonds		—			—			—			—
	Foreign obligations		—			—			—			—
	Commercial paper		—			—			—			—
	Equity securities and exchange-traded funds		11,935			11,935			—			—
	Mutual funds		1,252			1,252			—			—
	Trading securities		8,305			8,305			—			—
	Cash equivalents		512			512			—			—
	Total		$	22,004		$	22,004		$	—		$	—
			Fair Value			Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2013
			as of			Using Fair Value Hierarchy
	$0		December 31, 2013			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
	Available-for-sale investments
	Government obligations		$	19,698		$	—		$	19,698		$	—
Corporate bonds		49,811			—			49,811			—
Foreign obligations		503			—			503			—
Commercial paper		9,489			—			9,489			—
Equity securities and exchange-traded funds		9,742			9,742			—			—
Mutual funds		2,218			2,218			—			—
Trading securities		7,732			7,732			—			—
Cash equivalents		925			925			—			—
Total		$	100,118		$	20,617		$	79,501		$	—
Level 1:	Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that we have the ability to access.
Level 2:	Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.
Level 3:	Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.
Based on our analysis of the nature and risks of our investments in equity securities and mutual funds, we have determined that presenting each of these investment categories in the aggregate is appropriate.
There were no transfers between levels one and two during the year ended December 31, 2014.
We measure the fair value of money market funds, mutual funds, equity securities, and exchange-traded funds based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. All other financial instruments were valued either based on recent trades of securities in inactive markets or based on quoted market prices of similar instruments and other significant inputs derived from observable market data. We did not hold any securities categorized as Level 3 as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Acquisitions_Goodwill_and_Othe

Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets [Abstract]
Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets	Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets
	2014 Acquisitions
	Increased Ownership Interest in HelloWallet Holdings, Inc.
	In June 2014, we acquired an additional 81.3% interest in HelloWallet Holdings, Inc. (HelloWallet), increasing our ownership to 100% from 18.7%. HelloWallet combines behavioral economics and the psychology of decision-making with sophisticated technology to provide personalized, unbiased financial guidance to U.S. workers and their families through their employer benefit plans. We began consolidating the financial results of this acquisition in our Consolidated Financial Statements on June 3, 2014.
	HelloWallet's total preliminary estimated fair value of $54,006,000 includes $40,525,000 in cash paid to acquire the remaining 81.3% interest in HelloWallet and pay off HelloWallet's indebtedness as well as $13,481,000 related to the 18.7% of HelloWallet we previously held. We recorded a preliminary non-cash holding gain of $5,168,000 for the difference between the fair value and the book value of our previously held investment. The gain is classified as "Holding gain upon acquisition of additional ownership of equity-method investments" in our Consolidated Statement of Income for the year ended December 31, 2014.
	The purchase price valuation will be finalized upon the completion of the fair value analysis of the acquired assets and liabilities. We have not yet obtained all of the information related to the fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities to finalize the purchase price allocation. The primary area that is not yet finalized relates to income taxes.
	The following table summarizes our preliminary allocation of the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition, all of which are preliminary pending completion of the final valuation:
		$0
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	3,739
	Accounts receivable and other current assets	150
	Other current and non-current assets	318
	Deferred tax asset	8,646
	Intangible assets	9,460
	Goodwill	39,166
	Deferred revenue	(2,897		)
	Deferred tax liability	(3,595		)
	Other current and non-current liabilities	(981		)
	Total fair value of HelloWallet	$	54,006
	The preliminary allocation includes $9,460,000 of acquired intangible assets, as follows:
		$0			Weighted Average Useful Life (years)
	Technology based assets	6,670			5
	Intellectual property (trademarks and trade names)	169			3
	Non-competition agreement	2,621			5
	Total intangible assets	$	9,460		5
	We recognized a preliminary deferred tax liability of $3,595,000 mainly because the amortization expense related to certain intangible assets is not deductible for income tax purposes. The fair value of the acquired intangible assets and the deferred tax liability are preliminary pending receipt of the final valuation for these assets.
	We recognized a preliminary deferred tax asset of $8,646,000 mainly because of net operating losses of HelloWallet which will become available to Morningstar.
	Preliminary goodwill of $39,166,000 represents the premium over the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired. We paid this premium for a number of reasons, including the opportunity to bring together HelloWallet's comprehensive financial wellness expertise with Morningstar's independent, research-based retirement advice to create a holistic retirement savings and advice offering.
	ByAllAccounts, Inc.
	In April 2014, we acquired ByAllAccounts, Inc. (ByAllAccounts), a provider of innovative data aggregation technology for financial applications for $27,949,000 in cash. ByAllAccounts uses a knowledge-based process, including patented artificial intelligence technology, to collect, consolidate, and enrich financial account data and deliver it to virtually any platform. We began including the financial results of this acquisition in our Consolidated Financial Statements on April 1, 2014.
	The purchase price valuation will be finalized upon the completion of the fair value analysis of the acquired assets and liabilities. We have not yet obtained all of the information related to the fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities to finalize the purchase price allocation. The primary area that is not yet finalized relates to income taxes.
	The following table summarizes our preliminary allocation of the purchase price to the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of the acquisition, all of which are preliminary pending completion of the final valuation:
		$0
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	287
	Accounts receivable and other current assets	152
	Deferred tax asset	3,987
	Other current and non-current assets	257
	Intangible assets	8,681
	Goodwill	18,476
	Deferred revenue	(79		)
	Deferred tax liability	(3,299		)
	Other current and non-current liabilities	(513		)
	Total purchase price	$	27,949
	The preliminary allocation includes $8,681,000 of acquired intangible assets, as follows:
		$0			Weighted Average Useful Life (years)
	Customer-related assets	$	5,506		24
	Technology-based assets	3,020			4.5
	Intellectual property (trademarks and trade names)	47			1
	Non-competition agreement	108			3
	Total intangible assets	$	8,681		19
	We recognized a preliminary deferred tax liability of $3,299,000 mainly because the amortization expense related to certain intangible assets is not deductible for income tax purposes. The fair value of the acquired intangible assets and the deferred tax liability are preliminary pending receipt of the final valuation for these intangible assets.
	We recognized a preliminary deferred tax asset of $3,987,000 mainly because of net operating losses of ByAllAccounts which will become available to Morningstar.
	Preliminary goodwill value of $18,476,000 represents the premium we paid over the fair value of the acquired net tangible and intangible assets. We paid this premium for a number of reasons, including the opportunity to integrate the service into our offerings as well as expand and develop ByAllAccounts' third-party distribution relationships.
	2013 Acquisitions
	Increased Ownership Interest in Morningstar Sweden AB
	In May 2013, we acquired an additional 76% interest in Morningstar Sweden AB (Morningstar Sweden), increasing our ownership to 100% from 24%. Morningstar’s main offerings in Sweden include Morningstar Direct, Morningstar Data, Morningstar Enterprise Components (formerly Integrated Web Tools), and Morningstar.se, a website for individual investors. We began consolidating the financial results of this acquisition in our Consolidated Financial Statements on May 2, 2013.
	Morningstar Sweden's total estimated fair value of $18,513,000 included $14,554,000 in cash paid to acquire the remaining 76% interest in Morningstar Sweden and $3,959,000 related to the 24% of Morningstar Sweden we previously held. We determined the fair value of the previously held 24% investment independent of the acquired controlling interest by applying a minority interest discount based on analysis of comparable transactions. Accordingly, we recorded a non-cash holding gain of $3,635,000, which is classified as "Holding gain upon acquisition of additional ownership of equity-method investments" in our Consolidated Statement of Income for the year ended December 31, 2013.
	The following table summarizes our allocation of the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition:
		$0
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	3,472
	Accounts receivable and other current assets	519
	Other non-current assets	244
	Intangible assets	9,700
	Goodwill	8,911
	Deferred revenue	(1,191		)
Deferred tax liability	(2,272		)
Other current and non-current liabilities	(870		)
Total fair value of Morningstar Sweden	$	18,513
The allocation included acquired intangible assets, as follows:
	$0			Weighted Average Useful Life (years)
Customer-related assets	$	9,700		14
Total intangible assets	$	9,700		14
We recognized a deferred tax liability of $2,272,000 mainly because the amortization expense related to certain intangible assets is not deductible for income tax purposes.
Goodwill of $8,911,000 represents the premium over the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired with this acquisition. We paid this premium for a number of reasons, including the opportunity to offer Morningstar's full suite of products and services to investors in Sweden and further leverage Morningstar's global reach, investment databases, and technology expertise.
Goodwill
The following table shows the changes in our goodwill balances from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014:
	$0
Balance as of January 1, 2013	$	320,845
Acquisition of remaining ownership in Morningstar Sweden	8,911
Other, primarily foreign currency translation	(3,306		)
Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	326,450
Acquisition of HelloWallet and ByAllAccounts	57,642
Foreign currency translation	(14,038		)
Balance as of December 31, 2014	$	370,054
We did not record any significant impairment losses in 2014, 2013, or 2012, as the estimated fair values of our reporting units exceeded their carrying values. We perform our annual impairment testing during the fourth quarter of each year.
Intangible Assets
The following table summarizes our intangible assets:
	As of December 31, 2014									As of December 31, 2013
$0	Gross			Accumulated			Net		Weighted	Gross		Accumulated			Net		Weighted
				Amortization					Average			Amortization					Average
									Useful  Life								Useful  Life
									(years)								(years)
Intellectual property	$	29,026		$	(25,033	)	$	3,993	9	$	29,477	$	(23,128	)	$	6,349	9
Customer-related assets	141,497			(83,582		)	57,915		12	141,833		(74,311		)	67,522		12
Supplier relationships	240			(120		)	120		20	240		(108		)	132		20
Technology-based assets	88,816			(57,395		)	31,421		8	80,489		(50,673		)	29,816		9
Non-competition agreement	4,339			(1,883		)	2,456		5	1,661		(1,571		)	90		4
Total intangible assets	$	263,918		$	(168,013	)	$	95,905	10	$	253,700	$	(149,791	)	$	103,909	10
The following table summarizes our amortization expense related to intangible assets:
$0	2014			2013			2012
Amortization expense	$	22,264		$	21,454		$	23,944
We did not record any significant impairment losses involving intangible assets in 2014, 2013, or 2012.
We amortize intangible assets using the straight-line method over their expected economic useful lives.
Based on acquisitions and divestitures completed through December 31, 2014, we expect intangible amortization expense for 2015 and subsequent years to be as follows:
	$0
2015	$	21,920
2016	17,394
2017	12,941
2018	10,790
2019	8,046
Thereafter	24,814
Our estimates of future amortization expense for intangible assets may be affected by additional acquisitions, divestitures, changes in the estimated average useful life, and currency translations.

Discontinued_Operations

Discontinued Operations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Disclosure [Text Block]	Discontinued Operations
	In October 2012, we sold Morningstar Investor Relations Services to UK-based Investis, a leading specialist in digital corporate communications for public companies. In October 2012, we sold the Morningstar Australasia trade publishing assets to Sterling Publishing Pty Ltd. We have not reclassified the operating results of these businesses to discontinued operations, nor have we reclassified the related assets and liabilities to held for disposition, because these amounts are not significant to our consolidated financial statements.
	The following table summarizes the amounts included in our Consolidated Statements of Income for discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012:
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	Gain on sales of businesses	$	—	$	—	$	6,193
	Income tax expense	—		—		1,005
	Earnings from discontinued operations, net of tax	$	—	$	—	$	5,188

Investments_in_Unconsolidated_

Investments in Unconsolidated Entities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities [Abstract]
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities	Investments in Unconsolidated Entities
	Our investments in unconsolidated entities consist primarily of the following:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014			2013
	Investment in MJKK	$	23,014		$	21,782
	Other equity method investments	3,475			6,166
	Investments accounted for using the cost method	2,309			10,766
	Total investments in unconsolidated entities	$	28,798		$	38,714
	Morningstar Japan K.K. Morningstar Japan K.K. (MJKK) develops and markets products and services customized for the Japanese market. MJKK’s shares are traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the ticker 47650. We account for our investment in MJKK using the equity method. The following table summarizes our ownership percentage in MJKK and the market value of this investment based on MJKK’s publicly quoted share price:
		As of December 31
		2014			2013
	Morningstar’s approximate ownership of MJKK	34		%	34		%
	Approximate market value of Morningstar’s ownership in MJKK:
	Japanese yen (¥000)	¥	7,347,413		¥	9,824,068
	Equivalent U.S. dollars ($000)	$	61,277		$	94,999
	Other Equity Method Investments. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, other equity method investments consist of our investment in Inquiry Financial Europe AB (Inquiry Financial) and YCharts, Inc. (YCharts). Inquiry Financial is a provider of sell-side consensus estimate data. Our ownership interest in Inquiry Financial was approximately 34% as of December 31, 2014 and 2013. YCharts is a technology company that provides stock research and analysis. Our ownership interest in YCharts was approximately 22% as of December 31, 2014 and 2013.
	Cost Method Investments. As of December 31, 2014, our cost method investments consist of a minority investment in Pitchbook Data, Inc. (Pitchbook). Pitchbook offers detailed data and information about private equity transactions, investors, companies, limited partners, and service providers.
	As of December 31, 2013, our cost method investments also included a minority investment in HelloWallet LLC (HelloWallet). In June 2014, we purchased the remaining interest in HelloWallet. See Note 8 for additional information concerning our acquisition of HelloWallet.
	During 2014, we recorded an impairment loss of $1.7 million on our investment in an unconsolidated entity. We did not record any impairment losses on these investments in 2013.

Property_Equipment_and_Capital

Property, Equipment, and Capitalized Software	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property, Equipment, and Capitalized Software	Property, Equipment, and Capitalized Software
	The following table shows our property, equipment, and capitalized software summarized by major category:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014			2013
	Computer equipment	$	53,420		$	47,830
	Capitalized software	87,764			50,360
	Furniture and fixtures	23,172			23,259
	Leasehold improvements	54,320			52,512
	Telephone equipment	1,948			2,032
	Construction in progress	29,870			35,159
	Property, equipment, and capitalized software, at cost	250,494			211,152
	Less accumulated depreciation	(132,933		)	(106,166		)
	Property, equipment, and capitalized software, net	$	117,561		$	104,986
	The following table shows the amount of capitalized software development costs included in construction in progress:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014			2013
	Capitalized software development costs not yet placed into service	$	18,070		$	11,345
	The following table summarizes our depreciation expense:
	$0	2014			2013			2012
	Depreciation expense	$	32,622		$	24,239		$	19,152

Operating_Leases

Operating Leases	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Leases, Operating [Abstract]
Operating Leases	Operating Leases
	The following table shows our minimum future rental commitments due in each of the next five years and thereafter for all non-cancelable operating leases, consisting primarily of leases for office space:
	Minimum Future Rental Commitments	$0
	2015	$	19,395
	2016	20,299
	2017	19,270
	2018	16,916
	2019	12,632
	Thereafter	48,203
	Total	$	136,715
	The following table summarizes our rent expense including taxes, insurance, and related operating costs:
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	Rent expense	$	24,460	$	22,169	$	20,736
	Deferred rent includes build-out and rent abatement allowances received, which are amortized over the remaining portion of the original term of the lease as a reduction in office lease expense. We include deferred rent, as appropriate, in “Accounts payable and accrued liabilities” and “Deferred rent, noncurrent” on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
		As of December 31
	$0	2014		2013
	Deferred rent	$	29,124	$	26,157

StockBased_Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation
	Stock-Based Compensation Plans
	Our shareholders approved the Morningstar 2011 Stock Incentive Plan (the 2011 Plan) on May 17, 2011. As of that date we stopped granting awards under the Morningstar 2004 Stock Incentive Plan (the 2004 Plan). The 2004 Plan amended and restated the Morningstar 1993 Stock Option Plan, the Morningstar 2000 Stock Option Plan, and the Morningstar 2001 Stock Option Plan.
	The 2011 Plan provides for a variety of stock-based awards, including, among other things, restricted stock units, restricted stock, performance share awards, and stock options. We granted restricted stock units, restricted stock, and stock options under the 2004 Plan.
	All of our employees and our non-employee directors are eligible for awards under the 2011 Plan.
	Grants awarded under the 2011 Plan or the 2004 Plan that are forfeited, canceled, settled, or otherwise terminated without a distribution of shares, or shares withheld by us in connection with the exercise of options, will be available for awards under the 2011 Plan. Any shares subject to awards under the 2011 Plan, but not under the 2004 Plan, that are withheld by us in connection with the payment of any required income tax withholding will be available for awards under the 2011 Plan.
	The following table summarizes the number of shares available for future grants under our 2011 Plan:
		As of December 31
	0	2014
	Shares available for future grants	4,233
	Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation Awards
	The following table summarizes our stock-based compensation expense and the related income tax benefit we recorded in the past three years:
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014			2013				2012
	Restricted stock units	$	16,307		$	14,163			$	13,451
	Restricted stock	388			388				5,013
	Performance share awards	505			—				—
	Stock options	424			492				441
	Total stock-based compensation expense	$	17,624		$	15,043			$	18,905
	Income tax benefit related to the stock-based compensation expense	$	5,055		$	4,027			$	3,686
	The following table summarizes the stock-based compensation expense included in each of our operating expense categories for the past three years:
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014			2013				2012
	Cost of revenue	$	7,774		$	6,870			$	6,416
	Sales and marketing	2,170			1,975				1,937
	General and administrative	7,680			6,198				10,552
	Total stock-based compensation expense	$	17,624		$	15,043			$	18,905
	The following table summarizes the amount of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense as of December 31, 2014 and the expected number of months over which the expense will be recognized:
		Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense ($000)			Expected amortization period (months)
	Restricted stock units	$	33,064		32
	Restricted stock	129			4
	Performance share awards	453			24
	Stock options	162			6
	Total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense	$	33,808		32
	In accordance with FASB ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, we estimate forfeitures of employee stock-based awards and recognize compensation cost only for those awards expected to vest. Our largest annual equity grants typically have vesting dates in the second quarter. We adjust the stock-based compensation expense annually in the third quarter to reflect those awards that ultimately vested and update our estimate of the forfeiture rate that will be applied to awards not yet vested.
	Restricted Stock Units
	Restricted stock units represent the right to receive a share of Morningstar common stock when that unit vests. Restricted stock units granted to employees vest ratably over a four-year period. Restricted stock units granted to non-employee directors vest ratably over a three-year period. For restricted stock units granted through December 31, 2008, employees could elect to defer receipt of the Morningstar common stock issued upon vesting of the restricted stock unit.
	We measure the fair value of our restricted stock units on the date of grant based on the closing market price of the underlying common stock on the day prior to grant. We amortize that value to stock-based compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, ratably over the vesting period.
	The following table summarizes restricted stock unit activity during the past three years:
	Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)	Unvested		Vested but			Total			Weighted
				Deferred						Average
										Grant Date Value
										per RSU
	RSUs Outstanding - January 1, 2012	741,043		20,076			761,119			$	50.66
	Granted	341,282		—			341,282			56.26
	Dividend equivalents	6,405		130			6,535			52.02
	Vested	(270,695	)	—			(270,695	)		50.12
	Vested but deferred	(892	)	892			—			—
	Issued	—		(2,316	)		(2,316	)		73.28
	Forfeited	(89,998	)	—			(89,998	)		50.84
	RSUs Outstanding - December 31, 2012	727,145		18,782			745,927			53.37
	Granted	287,848		—			287,848			72.04
	Dividend equivalents	2,773		157			2,930			57.39
	Vested	(278,549	)	—			(278,549	)		50.41
	Issued	—		(2,257	)		(2,257	)		49.4
	Forfeited	(59,215	)	—			(59,215	)		57.58
	RSUs Outstanding - December 31, 2013	680,002		16,682			696,684			62.02
	Granted	279,524		—			279,524			72.68
	Dividend equivalents	2,621		150			2,771			55.7
	Vested	(268,115	)	—			(268,115	)		58.91
	Issued	—		(2,054	)		(2,054	)		53.54
	Forfeited	(38,098	)	—			(38,098	)		65.21
	RSUs Outstanding - December 31, 2014	655,934		14,778			670,712			67.51
	Restricted Stock
In conjunction with the 2010 Realpoint acquisition, we issued shares of restricted stock to the selling employee-shareholders which vest ratably over a five-year period from the acquisition date and may be subject to forfeiture if the holder terminates his or her employment during the vesting period.
Performance Share Awards
In 2014, we granted executive officers, other than Joe Mansueto, performance share awards pursuant to which each executive becomes entitled to a number of shares of Morningstar common stock equal to the number of notional performance shares that become vested. Each award specifies a number of performance shares that will vest if we attain pre-established target performance goals. The number of performance shares that actually vest may be more or less than the specified number of performance shares based on our performance relative to the target performance goals over a three-year period.
We base the grant date fair value for these awards on the closing market price of the underlying common stock on the day prior to the grant date. We amortize that value to stock-based compensation expense, based on the satisfaction of the performance condition that is most likely to be satisfied over the three-year service period ratably over the vesting period.
Information as of December 31, 2014 regarding our target performance share awards granted and shares that would be issued at current performance levels for performance share awards granted during 2014 is as follows:
	As of December 31, 2014
Target performance share awards granted	23,685
Fair value per award (1)	$	80.91
Number of shares that would be issued based on current performance levels	11,843
Unamortized expense, based on current performance levels	$	453,000
(1) Represents the closing market price of Morningstar's stock on March 14, 2014, which is the last closing price prior to the grant date.
Stock Options
Stock options granted to employees vest ratably over a four-year period. Grants to our non-employee directors vest ratably over a three-year period. All grants expire 10 years after the date of grant. Almost all of the options granted under the 2004 Plan have a premium feature in which the exercise price increases over the term of the option at a rate equal to the 10-year Treasury bond yield as of the date of grant. Options granted under the 2011 Plan have an exercise price equal to the fair market value on the grant date.
In May 2011, we granted 86,106 stock options under the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan. In November 2011, we granted 6,095 stock options under the 2011 Plan. We estimated the fair value of the options on the grant date using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The weighted average fair value of options granted during 2011 was $23.81 per share, based on the following assumptions:
Assumptions for Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model
Expected life (years):	7.4
Volatility factor:	35.1	%
Dividend yield:	0.35	%
Interest rate:	2.87	%
The following tables summarize stock option activity in the past three years for our various stock option grants. The first table includes activity for options granted at an exercise price below the fair value per share of our common stock on the grant date; the second table includes activity for all other option grants.
	2014						2013						2012
Options Granted At an Exercise Price Below the Fair Value Per Share on the Grant Date	Underlying		Weighted				Underlying			Weighted			Underlying			Weighted
	Shares		Average				Shares			Average			Shares			Average
			Exercise							Exercise						Exercise
			Price							Price						Price
Options outstanding—beginning of year	179,559		$	21.47			282,695			$	20.55		398,859			$	19.72
Granted	—		—				—			—			—			—
Canceled	(150	)	22.24				(250	)		21.48			(650	)		14.7
Exercised	(179,409	)	22.08				(102,886	)		21.09			(115,514	)		20.19
Options outstanding—end of year	—		—				179,559			21.47			282,695			20.55
Options exercisable—end of year	—		$	—			179,559			$	21.47		282,695			$	20.55
	2014						2013						2012
All Other Option Grants, Excluding Activity Shown Above	Underlying		Weighted				Underlying			Weighted			Underlying			Weighted
	Shares		Average				Shares			Average			Shares			Average
			Exercise							Exercise						Exercise
			Price							Price						Price
Options outstanding—beginning of year	253,972		$	36.48			391,784			$	28.98		818,552			$	22.76
Granted	—		—				—			—			—			—
Canceled	(526	)	38.61				(1,352	)		16.19			(22,330	)		39.75
Exercised	(83,636	)	30.82				(136,460	)		16.84			(404,438	)		16.6
Options outstanding—end of year	169,810		40.2				253,972			36.48			391,784			28.98
Options exercisable—end of year	154,864		$	38.53			219,449			$	33.18		337,684			$	24.42
The following table summarizes the total intrinsic value (difference between the market value of our stock on the date of exercise and the exercise price of the option) of options exercised:
$0	2014			2013				2012
Intrinsic value of options exercised	$	12,021		$	12,801			$	22,526
The table below shows additional information for options outstanding and exercisable as of December 31, 2014:
	Options Outstanding											Options Exercisable
Range of Exercise Prices	Number of  Options		Weighted		Weighted				Aggregate			Exercisable Shares			Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000)
			Average		Average				Intrinsic
			Remaining		Exercise				Value
			Contractual		Price				$0
			Life (years)
$27.54	96,354		0.34		$	27.54			$	3,582		96,354			0.34		$	27.54	$	3,582
$40.49 - $51.03	5,781		0.91		49.1				90			5,781			0.91		49.1		90
$57.28 - $59.35	67,675		6.51		57.47				490			52,729			6.51		57.46		358
$27.54 - $59.35	169,810		2.82		40.2				$	4,162		154,864			2.46		38.53		$	4,030
Vested or Expected to Vest
$27.54 - $59.35	169,810		2.82		$	40.2			$	4,162
The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pretax intrinsic value all option holders would have received if they had exercised all outstanding options on December 31, 2014. The intrinsic value is based on our closing stock price of $64.71 on that date.
Excess Tax Benefits Related to Stock-Based Compensation
FASB ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, requires that we classify the cash flows that result from excess tax benefits as financing cash flows. Excess tax benefits correspond to the portion of the tax deduction taken on our income tax return that exceeds the amount of tax benefit related to the compensation cost recognized in our Consolidated Statement of Income. The following table summarizes our excess tax benefits for the past three years:
$0	2014			2013				2012
Excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation	$	4,449		$	5,898			$	7,210

Defined_Contribution_Plan

Defined Contribution Plan	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Defined Contribution Plan [Abstract]
Defined Contribution Plan	Defined Contribution Plan
	We sponsor a defined contribution 401(k) plan, which allows our U.S.-based employees to voluntarily contribute pre-tax dollars up to a maximum amount allowable by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. In 2014, 2013, and 2012, we made matching contributions to our 401(k) plan in the United States in an amount equal to 75 cents for every dollar of an employee's contribution, up to a maximum of 7% of the employee's compensation in the pay period.
	The following table summarizes our matching contributions:
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	401(k) matching contributions	$	7,451	$	6,879	$	6,642

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes
	Income Tax Expense and Effective Tax Rate
	The following table shows our income tax expense and our effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012:
	$0	2014				2013				2012
	Income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	$	113,898			$	178,010			$	153,625
	Equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	39				1,428				2,027
	Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest	42				122				117
	Total	$	113,979			$	179,560			$	155,769
	Income tax expense	$	35,678			$	56,031			$	52,878
	Effective tax rate	31.3		%		31.2		%		33.9		%
	The following table reconciles our income tax expense at the U.S. federal income tax rate of 35% to income tax expense as recorded:
		2014							2013						2012
	($000, except percentages)	Amount				%			Amount				%		Amount			%
	Income tax expense at U.S. federal rate	$	39,893			35	%		$	62,845			35	%	$	54,519		35	%
	State income taxes, net of federal income tax benefit	2,129				1.9			3,029				1.7		1,510			1
	Equity in net income of unconsolidated subsidiaries	(1,397		)		(1.2	)		—				—		—			—
	Net change in valuation allowance related to non-U.S. deferred tax assets, primarily net operating losses	(600		)		(0.5	)		(1,842		)		(1.0	)	(630		)	(0.4	)
	Difference between U.S. federal statutory and foreign tax rates	(3,961		)		(3.5	)		(2,513		)		(1.4	)	(2,777		)	(1.8	)
	Change in unrecognized tax benefits	1,481				1.3			(211		)		(0.1	)	967			0.6
	Credits and incentives	(2,924		)		(2.6	)		(4,374		)		(2.5	)	(1,494		)	(1.0	)
	Recognition of deferred tax assets	(140		)		(0.1	)		(1,448		)		(0.8	)	—			—
	Other - net	1,197				1			545				0.3		783			0.5
	Total income tax expense	$	35,678			31.3	%		$	56,031			31.2	%	$	52,878		33.9	%
	Income tax expense consists of the following:
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014				2013				2012
	Current tax expense:
	U.S.
	Federal	$	20,726			$	42,808			$	38,821
	State	1,996				3,882				1,997
	Non-U.S.	9,638				10,456				5,719
	Current tax expense	32,360				57,146				46,537
	Deferred tax expense (benefit):
	U.S.
	Federal	3,668				2,630				6,287
	State	1,326				814				334
	Non-U.S.	(1,676		)		(4,559		)		(280		)
	Deferred tax expense (benefit), net	3,318				(1,115		)		6,341
	Income tax expense	$	35,678			$	56,031			$	52,878
	The following table provides our income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities, generated by our U.S. and non-U.S. operations:
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014				2013				2012
	U.S.	$	80,394			$	144,065			$	128,920
	Non-U.S.	33,504				33,945				24,705
	Income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	$	113,898			$	178,010			$	153,625
	Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities
	We recognize deferred income taxes for the temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities for financial statement purposes and their tax basis. The tax effects of the temporary differences that give rise to the deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014				2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Stock-based compensation expense	$	3,262			$	3,479
	Accrued liabilities	13,632				9,805
	Net operating loss carryforwards - U.S. federal and state	10,505				851
	Net operating loss carryforwards - Non-U.S.	7,725				9,229
	Deferred royalty revenue	354				366
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	929				758
	Deferred rent	10,019				8,673
	Total deferred tax assets	46,426				33,161
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Acquired intangible assets	(16,419		)		(12,967		)
	Property, equipment, and capitalized software	(23,157		)		(15,525		)
	Unrealized exchange gains, net	(174		)		(395		)
	Prepaid expenses	(3,677		)		(4,299		)
	Investments in unconsolidated entities	(12,836		)		(12,009		)
Other	(435		)		(373		)
Total deferred tax liabilities	(56,698		)		(45,568		)
Net deferred tax liability before valuation allowance	(10,272		)		(12,407		)
Valuation allowance	(6,706		)		(7,456		)
Net deferred tax liability	$	(16,978	)		$	(19,863	)
The deferred tax assets and liabilities are presented in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as follows:
	As of December 31
$0	2014				2013
Deferred tax asset, net - current	$	9,000			$	3,892
Deferred tax liability, net - non-current	(25,978		)		(23,755		)
Net deferred tax liability	$	(16,978	)		$	(19,863	)
The following table summarizes our U.S. net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards:
	As of December 31
$0				2014					2013
				Expiration Date					Expiration Date
U.S. federal NOLs subject to expiration dates	$	30,015		2023-2034		$	2,136		12/31/23
The year-over-year increase in U.S. federal NOL carryforward mainly reflects the two acquisitions we completed in 2014, as both HelloWallet and ByAllAccounts were startup companies that accumulated losses in their early stages of operation.
The following table summarizes our NOL carryforwards for our non-U.S. operations:
	As of December 31
$0	2014				2013
Non-U.S. NOLs subject to expiration dates from 2018 through 2034	$	5,240			$	5,314
Non-U.S. NOLs with no expiration date	32,628				40,054
Total	$	37,868			$	45,368
Non-U.S. NOLs not subject to valuation allowances	$	5,127			$	8,759
The decrease in non-U.S. NOL carryforwards as of December 31, 2014 compared with 2013 primarily reflects the use of NOL carryforwards in our non-U.S. operations.
We have not provided federal and state income taxes on accumulated undistributed earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries aggregating approximately $118,600,000 as of December 31, 2014, because these earnings have been permanently reinvested. It is not practicable to determine the amount of the unrecognized deferred tax liability related to the undistributed earnings.
In assessing the realizability of our deferred tax assets, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We have recorded a valuation allowance against all but approximately $5,127,000 of the non-U.S. NOLs, reflecting the likelihood that the benefit of these NOLs will not be realized.
Uncertain Tax Positions
We conduct business globally and as a result, we file income tax returns in U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign jurisdictions. In the normal course of business we are subject to examination by tax authorities throughout the world. The open tax years for our U.S. Federal tax returns and most state tax returns include the years 2008 to the present. In non-U.S. jurisdictions, the statute of limitations generally extends to years prior to 2005.
We are currently under audit by federal, state and local tax authorities in the United States as well as tax authorities in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions. It is likely that the examination phase of some of these U.S. federal, state, local, and non-U.S. audits will conclude in 2015. It is not possible to estimate the effect of current audits on previously recorded unrecognized tax benefits.
As of December 31, 2014, our Consolidated Balance Sheet included a current liability of $5,124,000 and a non-current liability of $6,608,000 for unrecognized tax benefits. These amounts include interest and penalties, less any associated tax benefits.
The table below reconciles the beginning and ending amount of the gross unrecognized tax benefits as follows:
$0	2014				2013
Gross unrecognized tax benefits - beginning of the year	$	12,958			$	12,699
Increases as a result of tax positions taken during a prior-year period	866				791
Decreases as a result of tax positions taken during a prior-year period	(54		)		(146		)
Increases as a result of tax positions taken during the current period	2,007				2,887
Decreases relating to settlements with tax authorities	(2,400		)		(2,779		)
Reductions as a result of lapse of the applicable statute of limitations	(1,455		)		(494		)
Gross unrecognized tax benefits - end of the year	$	11,922			$	12,958
In 2014, we recorded a net increase of $2,818,000 of gross unrecognized tax benefits before settlements and lapses of statutes of limitations, of which $2,818,000 increased our income tax expense by $2,572,000. In addition, we reduced our unrecognized tax benefits by $3,855,000 for settlements and lapses of statutes of limitations, of which $1,455,000 decreased our income tax expense by $1,269,000.
As of December 31, 2014, we had $11,922,000 of gross unrecognized tax benefits, of which $11,922,000, if recognized, would reduce our effective income tax rate and decrease our income tax expense by $10,565,000.
We record interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as part of our income tax expense. The following table summarizes our gross liability for interest and penalties:
	As of December 31
$0	2014				2013
Liabilities for interest and penalties	$	1,488			$	1,865
We recorded the decrease in the liability, net of any tax benefits, to income tax expense in our Consolidated Statement of Income in 2014.

Contingencies

Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies	Contingencies
	We are involved in legal proceedings and litigation that have arisen in the normal course of our business. Although the outcome of a particular proceeding can never be predicted, we do not believe the result of any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, or financial position.

Share_Repurchase_Program

Share Repurchase Program	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]
Quarterly Dividend and Share Repurchase Programs	Share Repurchase Program
	We have an ongoing authorization, originally approved by our board of directors in September 2010, and subsequently amended, to repurchase up to $700 million in shares of our outstanding common stock. The authorization expires on December 31, 2015. We may repurchase shares from time to time at prevailing market prices on the open market or in private transactions in amounts that we deem appropriate.
	As of December 31, 2014, we had repurchased a total of 8,142,010 shares for $526.5 million under this authorization, leaving approximately $173.5 million available for future repurchases.

Subsequent_Events

Subsequent Events	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Subsequent Events
	In February 2015, our board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of 19 cents per share. The dividend is payable on April 30, 2015 to shareholders of record as of April 10, 2015.

Recently_Issued_Accounting_Pro

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
	On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP when it becomes effective. The new standard is effective for us on January 1, 2017. Early application is not permitted. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. We are evaluating the effect that ASU 2014-09 will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We have not yet selected a transition method nor have we determined the effect of the standard on our ongoing financial reporting.

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D

Selected Quarterly Financial Data	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Selected Quarterly Financial Data	Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)
		2013								2014
	(in thousands except per share amounts)	Q1		Q2		Q3		Q4		Q1		Q2			Q3			Q4
	Revenue	$	168,856	$	175,428	$	173,482	$	180,500	$	181,165	$	189,385		$	193,106		$	196,415
	Total operating expense	128,296		131,844		128,869		138,603		142,633		214,165			147,845			149,834
	Operating income (loss)	40,560		43,584		44,613		41,897		38,532		(24,780		)	45,261			46,581
	Non-operating income (expense), net	945		3,111		771		2,529		865		5,898			(298		)	1,839
	Income (loss) before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	41,505		46,695		45,384		44,426		39,397		(18,882		)	44,963			48,420
	Equity in net income (loss) of unconsolidated entities	497		360		315		256		599		497			337			(1,394		)
	Income tax expense (benefit)	12,427		15,955		14,265		13,384		13,650		(8,611		)	15,149			15,490
	Consolidated net income (loss)	29,575		31,100		31,434		31,298		26,346		(9,774		)	30,151			31,536
	Net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interests	43		21		29		29		30		5			29			(22		)
	Net income (loss) attributable to Morningstar, Inc.	$	29,618	$	31,121	$	31,463	$	31,327	$	26,376	$	(9,769	)	$	30,180		$	31,514
	Net income (loss) per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.
	Basic	$	0.64	$	0.67	$	0.68	$	0.68	$	0.59	$	(0.22	)	$	0.67		$	0.71
	Diluted	$	0.63	$	0.66	$	0.68	$	0.68	$	0.58	$	(0.22	)	$	0.67		$	0.71
	Dividends per common share:
	Dividends declared per common share	$	0.125	$	0.125	$	—	$	0.295	$	0.17	$	0.17		$	0.17		$	0.19
	Dividends paid per common share	$	—	$	0.125	$	0.125	$	0.125	$	0.17	$	0.17		$	0.17		$	0.17
	Weighted average shares outstanding:
	Basic	46,406		46,400		46,080		45,756		44,777		44,777			44,734			44,414
	Diluted	46,814		46,853		46,519		46,211		45,093		44,777			44,889			44,548

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation. We conduct our business operations through wholly owned or majority-owned operating subsidiaries. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Morningstar, Inc. and our subsidiaries. We consolidate assets, liabilities, and results of operations of subsidiaries in which we have a controlling interest and eliminate all significant intercompany accounts and transactions.
	We account and report the noncontrolling (minority) interest in our Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with FASB ASC 810, Consolidation. A noncontrolling interest is the portion of equity (net assets) in a subsidiary not attributable, directly or indirectly, to the parent company. We report the noncontrolling interest in our Consolidated Balance Sheet within equity separate from the shareholders' equity attributable to Morningstar, Inc. In addition, we present the net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Morningstar, Inc.'s shareholders and the noncontrolling interest in our Consolidated Statements of Income, Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, and Consolidated Statements of Equity.
	We account for investments in entities in which we exercise significant influence, but do not control, using the equity method.
	As part of our investment management operations, we manage certain funds outside of the United States that are considered variable interest entities. For the majority of these variable interest entities, we do not have a variable interest in them. In cases where we do have a variable interest, we are not the primary beneficiary. Accordingly, we do not consolidate any of these variable interest entities.
Comprehensive Income	Comprehensive Income. In accordance with ASU No. 2011-05, Presentation of Comprehensive Income, we present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income (OCI) in two separate but consecutive statements, our Consolidated Statements of Income and separately, our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. In addition, effective January 1, 2013, we adopted FASB ASU No. 2013-2, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220). We show the effects of items reclassified out of each component of accumulated other comprehensive income to net income on the face of the financial statement
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
Reclassification, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Reclassifications. Certain amounts reported in 2012 have been reclassified to conform to the 2013 presentation.
	Separately, as a result of our move to a more centralized structure in 2013 (including new positions created, changes in focus for some existing roles, and the refinement of employee cost categorizations as we moved to a more centralized structure), approximately 180 net positions shifted from the general and administrative and sales and marketing categories to cost of revenue. These changes added approximately $14 million of compensation expense to cost of revenue in 2014 versus 2013 as well as in 2013 versus 2012, and reduced the compensation expense included in the sales and marketing and general and administrative categories by approximately $8 million and $6 million in each of these periods, respectively. These changes did not affect total operating expense or operating income for any of the periods presented.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consists of cash and investments with original maturities of three months or less. We state them at cost, which approximates fair value. We state the portion of our cash equivalents that are invested in money market funds at fair value, as these funds are actively traded and have quoted market prices.
Investments	Investments. We account for our investments in accordance with FASB ASC 320, Investments—Debt and Equity Securities. We classify our investments into three categories: held-to-maturity, trading, and available-for-sale.
	•	Held-to-maturity: We classify certain investments, primarily certificates of deposit, as held-to-maturity securities, based on our intent and ability to hold these securities to maturity. We record held-to-maturity investments at amortized cost in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	•	Trading: We classify certain other investments, primarily equity securities, as trading securities, primarily to satisfy the requirements of one of our wholly owned subsidiaries, which is a registered broker-dealer. We include realized and unrealized gains and losses associated with these investments as a component of our operating income in our Consolidated Statements of Income. We record these securities at their fair value in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	•	Available-for-sale: Investments not considered held-to-maturity or trading securities are classified as available-for-sale securities. Available-for-sale securities primarily consist of fixed-income securities. We report unrealized gains and losses for available-for-sale securities as other comprehensive income (loss), net of related income taxes. We record these securities at their fair value in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Fair Value Measurements	Fair Value Measurements. We follow FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements. FASB ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. Under FASB ASC 820, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the measurement date. The standard applies whenever other standards require (or permit) assets or liabilities to be measured at fair value. The standard does not expand the use of fair value in any new circumstances and does not require any new fair value measurements.
	Effective January 1, 2012, we adopted FASB ASU No. 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in GAAP and IFRS. ASU No. 2011-04 clarifies existing fair value measurement and disclosure requirements, amends certain fair value measurement principles, and requires additional disclosures about fair value measurements. The adoption of ASU No. 2011-04 did not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
	FASB ASC 820 uses a fair value hierarchy based on three broad levels of valuation inputs:
	•	Level 1: Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the company has the ability to access.
	•	Level 2: Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.
	•	Level 3: Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.
	We provide additional information about our cash equivalents and investments that are subject to valuation under FASB ASC 820 in Note 7.
	We account for our investments in accordance with FASB ASC 320, Investments—Debt and Equity Securities. We classify our investments into three categories: available-for-sale, held-to-maturity, and trading. Our investment portfolio is primarily invested in proprietary Morningstar portfolios, exchange-traded funds that seek to track the performance of certain Morningstar proprietary indexes, and various mutual funds.
Concentration of Credit Risk Policy [Policy Text Block]	Concentration of Credit Risk. No single customer is large enough to pose a significant credit risk to our operations or financial condition. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, no single customer represented 5% or more of our consolidated revenue. If receivables from our customers become delinquent, we begin a collections process. We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts based on our estimate of the probable losses of accounts receivable.
Property, Equipment, and Depreciation	Property, Equipment, and Depreciation. We state property and equipment at historical cost, net of accumulated depreciation. We depreciate property and equipment primarily using the straight-line method based on the useful life of the asset, which ranges from three to seven years. We amortize leasehold improvements over the lease term or their useful lives, whichever is shorter.
Computer Software and Internal Product Development Costs	Computer Software and Internal Product Development Costs. We capitalize certain costs in accordance with FASB ASC 350-40, Internal-Use Software, FASB ASC 350-50, Website Development Costs, and FASB ASC 985, Software. Internal product development costs mainly consist of employee costs for developing new web-based products and certain major enhancements of existing products. We amortize these costs on a straight-line basis over the estimated economic life, which is generally three to five years. We include capitalized software development costs related to projects that have not been placed into service in our construction in progress balance.
	The table below summarizes our capitalized software development costs for the past three years:
	$0		2014		2013		2012
	Capitalized software development costs		$	18,804	$	8,142	$	8,527
Business Combinations	Business Combinations. Over the past several years, we have acquired companies that complement our business operations. For each acquisition, we allocate the purchase price to the assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and goodwill. We follow FASB ASC 805, Business Combinations. We recognize and measure the fair value of the acquired operation as a whole, as well as the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, at their full fair values as of the date we obtain control, regardless of the percentage ownership in the acquired operation or how the acquisition was achieved. We expense direct costs related to the business combination, such as advisory, accounting, legal, valuation, and other professional fees, as incurred. We recognize restructuring costs, including severance and relocation for employees of the acquired entity, as post-combination expenses unless the target entity meets the criteria of FASB ASC 420, Exit or Disposal Cost Obligations, on the acquisition date.
	As part of the purchase price allocation, we follow the requirements of FASB ASC 740, Income Taxes. This includes establishing deferred tax assets or liabilities reflecting the difference between the values assigned for financial statement purposes and income tax purposes. In certain acquisitions, the goodwill resulting from the purchase price allocation may not be deductible for income tax purposes. FASB ASC 740 prohibits recognition of a deferred tax asset or liability for temporary differences in goodwill if goodwill is not amortizable and deductible for tax purposes.
Goodwill	Goodwill. Changes in the carrying amount of our recorded goodwill are mainly the result of business acquisitions, divestitures, and the effect of foreign currency translations. In accordance with FASB ASC 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, we do not amortize goodwill; instead, goodwill is subject to an impairment test annually, or whenever indicators of impairment exist. An impairment would occur if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeded the fair value of that reporting unit. We performed annual impairment reviews in the fourth quarter of 2014, 2013, and 2012. We did not record any significant impairment losses in 2014, 2013, and 2012.
Intangible Assets	Intangible Assets. We amortize intangible assets using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives, which range from one to 25 years. We have no intangible assets with indefinite useful lives. In accordance with FASB ASC 360-10-35, Subsequent Measurement—Impairment or Disposal of Long Lived Assets, we review intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. If the value of future undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of an asset group, we record an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the asset group. We did not record any impairment losses in 2014, 2013, or 2012.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition. We recognize revenue in accordance with SEC SAB Topic 13, Revenue Recognition, ASC 605-25, Revenue Recognition: Multiple Element Arrangements, and ASC 985-605, Software: Revenue Recognition.
	We recognize revenue when all of the following conditions are met:
	•	There is persuasive evidence of an arrangement, as evidenced by a signed contract;
	•	Delivery of our products and services has taken place. If arrangements include an acceptance provision, we generally begin recognizing revenue when we receive customer acceptance;
	•	The amount of fees to be paid by the customer is fixed or determinable; and
	•	The collectibility of the fees is reasonably assured.
	We generate revenue through sales of Morningstar Data, Morningstar Advisor Workstation (including Morningstar Office), Morningstar Direct, Morningstar Research, Premium Membership subscriptions for Morningstar.com, our structured credit research and ratings offerings, and a variety of other investment-related products and services. We generally structure the revenue agreements for these offerings as licenses or subscriptions. We recognize revenue from licenses and subscription sales ratably as we deliver the product or service and over the service obligation period defined by the terms of the customer contract. For new-issue ratings and analysis for commercial mortgage- backed securities (CMBS), we charge asset-based fees that are paid by the issuer on the rated balance of the transaction and recognize the revenue immediately upon issuance.
	We also generate revenue from Internet advertising, primarily from “impression-based” contracts. For advertisers who use our cost-per-impression pricing, we charge fees each time we display their ads on our site.
	Our Investment Advisory business includes a broad range of services. Pricing for consulting services is based on the scope of work and the level of service provided, and includes asset-based fees for work we perform that involves investment management or acting as a subadvisor to investment portfolios. In arrangements that involve asset-based fees, we generally invoice clients quarterly in arrears based on average assets for the quarter. We recognize asset-based fees once the fees are fixed and determinable assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are met.
	Our Retirement Solutions offerings help retirement plan participants plan and invest for retirement. We offer these services both through retirement plan providers (typically third-party asset management companies that offer proprietary mutual funds) and directly to plan sponsors (employers that offer retirement plans to their employees). For our Retirement Solutions offerings, we provide both a hosted solution as well as proprietary installed software advice solution. Clients can integrate the installed customized software into their existing systems to help investors accumulate wealth, transition into retirement, and manage income during retirement. The revenue arrangements for Retirement Solutions generally extend over multiple years. Our contracts may include one-time setup fees, implementation fees, technology licensing and maintenance fees, asset-based fees for managed retirement accounts, fixed and variable fees for advice and guidance, or a combination of these fee structures. Upon customer acceptance, we recognize revenue ratably over the term of the agreement. We recognize asset-based fees and variable fees in excess of any minimum once the value is fixed and determinable.
	Some of our revenue arrangements combine multiple products and services. These products and services may be provided at different points in time or over different time periods within the same arrangement. We allocate fees to the separate deliverables based on the deliverables’ relative selling price, which is generally based on the price we charge when the same deliverable is sold separately.
	We record taxes imposed on revenue-producing transactions (such as sales, use, value-added, and some excise taxes) on a net basis; therefore, we exclude such taxes from revenue in our Consolidated Statements of Income.
	Deferred revenue represents the portion of licenses or subscriptions billed or collected in advance of the service being provided, which we expect to recognize as revenue in future periods. Certain arrangements may have cancellation or refund provisions. If we make a refund, it typically reflects the amount collected from a customer for which we have not yet provided services. The refund therefore results in a reduction of deferred revenue.
Advertising Costs	Advertising Costs. Advertising costs include expenses incurred for various print and Internet ads, search engine fees, and direct mail campaigns. We expense advertising costs as incurred. The table below summarizes our advertising expense for the past three years:
	$0		2014		2013		2012
	Advertising expense		$	7,497	$	6,939	$	6,306
Stock-Based Compensation Expense	Stock-Based Compensation Expense. We account for our stock-based compensation expense in accordance with FASB ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation. Our stock-based compensation expense reflects grants of restricted stock units, restricted stock, performance share awards, and stock options. We measure the fair value of our restricted stock units, restricted stock, and performance share awards on the date of grant based on the closing market price of Morningstar's common stock on the day prior to grant. For stock options, we estimate the fair value of our stock options on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model. We amortize the fair values to stock-based compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, ratably over the vesting period.
	We estimate expected forfeitures of all employee stock-based awards and recognize compensation cost only for those awards expected to vest. We determine forfeiture rates based on historical experience and adjust the estimated forfeitures to actual forfeiture experience as needed.
Liability for Sabbatical Leave	Liability for Sabbatical Leave. In certain of our operations, we offer employees a sabbatical leave. Although the sabbatical policy varies by region, Morningstar's full-time employees are generally eligible for six weeks of paid time off after four years of continuous service. We account for our sabbatical liability in accordance with FASB ASC 710-10-25, Compensated Absences. We record a liability for employees' sabbatical benefits over the period employees earn the right for sabbatical leave and include this liability in Accrued Compensation in our Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes. We record deferred income taxes for the temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities for financial statement purposes and tax purposes in accordance with FASB ASC 740, Income Taxes. FASB ASC 740 prescribes the minimum recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. It also provides guidance on derecognition, measurement, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, and disclosure for uncertain tax positions.
	We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as part of income tax expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income. We classify liabilities related to unrecognized tax benefits as either current or long-term liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheet, depending on when we expect to make payment.
Income per Share	Income per Share. We compute and present income per share in accordance with FASB ASC 260, Earnings Per Share. The difference between weighted average shares outstanding and diluted shares outstanding mainly reflects the dilutive effect associated with our stock-based compensation plans. We further compute income per share in accordance with FASB ASC 260-10-45-59A, Participating Securities and the Two Class Method. Under the two-class method, we allocate earnings between common stock and participating securities. The two-class method includes an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for each class of common stock according to dividends declared and undistributed earnings for the period. For purposes of calculating earnings per share, we reduce our reported net earnings by the amount allocated to participating securities to arrive at the earnings allocated to common stock shareholders.
	ASC 260-10-45-59A requires the dilutive effect of participating securities to be calculated using the more dilutive of the treasury stock or the two-class method. We have determined the two-class method to be the more dilutive. As such, we adjusted the earnings allocated to common stock shareholders in the basic earnings per share calculation for the reallocation of undistributed earnings to participating securities to calculate diluted earnings per share.
Foreign Currency	Foreign Currency. We translate the financial statements of non-U.S. subsidiaries to U.S. dollars using the period-end exchange rate for assets and liabilities and an average exchange rate for revenue and expense. We use the local currency as the functional currency for all of our non-U.S. subsidiaries. We record translation adjustments for non-U.S. subsidiaries as a component of “Other comprehensive income (loss)” in our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. We include exchange gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency in “Other income (expense), net” in our Consolidated Statements of Income.
Segment Reporting	Segment Information
	We report our results in a single reportable segment, which reflects how our chief operating decision maker allocates resources and evaluates our financial results.
	Because we have a single reportable segment, all required financial segment information can be found directly in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
	The accounting policies for our reportable segment are the same as those described in Note 3. We evaluate the performance of our reporting segment based on revenue and operating income.

Correction_Tables

Correction (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
Schedule of Error Corrections	The financial statements have been corrected to reduce the current balance and increase the long-term balance as shown in the table below:
		As of December 31, 2013
	$0	Previously Reported		Correction			As Corrected
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	52,877	$	(10,746	)	$	42,131
	Deferred rent	$	13,192	$	10,746		$	23,938

Summary_of_Significant_Account2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Schedule of Advertising Expense [Table Text Block]	The table below summarizes our advertising expense for the past three years:
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	Advertising expense	$	7,497	$	6,939	$	6,306
Capitalized Software Development Costs [Table Text Block]	The table below summarizes our capitalized software development costs for the past three years:
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	Capitalized software development costs	$	18,804	$	8,142	$	8,527

Income_Per_Share_Tables

Income Per Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014										Dec. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	The following table shows how we reconcile our net income and the number of shares used in computing basic and diluted income per share:
	(in thousands, except per share amounts)	2014			2013			2012
	Basic net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
	Net income attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:	$	78,301		$	123,529		$	108,079
	Less: Distributed earnings available to participating securities	(7		)	(10		)	(41		)
	Less: Undistributed earnings available to participating securities	(9		)	(36		)	(47		)
	Numerator for basic net income per share — undistributed and distributed earnings available to common shareholders	$	78,285		$	123,483		$	107,991
	Weighted average common shares outstanding	44,675			46,158			48,497
	Basic net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
	Continuing operations	$	1.75		$	2.68		$	2.12
	Discontinued operations	—			—			0.11
	Total	$	1.75		$	2.68		$	2.23
	Diluted net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
	Numerator for basic net income per share — undistributed and distributed earnings available to common shareholders	$	78,285		$	123,483		$	107,991
	Add: Undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities	9			36			47
	Less: Undistributed earnings reallocated to participating securities	(9		)	(36		)	(46		)
	Numerator for diluted net income per share — undistributed and distributed earnings available to common shareholders	$	78,285		$	123,483		$	107,992
	Weighted average common shares outstanding	44,675			46,158			48,497
	Net effect of dilutive stock options and restricted stock units	226			333			651
	Weighted average common shares outstanding for computing diluted income per share	44,901			46,491			49,148
	Diluted net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
	Continuing operations	$	1.74		$	2.66		$	2.1
	Discontinued operations	—			—			0.1
	Total	$	1.74		$	2.66		$	2.2
Schedule of Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Table Text Block]											The following table shows the number of weighted average stock options, restricted stock units, and performance share awards excluded from our calculation of diluted earnings per share from both continuing operations and net earnings because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive:
											(in thousands)	2014	2013	2012
											Weighted average stock options	—	—	83
											Weighted average restricted stock units	47	17	7
											Weighted average performance share awards	6	—	—
											Total	53	17	90
											Stock options and restricted stock could be included in the calculation in the future.

Segment_and_Geographical_Area_1

Segment and Geographical Area Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Revenue from External Customers by Products and Services [Table Text Block]	Products and Services Information
	We derive revenue from two product groups. The investment information product group includes all of our data, software, and research products and services. These products are typically sold through subscriptions or license agreements. The investment management product group includes all of our asset management operations, which earn the majority of their revenue from asset-based fees. The table below summarizes our revenue by product group:
	External revenue by product group
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	Investment information	$	597,046	$	555,642	$	526,147
	Investment management	163,025		142,624		132,141
	Consolidated revenue	$	760,071	$	698,266	$	658,288
Schedule of Revenue from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets, by Geographical Areas
	External revenue by geographical area
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	United States	$	550,740	$	500,730	$	466,947
	United Kingdom	61,844		56,298		56,794
	Continental Europe	62,677		57,580		49,844
	Australia	34,977		35,289		38,229
	Canada	30,790		31,845		30,664
	Asia	15,830		13,860		13,765
	Other	3,213		2,664		2,045
	Total International	209,331		197,536		191,341
	Consolidated revenue	$	760,071	$	698,266	$	658,288
	Long-lived assets by geographical area
		As of December 31
	$0	2014		2013
	United States	$	98,135	$	84,321
	United Kingdom	8,014		6,873
	Continental Europe	2,102		1,873
	Australia	794		1,051
	Canada	938		1,275
	Asia	7,491		9,479
	Other	87		114
	Total International	19,426		20,665
	Consolidated property, equipment, and capitalized software, net	$	117,561	$	104,986

Investments_and_Fair_Value_Mea1

Investments and Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Investments
		As of December 31
	$0	2014			2013
	Available-for-sale	$	13,187		$	91,461
	Held-to-maturity	17,930			31,214
	Trading securities	8,305			7,732
	Total	$	39,422		$	130,407
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments	The following table shows the cost, unrealized gains (losses), and fair values related to investments classified as available-for-sale and held-to-maturity:
		As of December 31, 2014											As of December 31, 2013
	$0	Cost			Unrealized			Unrealized			Fair		Cost		Unrealized		Unrealized			Fair
					Gain			Loss			Value				Gain		Loss			Value
	Available-for-sale:
	Government obligations	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—	$	19,693	$	8	$	(3	)	$	19,698
	Corporate bonds	—			—			—			—		49,913		22		(124		)	49,811
	Foreign obligations	—			—			—			—		505		—		(2		)	503
	Commercial paper	—			—			—			—		9,482		7		—			9,489
	Equity securities and exchange-traded funds	11,428			796			(289		)	11,935		8,872		1,011		(141		)	9,742
	Mutual funds	1,220			132			(100		)	1,252		2,095		221		(98		)	2,218
	Total	$	12,648		$	928		$	(389	)	$	13,187	$	90,560	$	1,269	$	(368	)	$	91,461
	Held-to-maturity:
	Certificates of deposit	$	17,930		$	—		$	—		$	17,930	$	31,214	$	—	$	—		$	31,214
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date	The table below shows the cost and fair value of investments classified as available-for-sale and held-to-maturity based on their contractual maturities as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. The expected maturities of certain fixed-income securities may differ from their contractual maturities because some of these holdings have call features that allow the issuers the right to prepay obligations without penalties.
		As of December 31, 2014						As of December 31, 2013
	$0	Cost			Fair Value			Cost			Fair Value
	Available-for-sale:
	Due in one year or less	$	—		$	—		$	45,486		$	45,402
	Due in one to two years	—			—			34,107			34,099
	Equity securities, exchange-traded funds, and mutual funds	12,648			13,187			10,967			11,960
	Total	$	12,648		$	13,187		$	90,560		$	91,461
	Held-to-maturity:
	Due in one year or less	$	17,929		$	17,929		$	31,210		$	31,210
	Due in one to three years	1			1			4			4
	Total	$	17,930		$	17,930		$	31,214		$	31,214
Schedule of Realized Gain (Loss)	The following table shows the realized gains and losses arising from sales of our investments classified as available-for-sale recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Income:
	$0	2014			2013			2012
	Realized gains	$	1,484		$	5,550		$	1,671
	Realized losses	(466		)	(1,343		)	(1,133		)
	Realized gains, net	$	1,018		$	4,207		$	538
Unrealized Gain Loss On Trading Securities	The following table shows the net unrealized gains (losses) on trading securities as recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Income:
	$0	2014			2013			2012
	Unrealized gains (losses), net	$	(188	)	$	827		$	269
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis
		Fair Value			Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2014
		as of			Using Fair Value Hierarchy
	$0	December 31, 2014			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
	Available-for-sale investments
	Government obligations	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—
	Corporate bonds	—			—			—			—
	Foreign obligations	—			—			—			—
	Commercial paper	—			—			—			—
	Equity securities and exchange-traded funds	11,935			11,935			—			—
	Mutual funds	1,252			1,252			—			—
	Trading securities	8,305			8,305			—			—
	Cash equivalents	512			512			—			—
	Total	$	22,004		$	22,004		$	—		$	—
		Fair Value			Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2013
		as of			Using Fair Value Hierarchy
	$0	December 31, 2013			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
	Available-for-sale investments
	Government obligations	$	19,698		$	—		$	19,698		$	—
	Corporate bonds	49,811			—			49,811			—
	Foreign obligations	503			—			503			—
	Commercial paper	9,489			—			9,489			—
	Equity securities and exchange-traded funds	9,742			9,742			—			—
	Mutual funds	2,218			2,218			—			—
	Trading securities	7,732			7,732			—			—
	Cash equivalents	925			925			—			—
	Total	$	100,118		$	20,617		$	79,501		$	—

Acquisitions_Goodwill_and_Othe1

Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets [Abstract]
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes our preliminary allocation of the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition, all of which are preliminary pending completion of the final valuation:
		$0
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	3,739
	Accounts receivable and other current assets	150
	Other current and non-current assets	318
	Deferred tax asset	8,646
	Intangible assets	9,460
	Goodwill	39,166
	Deferred revenue	(2,897		)
	Deferred tax liability	(3,595		)
	Other current and non-current liabilities	(981		)
	Total fair value of HelloWallet	$	54,006
	The following table summarizes our preliminary allocation of the purchase price to the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of the acquisition, all of which are preliminary pending completion of the final valuation:
		$0
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	287
	Accounts receivable and other current assets	152
	Deferred tax asset	3,987
	Other current and non-current assets	257
	Intangible assets	8,681
	Goodwill	18,476
	Deferred revenue	(79		)
	Deferred tax liability	(3,299		)
	Other current and non-current liabilities	(513		)
	Total purchase price	$	27,949
Schedule of Business Acquisitions	The following table summarizes our allocation of the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition:
		$0
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	3,472
	Accounts receivable and other current assets	519
	Other non-current assets	244
	Intangible assets	9,700
	Goodwill	8,911
	Deferred revenue	(1,191		)
	Deferred tax liability	(2,272		)
	Other current and non-current liabilities	(870		)
	Total fair value of Morningstar Sweden	$	18,513
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets Acquired as Part of Business Combination	The allocation included acquired intangible assets, as follows:
		$0			Weighted Average Useful Life (years)
	Customer-related assets	$	9,700		14
	Total intangible assets	$	9,700		14
Schedule of Goodwill	The following table shows the changes in our goodwill balances from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014:
		$0
	Balance as of January 1, 2013	$	320,845
	Acquisition of remaining ownership in Morningstar Sweden	8,911
	Other, primarily foreign currency translation	(3,306		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	326,450
	Acquisition of HelloWallet and ByAllAccounts	57,642
	Foreign currency translation	(14,038		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2014	$	370,054
Schedule of Intangible Assets	The following table summarizes our intangible assets:
		As of December 31, 2014									As of December 31, 2013
	$0	Gross			Accumulated			Net		Weighted	Gross		Accumulated			Net		Weighted
					Amortization					Average			Amortization					Average
										Useful  Life								Useful  Life
										(years)								(years)
	Intellectual property	$	29,026		$	(25,033	)	$	3,993	9	$	29,477	$	(23,128	)	$	6,349	9
	Customer-related assets	141,497			(83,582		)	57,915		12	141,833		(74,311		)	67,522		12
	Supplier relationships	240			(120		)	120		20	240		(108		)	132		20
	Technology-based assets	88,816			(57,395		)	31,421		8	80,489		(50,673		)	29,816		9
	Non-competition agreement	4,339			(1,883		)	2,456		5	1,661		(1,571		)	90		4
	Total intangible assets	$	263,918		$	(168,013	)	$	95,905	10	$	253,700	$	(149,791	)	$	103,909	10
Schedule of Intangible Asset, Amortization Expense
	The following table summarizes our amortization expense related to intangible assets:
	$0	2014			2013			2012
	Amortization expense	$	22,264		$	21,454		$	23,944
Schedule of Expected Amortization Expense	Based on acquisitions and divestitures completed through December 31, 2014, we expect intangible amortization expense for 2015 and subsequent years to be as follows:
		$0
	2015	$	21,920
	2016	17,394
	2017	12,941
	2018	10,790
	2019	8,046
	Thereafter	24,814
Schedule of Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired as Part of Business Combination [Table Text Block]	The preliminary allocation includes $8,681,000 of acquired intangible assets, as follows:
		$0			Weighted Average Useful Life (years)
	Customer-related assets	$	5,506		24
	Technology-based assets	3,020			4.5
	Intellectual property (trademarks and trade names)	47			1
	Non-competition agreement	108			3
	Total intangible assets	$	8,681		19
	The preliminary allocation includes $9,460,000 of acquired intangible assets, as follows:
		$0			Weighted Average Useful Life (years)
	Technology based assets	6,670			5
	Intellectual property (trademarks and trade names)	169			3
	Non-competition agreement	2,621			5
	Total intangible assets	$	9,460		5

Discontinued_Operations_Tables

Discontinued Operations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Schedule of Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes the amounts included in our Consolidated Statements of Income for discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012:
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	Gain on sales of businesses	$	—	$	—	$	6,193
	Income tax expense	—		—		1,005
	Earnings from discontinued operations, net of tax	$	—	$	—	$	5,188

Investments_in_Unconsolidated_1

Investments in Unconsolidated Entities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities [Abstract]
Schedule of Equity Method And Cost Method Investments	Our investments in unconsolidated entities consist primarily of the following:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014			2013
	Investment in MJKK	$	23,014		$	21,782
	Other equity method investments	3,475			6,166
	Investments accounted for using the cost method	2,309			10,766
	Total investments in unconsolidated entities	$	28,798		$	38,714
Schedule of Equity Method Investments
		As of December 31
		2014			2013
	Morningstar’s approximate ownership of MJKK	34		%	34		%
	Approximate market value of Morningstar’s ownership in MJKK:
	Japanese yen (¥000)	¥	7,347,413		¥	9,824,068
	Equivalent U.S. dollars ($000)	$	61,277		$	94,999

Property_Equipment_and_Capital1

Property, Equipment, and Capitalized Software Property, Equipment, and Capitalized Software (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of Property, Equipment, and Capitalized Software by Major Category	The following table shows our property, equipment, and capitalized software summarized by major category:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014			2013
	Computer equipment	$	53,420		$	47,830
	Capitalized software	87,764			50,360
	Furniture and fixtures	23,172			23,259
	Leasehold improvements	54,320			52,512
	Telephone equipment	1,948			2,032
	Construction in progress	29,870			35,159
	Property, equipment, and capitalized software, at cost	250,494			211,152
	Less accumulated depreciation	(132,933		)	(106,166		)
	Property, equipment, and capitalized software, net	$	117,561		$	104,986
Capitalized Software Not Yet Placed In Service Included In Construction In Progress Balance	The following table shows the amount of capitalized software development costs included in construction in progress:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014			2013
	Capitalized software development costs not yet placed into service	$	18,070		$	11,345
Summary of Depreciation Expense	The following table summarizes our depreciation expense:
	$0	2014			2013			2012
	Depreciation expense	$	32,622		$	24,239		$	19,152

Operating_Leases_Operating_Lea

Operating Leases Operating Leases (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Leases, Operating [Abstract]
Schedule of Minimum Future Rental Commitments	The following table shows our minimum future rental commitments due in each of the next five years and thereafter for all non-cancelable operating leases, consisting primarily of leases for office space:
	Minimum Future Rental Commitments	$0
	2015	$	19,395
	2016	20,299
	2017	19,270
	2018	16,916
	2019	12,632
	Thereafter	48,203
	Total	$	136,715
Schedule of Rent Expense	The following table summarizes our rent expense including taxes, insurance, and related operating costs:
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	Rent expense	$	24,460	$	22,169	$	20,736
Schedule of Deferred Rent	Deferred rent includes build-out and rent abatement allowances received, which are amortized over the remaining portion of the original term of the lease as a reduction in office lease expense. We include deferred rent, as appropriate, in “Accounts payable and accrued liabilities” and “Deferred rent, noncurrent” on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
		As of December 31
	$0	2014		2013
	Deferred rent	$	29,124	$	26,157

StockBased_Compensation_Tables

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Schedule of Shares Available for Future Grants	The following table summarizes the number of shares available for future grants under our 2011 Plan:
		As of December 31
	0	2014
	Shares available for future grants	4,233
Schedule of Stock-Based Compensation Expense	The following table summarizes our stock-based compensation expense and the related income tax benefit we recorded in the past three years:
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014			2013				2012
	Restricted stock units	$	16,307		$	14,163			$	13,451
	Restricted stock	388			388				5,013
	Performance share awards	505			—				—
	Stock options	424			492				441
	Total stock-based compensation expense	$	17,624		$	15,043			$	18,905
	Income tax benefit related to the stock-based compensation expense	$	5,055		$	4,027			$	3,686
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Activity [Table Text Block]	The following table summarizes the stock-based compensation expense included in each of our operating expense categories for the past three years:
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014			2013				2012
	Cost of revenue	$	7,774		$	6,870			$	6,416
	Sales and marketing	2,170			1,975				1,937
	General and administrative	7,680			6,198				10,552
	Total stock-based compensation expense	$	17,624		$	15,043			$	18,905
Schedule of Uncategorized Stock-Based Compensation Expense	The following table summarizes the amount of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense as of December 31, 2014 and the expected number of months over which the expense will be recognized:
		Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense ($000)			Expected amortization period (months)
	Restricted stock units	$	33,064		32
	Restricted stock	129			4
	Performance share awards	453			24
	Stock options	162			6
	Total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense	$	33,808		32
Schedule of Restricted Stock Units Award Activity	The following table summarizes restricted stock unit activity during the past three years:
	Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)	Unvested		Vested but			Total			Weighted
				Deferred						Average
										Grant Date Value
										per RSU
	RSUs Outstanding - January 1, 2012	741,043		20,076			761,119			$	50.66
	Granted	341,282		—			341,282			56.26
	Dividend equivalents	6,405		130			6,535			52.02
	Vested	(270,695	)	—			(270,695	)		50.12
	Vested but deferred	(892	)	892			—			—
	Issued	—		(2,316	)		(2,316	)		73.28
	Forfeited	(89,998	)	—			(89,998	)		50.84
	RSUs Outstanding - December 31, 2012	727,145		18,782			745,927			53.37
	Granted	287,848		—			287,848			72.04
	Dividend equivalents	2,773		157			2,930			57.39
	Vested	(278,549	)	—			(278,549	)		50.41
	Issued	—		(2,257	)		(2,257	)		49.4
	Forfeited	(59,215	)	—			(59,215	)		57.58
	RSUs Outstanding - December 31, 2013	680,002		16,682			696,684			62.02
	Granted	279,524		—			279,524			72.68
	Dividend equivalents	2,621		150			2,771			55.7
	Vested	(268,115	)	—			(268,115	)		58.91
	Issued	—		(2,054	)		(2,054	)		53.54
	Forfeited	(38,098	)	—			(38,098	)		65.21
	RSUs Outstanding - December 31, 2014	655,934		14,778			670,712			67.51
Schedule of Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Performance-Based Units, Vested and Expected to Vest [Table Text Block]	Information as of December 31, 2014 regarding our target performance share awards granted and shares that would be issued at current performance levels for performance share awards granted during 2014 is as follows:
		As of December 31, 2014
	Target performance share awards granted	23,685
	Fair value per award (1)	$	80.91
	Number of shares that would be issued based on current performance levels	11,843
	Unamortized expense, based on current performance levels	$	453,000
	(1) Represents the closing market price of Morningstar's stock on March 14, 2014, which is the last closing price prior to the grant date.
Schedule of Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions	In May 2011, we granted 86,106 stock options under the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan. In November 2011, we granted 6,095 stock options under the 2011 Plan. We estimated the fair value of the options on the grant date using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The weighted average fair value of options granted during 2011 was $23.81 per share, based on the following assumptions:
	Assumptions for Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model
	Expected life (years):	7.4
	Volatility factor:	35.1	%
	Dividend yield:	0.35	%
	Interest rate:	2.87	%
Schedule of Options Granted at Exercise Price Below Fair Value per Share on Grant Date	The first table includes activity for options granted at an exercise price below the fair value per share of our common stock on the grant date; the second table includes activity for all other option grants.
		2014						2013						2012
	Options Granted At an Exercise Price Below the Fair Value Per Share on the Grant Date	Underlying		Weighted				Underlying			Weighted			Underlying			Weighted
		Shares		Average				Shares			Average			Shares			Average
				Exercise							Exercise						Exercise
				Price							Price						Price
	Options outstanding—beginning of year	179,559		$	21.47			282,695			$	20.55		398,859			$	19.72
	Granted	—		—				—			—			—			—
	Canceled	(150	)	22.24				(250	)		21.48			(650	)		14.7
	Exercised	(179,409	)	22.08				(102,886	)		21.09			(115,514	)		20.19
	Options outstanding—end of year	—		—				179,559			21.47			282,695			20.55
	Options exercisable—end of year	—		$	—			179,559			$	21.47		282,695			$	20.55
Schedule of All Other Option Granted
		2014						2013						2012
	All Other Option Grants, Excluding Activity Shown Above	Underlying		Weighted				Underlying			Weighted			Underlying			Weighted
		Shares		Average				Shares			Average			Shares			Average
				Exercise							Exercise						Exercise
				Price							Price						Price
	Options outstanding—beginning of year	253,972		$	36.48			391,784			$	28.98		818,552			$	22.76
	Granted	—		—				—			—			—			—
	Canceled	(526	)	38.61				(1,352	)		16.19			(22,330	)		39.75
	Exercised	(83,636	)	30.82				(136,460	)		16.84			(404,438	)		16.6
	Options outstanding—end of year	169,810		40.2				253,972			36.48			391,784			28.98
	Options exercisable—end of year	154,864		$	38.53			219,449			$	33.18		337,684			$	24.42
Schedule of Intrinsic Value of Stock Options Exercised During Period	The following table summarizes the total intrinsic value (difference between the market value of our stock on the date of exercise and the exercise price of the option) of options exercised:
	$0	2014			2013				2012
	Intrinsic value of options exercised	$	12,021		$	12,801			$	22,526
Schedule of Options, Vested and Expected to Vest, Outstanding and Exercisable	The table below shows additional information for options outstanding and exercisable as of December 31, 2014:
		Options Outstanding											Options Exercisable
	Range of Exercise Prices	Number of  Options		Weighted		Weighted				Aggregate			Exercisable Shares			Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000)
				Average		Average				Intrinsic
				Remaining		Exercise				Value
				Contractual		Price				$0
				Life (years)
	$27.54	96,354		0.34		$	27.54			$	3,582		96,354			0.34		$	27.54	$	3,582
	$40.49 - $51.03	5,781		0.91		49.1				90			5,781			0.91		49.1		90
	$57.28 - $59.35	67,675		6.51		57.47				490			52,729			6.51		57.46		358
	$27.54 - $59.35	169,810		2.82		40.2				$	4,162		154,864			2.46		38.53		$	4,030
	Vested or Expected to Vest
	$27.54 - $59.35	169,810		2.82		$	40.2			$	4,162
Schedule of Tax Benefits Related To Share Based Compensation	The following table summarizes our excess tax benefits for the past three years:
	$0	2014			2013				2012
	Excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation	$	4,449		$	5,898			$	7,210

Defined_Contribution_Plan_Tabl

Defined Contribution Plan (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Defined Contribution Plan [Abstract]
Schedule of Defined Contribution Plan, Employer Matching Contributions	The following table summarizes our matching contributions:
	$0	2014		2013		2012
	401(k) matching contributions	$	7,451	$	6,879	$	6,642

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Schedule of Income Tax Expense and Effective Tax Rate	The following table shows our income tax expense and our effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012:
	$0	2014				2013				2012
	Income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	$	113,898			$	178,010			$	153,625
	Equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	39				1,428				2,027
	Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest	42				122				117
	Total	$	113,979			$	179,560			$	155,769
	Income tax expense	$	35,678			$	56,031			$	52,878
	Effective tax rate	31.3		%		31.2		%		33.9		%
Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation	The following table reconciles our income tax expense at the U.S. federal income tax rate of 35% to income tax expense as recorded:
		2014							2013						2012
	($000, except percentages)	Amount				%			Amount				%		Amount			%
	Income tax expense at U.S. federal rate	$	39,893			35	%		$	62,845			35	%	$	54,519		35	%
	State income taxes, net of federal income tax benefit	2,129				1.9			3,029				1.7		1,510			1
	Equity in net income of unconsolidated subsidiaries	(1,397		)		(1.2	)		—				—		—			—
	Net change in valuation allowance related to non-U.S. deferred tax assets, primarily net operating losses	(600		)		(0.5	)		(1,842		)		(1.0	)	(630		)	(0.4	)
	Difference between U.S. federal statutory and foreign tax rates	(3,961		)		(3.5	)		(2,513		)		(1.4	)	(2,777		)	(1.8	)
	Change in unrecognized tax benefits	1,481				1.3			(211		)		(0.1	)	967			0.6
	Credits and incentives	(2,924		)		(2.6	)		(4,374		)		(2.5	)	(1,494		)	(1.0	)
	Recognition of deferred tax assets	(140		)		(0.1	)		(1,448		)		(0.8	)	—			—
	Other - net	1,197				1			545				0.3		783			0.5
	Total income tax expense	$	35,678			31.3	%		$	56,031			31.2	%	$	52,878		33.9	%
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense	Income tax expense consists of the following:
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014				2013				2012
	Current tax expense:
	U.S.
	Federal	$	20,726			$	42,808			$	38,821
	State	1,996				3,882				1,997
	Non-U.S.	9,638				10,456				5,719
	Current tax expense	32,360				57,146				46,537
	Deferred tax expense (benefit):
	U.S.
	Federal	3,668				2,630				6,287
	State	1,326				814				334
	Non-U.S.	(1,676		)		(4,559		)		(280		)
	Deferred tax expense (benefit), net	3,318				(1,115		)		6,341
	Income tax expense	$	35,678			$	56,031			$	52,878
Schedule of Income before Income Tax	The following table provides our income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities, generated by our U.S. and non-U.S. operations:
		Year ended December 31
	$0	2014				2013				2012
	U.S.	$	80,394			$	144,065			$	128,920
	Non-U.S.	33,504				33,945				24,705
	Income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	$	113,898			$	178,010			$	153,625
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	The tax effects of the temporary differences that give rise to the deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014				2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Stock-based compensation expense	$	3,262			$	3,479
	Accrued liabilities	13,632				9,805
	Net operating loss carryforwards - U.S. federal and state	10,505				851
	Net operating loss carryforwards - Non-U.S.	7,725				9,229
	Deferred royalty revenue	354				366
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	929				758
	Deferred rent	10,019				8,673
	Total deferred tax assets	46,426				33,161
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Acquired intangible assets	(16,419		)		(12,967		)
	Property, equipment, and capitalized software	(23,157		)		(15,525		)
	Unrealized exchange gains, net	(174		)		(395		)
	Prepaid expenses	(3,677		)		(4,299		)
	Investments in unconsolidated entities	(12,836		)		(12,009		)
	Other	(435		)		(373		)
	Total deferred tax liabilities	(56,698		)		(45,568		)
	Net deferred tax liability before valuation allowance	(10,272		)		(12,407		)
	Valuation allowance	(6,706		)		(7,456		)
	Net deferred tax liability	$	(16,978	)		$	(19,863	)
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities Included in Consolidated Balance Sheets	The deferred tax assets and liabilities are presented in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as follows:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014				2013
	Deferred tax asset, net - current	$	9,000			$	3,892
	Deferred tax liability, net - non-current	(25,978		)		(23,755		)
	Net deferred tax liability	$	(16,978	)		$	(19,863	)
Schedule of Gross Unrecognized Tax Benefits	The table below reconciles the beginning and ending amount of the gross unrecognized tax benefits as follows:
	$0	2014				2013
	Gross unrecognized tax benefits - beginning of the year	$	12,958			$	12,699
	Increases as a result of tax positions taken during a prior-year period	866				791
	Decreases as a result of tax positions taken during a prior-year period	(54		)		(146		)
	Increases as a result of tax positions taken during the current period	2,007				2,887
	Decreases relating to settlements with tax authorities	(2,400		)		(2,779		)
	Reductions as a result of lapse of the applicable statute of limitations	(1,455		)		(494		)
	Gross unrecognized tax benefits - end of the year	$	11,922			$	12,958
Summary of Income Tax Examinations	The following table summarizes our gross liability for interest and penalties:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014				2013
	Liabilities for interest and penalties	$	1,488			$	1,865
U.S [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Summary of Operating Loss Carryforwards	The following table summarizes our U.S. net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards:
		As of December 31
	$0				2014					2013
					Expiration Date					Expiration Date
	U.S. federal NOLs subject to expiration dates	$	30,015		2023-2034		$	2,136		12/31/23
Non-U.S. [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Summary of Operating Loss Carryforwards	The following table summarizes our NOL carryforwards for our non-U.S. operations:
		As of December 31
	$0	2014				2013
	Non-U.S. NOLs subject to expiration dates from 2018 through 2034	$	5,240			$	5,314
	Non-U.S. NOLs with no expiration date	32,628				40,054
	Total	$	37,868			$	45,368
	Non-U.S. NOLs not subject to valuation allowances	$	5,127			$	8,759

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D1

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Quarterly Financial Data
		2013								2014
	(in thousands except per share amounts)	Q1		Q2		Q3		Q4		Q1		Q2			Q3			Q4
	Revenue	$	168,856	$	175,428	$	173,482	$	180,500	$	181,165	$	189,385		$	193,106		$	196,415
	Total operating expense	128,296		131,844		128,869		138,603		142,633		214,165			147,845			149,834
	Operating income (loss)	40,560		43,584		44,613		41,897		38,532		(24,780		)	45,261			46,581
	Non-operating income (expense), net	945		3,111		771		2,529		865		5,898			(298		)	1,839
	Income (loss) before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	41,505		46,695		45,384		44,426		39,397		(18,882		)	44,963			48,420
	Equity in net income (loss) of unconsolidated entities	497		360		315		256		599		497			337			(1,394		)
	Income tax expense (benefit)	12,427		15,955		14,265		13,384		13,650		(8,611		)	15,149			15,490
	Consolidated net income (loss)	29,575		31,100		31,434		31,298		26,346		(9,774		)	30,151			31,536
	Net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interests	43		21		29		29		30		5			29			(22		)
	Net income (loss) attributable to Morningstar, Inc.	$	29,618	$	31,121	$	31,463	$	31,327	$	26,376	$	(9,769	)	$	30,180		$	31,514
	Net income (loss) per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.
	Basic	$	0.64	$	0.67	$	0.68	$	0.68	$	0.59	$	(0.22	)	$	0.67		$	0.71
	Diluted	$	0.63	$	0.66	$	0.68	$	0.68	$	0.58	$	(0.22	)	$	0.67		$	0.71
	Dividends per common share:
	Dividends declared per common share	$	0.125	$	0.125	$	—	$	0.295	$	0.17	$	0.17		$	0.17		$	0.19
	Dividends paid per common share	$	—	$	0.125	$	0.125	$	0.125	$	0.17	$	0.17		$	0.17		$	0.17
	Weighted average shares outstanding:
	Basic	46,406		46,400		46,080		45,756		44,777		44,777			44,734			44,414
	Diluted	46,814		46,853		46,519		46,211		45,093		44,777			44,889			44,548

Description_of_Business_Detail

Description of Business (Details)	Dec. 31, 2014
	Countries
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Number of countries in which entity operates	27

Correction_Details

Correction (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$34,268	$42,131
Deferred rent	26,390	23,938
Previously Reported
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		52,877
Deferred rent		13,192
Correction
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		-10,746
Deferred rent		$10,746

Summary_of_Significant_Account3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
capitalized software development costs	$18,804,000	$8,142,000	$8,527,000
Advertising expense	7,497,000	6,939,000	6,306,000
Intangible Assets, useful life, minimum	10 years	10 years
Correction
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Reorganization, Number of Positions Shifted	180
Cost of Revenue [Member] | Correction
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Compensation	14,000,000
General and Administrative Expense [Member] | Correction
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Compensation	-6,000,000
Sales and Marketing [Member] | Correction
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Compensation	($8,000,000)
Property, Plant and Equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Property, Equipment, and Depreciation, useful life, minimum	3 years
Property, Plant and Equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Property, Equipment, and Depreciation, useful life, minimum	7 years
Capitalized software [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Property, Equipment, and Depreciation, useful life, minimum	3 years
Capitalized software [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Property, Equipment, and Depreciation, useful life, minimum	5 years

Credit_Arrangements_Details

Credit Arrangements (Details) (Revolving Credit Facility [Member], USD $)	1 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jul. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Long-term Line of Credit	75
Line of Credit, Current		30
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		$45
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	100.00%

Income_Per_Share_Details

Income Per Share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Basic net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
Net income attributable to Morningstar, Inc.	$31,514	$30,180	($9,769)	$26,376	$31,327	$31,463	$31,121	$29,618	$78,301	$123,529	$108,079
Less: Distributed earnings availabline to participating securities									-7	-10	-41
Undistributed Earnings (Loss) Allocated to Participating Securities, Basic									9	36	47
Numerator for basic net income per share - undistributed and distributed earnings available to common shareholders									78,285	123,483	107,991
Weighted average common shares outstanding	44,414	44,734	44,777	44,777	45,756	46,080	46,400	46,406	44,675	46,158	48,497
Basic net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.									$1.75	$2.68	$2.23
Diluted net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.:
Numerator for basic net income per share - undistributed and distributed earnings available to common shareholders									78,285	123,483	107,991
Add: Undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities									9	36	47
Less: Undistributed earnings reallocated to participating securities									-9	-36	-46
Numerator for diluted net income per share - undistributed and distributed earnings available to common shareholders									$78,285	$123,483	$107,992
Weighted average common shares outstanding	44,414	44,734	44,777	44,777	45,756	46,080	46,400	46,406	44,675	46,158	48,497
Net effect of dilutive stock options and restricted stock units									226	333	651
Weighted average common shares outstanding for computing diluted income per share	44,548	44,889	44,777	45,093	46,211	46,519	46,853	46,814	44,901	46,491	49,148
Diluted net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.									$1.74	$2.66	$2.20
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Basic Share	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$1.75	$2.68	$2.12
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Per Basic Share									$0	$0	$0.11
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Diluted Share	$0.71	$0.67	($0.22)	$0.58	$0.68	$0.68	$0.66	$0.63	$1.74	$2.66	$2.10
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Per Diluted Share									$0	$0	$0.10

Income_Per_Share_Income_Per_Sh

Income Per Share Income Per Share Antidilutive Shares (Details)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	53	17	90
Stock Options [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	0	0	83
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	47	17	7
Performance Shares [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	6	0	0

Segment_and_Geographical_Area_2

Segment and Geographical Area Information (Operating Segments) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Segment Reporting Information, Operating Income (Loss) [Abstract]
External revenue	$196,415	$193,106	$189,385	$181,165	$180,500	$173,482	$175,428	$168,856	$760,071	$698,266	$658,288
Stock-based compensation expense									17,624	15,043	18,905
Depreciation and amortization									54,886	45,693	43,096
Operating income	46,581	45,261	-24,780	38,532	41,897	44,613	43,584	40,560	105,594	170,654	150,668
Segment Reporting Information, Additional Information [Abstract]
Goodwill	370,054				326,450				370,054	326,450	320,845
United States [Member]
Segment Reporting Information, Operating Income (Loss) [Abstract]
External revenue									550,740	500,730	466,947
Investment Management [Member]
Segment Reporting Information, Operating Income (Loss) [Abstract]
External revenue									163,025	142,624	132,141
Investment Information [Member]
Segment Reporting Information, Operating Income (Loss) [Abstract]
External revenue									$597,046	$555,642	$526,147

Segment_and_Geographical_Area_3

Segment and Geographical Area Information (External Revenue and Long-Lived Assets) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue	$196,415	$193,106	$189,385	$181,165	$180,500	$173,482	$175,428	$168,856	$760,071	$698,266	$658,288
Long-lived assets	117,561				104,986				117,561	104,986
United States [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									550,740	500,730	466,947
Long-lived assets	98,135				84,321				98,135	84,321
United Kingdom [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									61,844	56,298	56,794
Long-lived assets	8,014				6,873				8,014	6,873
Europe excluding the United Kingdom [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									62,677	57,580	49,844
Long-lived assets	2,102				1,873				2,102	1,873
Australia [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									34,977	35,289	38,229
Long-lived assets	794				1,051				794	1,051
Canada [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									30,790	31,845	30,664
Long-lived assets	938				1,275				938	1,275
Asia, Excluding Japan [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									15,830	13,860	13,765
Long-lived assets	7,491				9,479				7,491	9,479
Other [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									3,213	2,664	2,045
Long-lived assets	87				114				87	114
Non United States [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									209,331	197,536	191,341
Long-lived assets	$19,426				$20,665				$19,426	$20,665

Investments_and_Fair_Value_Mea2

Investments and Fair Value Measurements (Classification of Securities) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Available-for-sale	$13,187	$91,461
Held-to-maturity	17,930	31,214
Trading securities, fair value disclosure	8,305	7,732
Total	$39,422	$130,407

Investments_and_Fair_Value_Mea3

Investments and Fair Value Measurements (Gains (Losses) on Investments) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Available-for-sale:
Available-for-sale securities, amortized cost basis	$12,648	$90,560
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized gain	928	1,269
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized loss	-389	-368
Available-for-sale securities, current	13,187	91,461
Held-to-maturity:
Held-to-maturity securities, total amortized cost	17,930	31,214
Held-to-maturity securities, unrealized gain	0	0
Held-to-maturity securities, unrealized loss	0	0
Held-to-maturity securities, current	17,930	31,214
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Realized Gain (Loss) [Abstract]
Available-for-sale securities, realized gains	1,484	5,550	1,671
Available-for-sale securities, realized losses	-466	-1,343	-1,133
Available-for-sale securities, realized gains, net	1,018	4,207	538
US Treasury and Government [Member]
Available-for-sale:
Available-for-sale securities, amortized cost basis	0	19,693
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized gain	0	8
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized loss	0	-3
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	19,698
Corporate Bonds [Member]
Available-for-sale:
Available-for-sale securities, amortized cost basis	0	49,913
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized gain	0	22
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized loss	0	-124
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	49,811
Foreign obligations [Member]
Available-for-sale:
Available-for-sale securities, amortized cost basis	0	505
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized gain	0	0
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized loss	0	-2
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	503
Commercial paper [Member]
Available-for-sale:
Available-for-sale securities, amortized cost basis	0	9,482
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized gain	0	7
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized loss	0	0
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	9,489
Equity securities and exchange-traded funds [Member]
Available-for-sale:
Available-for-sale securities, amortized cost basis	11,428	8,872
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized gain	796	1,011
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized loss	-289	-141
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	11,935	9,742
Mutual funds [Member]
Available-for-sale:
Available-for-sale securities, amortized cost basis	1,220	2,095
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized gain	132	221
Available-for-sale securities, unrealized loss	-100	-98
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	$1,252	$2,218

Investments_and_Fair_Value_Mea4

Investments and Fair Value Measurements (Cost and Fair Value of Securities) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities [Abstract]
Available-for-sale securities, due in one year or less, amortized cost basis	$0	$45,486,000
Available-for-sale securities, due in one year or less, fair vlaue	0	45,402,000
Available for sale securities, due in one to two years, amortized cost basis	0	34,107,000
Available-for-sale securities, due in one to two years, fair value	0	34,099,000
Available-for-sale securities, equity securities and mutual funds, amortized cost basis	12,648,000	10,967,000
Available-for-sale securities, equity securities and mutual funds, fair value	13,187,000	11,960,000
Available-for-sale securities, amortized cost basis	12,648,000	90,560,000
Available-for-sale securities, current	13,187,000	91,461,000
Held-to-maturity Securities, Debt Maturities [Abstract]
Held-to-maturity securities, due in one year, net carrying amount	17,929,000	31,210,000
Held-to-maturity securities, due within one year, fair value	17,929,000	31,210,000
Held-to-maturity securities, due in one to three years, net carrying amount	1,000	4,000
Held-to-maturity securities, due in one to three years, fair value	1,000	4,000
Held-to-maturity securities, total amortized cost	17,930,000	31,214,000
Held-to-maturity securities, current	17,930,000	31,214,000
Certificate of Deposit Held as Collateral Against Australia Office Lease	$1,500,000

Investments_and_Fair_Value_Mea5

Investments and Fair Value Measurements (Unrealized Gains on Trading Securities) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Unrealized gains (losses), net	($188)	$827	$269

Investments_and_Fair_Value_Mea6

Investments and Fair Value Measurements (Fair Value of Assets) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Trading securities, fair value disclosure	$8,305	$7,732
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Trading securities, fair value disclosure	8,305	7,732
Cash equivalents, fair value disclosure	512	925
Investments, fair value disclosure	22,004	20,617
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Government obligations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Corporate bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Foreign obligations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Commercial paper [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Equity securities and exchange-traded funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	11,935	9,742
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Mutual funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	1,252	2,218
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Trading securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Cash equivalents, fair value disclosure	0	0
Investments, fair value disclosure	0	79,501
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Government obligations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	19,698
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Corporate bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	49,811
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Foreign obligations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	503
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Commercial paper [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	9,489
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Equity securities and exchange-traded funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Mutual funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Trading securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Cash equivalents, fair value disclosure	0	0
Investments, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Government obligations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Corporate bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Foreign obligations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Commercial paper [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Equity securities and exchange-traded funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Mutual funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	0
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Trading securities, fair value disclosure	8,305	7,732
Cash equivalents, fair value disclosure	512	925
Investments, fair value disclosure	22,004	100,118
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Government obligations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	19,698
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Corporate bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	49,811
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Foreign obligations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	503
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Commercial paper [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	0	9,489
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Equity securities and exchange-traded funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	11,935	9,742
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Mutual funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities, fair value disclosure	$1,252	$2,218

Acquisitions_Goodwill_and_Othe2

Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jun. 03, 2014	3-May-13	Apr. 02, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Equity Method Investments Holding Gain	$5,168,000	$3,635,000	$0
Goodwill	370,054,000	326,450,000	320,845,000
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	0	0	0
Impairment of intangible assets	0	0	0
HelloWallet [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets				9,460,000
Percentage of voting interests acquired				81.30%
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Previously Held Ownership Portion				13,481,000
Acquisition estimated fair value				54,006,000
Cash paid to acquire the entity				40,525,000
Deferred tax liability				3,595,000
Deferred tax asset				8,646,000
Goodwill				39,166,000
Business Acquisition, Current Percentage of Voting Interests				100.00%
Business Acquisition, Prior Percentage of Voting Interests				18.70%
Business Combination, Non-Cash Holding Gain (Loss)				5,168,000
ByAllAccounts, Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets						8,681,000
Acquisition estimated fair value						27,949,000
Deferred tax liability						3,299,000
Deferred tax asset						3,987,000
Goodwill						18,476,000
Morningstar Sweden AB [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets					9,700,000
Percentage of voting interests acquired					76.00%
Equity method investment, ownership percentage					100.00%		24.00%
Acquisition estimated fair value					18,513,000
Cash paid to acquire the entity					14,554,000
Equity method investments, fair value							3,959,000
Equity Method Investments Holding Gain					3,635,000
Deferred tax liability					2,272,000
Goodwill					$8,911,000

Acquisitions_Goodwill_and_Othe3

Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets (Purchase Price Allocation) (Details) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jun. 03, 2014	Apr. 02, 2014	3-May-13
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation [Abstract]
Goodwill	$370,054	$326,450	$320,845
HelloWallet [Member]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents				3,739
Accounts receivable and other current assets				150
Other non-current assets				318
Deferred tax asset				8,646
Intangible assets				9,460
Goodwill				39,166
Deferred revenue				-2,897
Deferred tax liability				-3,595
Other current and non-current liabilities				-981
Acquisition estimated fair value				54,006
ByAllAccounts, Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents					287
Accounts receivable and other current assets					152
Other non-current assets					257
Deferred tax asset					3,987
Intangible assets					8,681
Goodwill					18,476
Deferred revenue					-79
Deferred tax liability					-3,299
Other current and non-current liabilities					-513
Acquisition estimated fair value					27,949
Morningstar Sweden AB [Member]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents						3,472
Accounts receivable and other current assets						519
Other non-current assets						244
Intangible assets						9,700
Goodwill						8,911
Deferred revenue						-1,191
Deferred tax liability						-2,272
Other current and non-current liabilities						-870
Acquisition estimated fair value						$18,513

Acquisitions_Goodwill_and_Othe4

Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets (Allocation of Acquired Intangible Assets) (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 03, 2014	Apr. 01, 2014	3-May-13	Apr. 02, 2014
HelloWallet [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets	$9,460
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	5 years
HelloWallet [Member] | Technology-Based Intangible Assets [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets	6,670
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	5 years
HelloWallet [Member] | Trademarks and Trade Names [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets	169
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	3 years
HelloWallet [Member] | Noncompete Agreements [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets	2,621
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	5 years
ByAllAccounts, Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets				8,681
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life		19 years
ByAllAccounts, Inc. [Member] | Customer-Related Intangible Assets [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets				5,506
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life		24 years
ByAllAccounts, Inc. [Member] | Technology-Based Intangible Assets [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets				3,020
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life		4 years 6 months
ByAllAccounts, Inc. [Member] | Trademarks and Trade Names [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets				47
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life		1 year
ByAllAccounts, Inc. [Member] | Noncompete Agreements [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets				108
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life		3 years
Morningstar Sweden AB [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets			9,700
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life			14 years
Morningstar Sweden AB [Member] | Customer-Related Assets [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets			$9,700
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life			14 years

Acquisitions_Goodwill_and_Othe5

Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets (Schedule of Goodwill) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	3-May-13
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance	$326,450	$320,845
Foreign currency translation	-14,038	-3,306
Goodwill, Ending Balance	370,054	326,450
Inquiry Financial Europe AB [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Adjustments to Acquisitions		8,911
Morningstar Sweden AB [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance			8,911
Adjustments to Acquisitions	57,642
Goodwill, Ending Balance			$8,911

Acquisitions_Goodwill_and_Othe6

Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets (Schedule of Intangible Assets) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	$263,918	$253,700
Accumulated Amortization	-168,013	-149,791
Net	95,905	103,909
Weighted Average Useful Life (years)	10 years	10 years
Intellectual Property [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	29,026	29,477
Accumulated Amortization	-25,033	-23,128
Net	3,993	6,349
Weighted Average Useful Life (years)	9 years	9 years
Customer-Related Assets [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	141,497	141,833
Accumulated Amortization	-83,582	-74,311
Net	57,915	67,522
Weighted Average Useful Life (years)	12 years	12 years
Supplier Relationships [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	240	240
Accumulated Amortization	-120	-108
Net	120	132
Weighted Average Useful Life (years)	20 years	20 years
Technology-Based Assets [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	88,816	80,489
Accumulated Amortization	-57,395	-50,673
Net	31,421	29,816
Weighted Average Useful Life (years)	8 years	9 years
Non-Competition Agreement [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	4,339	1,661
Accumulated Amortization	-1,883	-1,571
Net	$2,456	$90
Weighted Average Useful Life (years)	5 years	4 years

Acquisitions_Goodwill_and_Othe7

Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets (Amortization Expense) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Acquisitions, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets [Abstract]
Amortization expense	$22,264	$21,454	$23,944
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Amortization Expense, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
2015	21,920
2016	17,394
2017	12,941
2018	10,790
2019	8,046
Thereafter	$24,814

Discontinued_Operations_Detail

Discontinued Operations (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, before Income Tax	$0	$0	$6,193
Discontinued Operation, Tax Effect of Discontinued Operation	0	0	1,005
Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax	$0	$0	$5,188

Investments_in_Unconsolidated_2

Investments in Unconsolidated Entities (Details)	12 Months Ended													0 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	3-May-13	Mar. 31, 2013
	USD ($)	USD ($)	USD ($)	Other Equity Method Investments [Member]	Other Equity Method Investments [Member]	YCharts [Member]	YCharts [Member]	Morningstar Japan KK [Member]	Morningstar Japan KK [Member]	Morningstar Japan KK [Member]	Morningstar Japan KK [Member]	Inquiry Financial Europe AB [Member]	Inquiry Financial Europe AB [Member]	Morningstar Sweden AB [Member]	Morningstar Sweden AB [Member]
				USD ($)	USD ($)			USD ($)	JPY (¥)	USD ($)	JPY (¥)			USD ($)
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity method investments				$3,475	$6,166			$23,014		$21,782
Cost method investments	2,309	10,766
Total investments in unconsolidated entities	28,798	38,714
Equity method investment, ownership percentage						22.00%	22.00%	34.00%	34.00%	34.00%	34.00%	34.00%	34.00%	100.00%	24.00%
Holding gain upon acquisition of additional ownership of equity method investment	-5,168	-3,635	0											-3,635
Percentage of voting interests acquired														76.00%
Equity method investment, approximate market value								61,277	7,347,413	94,999	9,824,068
Cost-method investments, other than temporary impairment	0	0
Equity Method Investment, Other than Temporary Impairment	1,683	0
Payments to Acquire Other Investments	0	2,751	10,304
Cost-method Investments, Realized Gain (Loss)	$353	$0	($2,034)

Property_Equipment_and_Capital2

Property, Equipment, and Capitalized Software (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net [Abstract]
Property, equipment, and capitalized software, at cost	$250,494	$211,152
Less accumulated depreciation	-132,933	-106,166
Property, equipment, and capitalized software, net	117,561	104,986
Capitalized software development costs not yet placed into service	18,070	11,345
Depreciation expense	32,622	24,239	19,152
Computer equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net [Abstract]
Property, equipment, and capitalized software, at cost	53,420	47,830
Capitalized software [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net [Abstract]
Property, equipment, and capitalized software, at cost	87,764	50,360
Furniture and fixtures [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net [Abstract]
Property, equipment, and capitalized software, at cost	23,172	23,259
Leasehold improvements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net [Abstract]
Property, equipment, and capitalized software, at cost	54,320	52,512
Telephone equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net [Abstract]
Property, equipment, and capitalized software, at cost	1,948	2,032
Construction in progress [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net [Abstract]
Property, equipment, and capitalized software, at cost	$29,870	$35,159

Operating_Leases_Operating_Lea1

Operating Leases Operating Leases (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
2012	$19,395
2013	20,299
2014	19,270
2015	16,916
2016	12,632
Thereafter	48,203
Total	136,715
Rent expense	24,460	22,169	20,736
Deferred rent	$29,124	$26,157

StockBased_Compensation_Narrat

Stock-Based Compensation (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	31-May-11	Dec. 31, 2011	Nov. 30, 2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense	$33,808
Expected amortization period (months)	32 years
Stock Options [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense	162
Expected amortization period (months)	6 years
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense	129
Expected amortization period (months)	4 years
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense	$33,064
Expected amortization period (months)	32 years
2004 Stock Incentive Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock option granted		86,106
Fair value per share			$23.81
2011 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock option granted				6,095

StockBased_Compensation_Shares

Stock-Based Compensation (Shares Available for Future Grants) (Details)	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Shares available for future grants	4,233

StockBased_Compensation_Alloca

Stock-Based Compensation (Allocation of Stock-Based Compensation Costs) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$17,624	$15,043	$18,905
Income tax benefit related to the stock-based compensation expense	5,055	4,027	3,686
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	16,307	14,163	13,451
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	388	388	5,013
Performance Shares [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	505	0	0
Stock Options [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$424	$492	$441

StockBased_Compensation_Unreco

Stock-Based Compensation (Unrecognized Stock-Based Compensation Expense) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Income tax benefit related to the stock-based compensation expense	$33,808
Expected amortization period (months)	32 years
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Income tax benefit related to the stock-based compensation expense	33,064
Expected amortization period (months)	32 years
Restricted Stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Income tax benefit related to the stock-based compensation expense	129
Expected amortization period (months)	4 years
Performance Shares [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Income tax benefit related to the stock-based compensation expense	453
Expected amortization period (months)	24 years
Stock Options [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Income tax benefit related to the stock-based compensation expense	$162
Expected amortization period (months)	6 years

StockBased_Compensation_Restri

Stock-Based Compensation (Restricted Stock Units Activity) (Details) (Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member], USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
RSUs Outstanding, Beginning Balance, Unvested	680,002	727,145	741,043
RSUs Outstanding, Beginning Balance, Vested but Deferred	16,682	18,782	20,076
RSUs Outstanding, Beginning Balance	696,684	745,927	761,119
RSUs Outstanding, Beginning Balance, Weighted Average Grant Date Value per RSU	$62.02	$53.37	$50.66
Granted, Unvested	279,524	287,848	341,282
Granted, Vested but Deferred	0	0	0
Granted	279,524	287,848	341,282
Granted, Weighted Average Grant Date Value per RSU	$72.68	$72.04	$56.26
Dividend equivalents, Unvested	2,621	2,773	6,405
Dividends equivalents, Vested but Deferred	150	157	130
Dividends equivalents	2,771	2,930	6,535
Dividends equivalents, Weighted Average Grant Date Value per RSU	$55.70	$57.39	$52.02
Vested, Unvested	-268,115	-278,549	-270,695
Vested, Vested but Deferred	0	0	0
Vested	-268,115	-278,549	-270,695
Vested, Weighted Average Grant Date Value per RSU	$58.91	$50.41	$50.12
Vested but Deferred, Unvested			-892
Vested but Deferred, Vested but Deferred			892
Vested but Deferred			0
Vested but Deferred, Weighted Average Grant Date Value per RSU			$0
Issued, Unvested	0	0	0
Issued, Vested but Deferred	-2,054	-2,257	-2,316
Issued	-2,054	-2,257	-2,316
Issued, Weighted Average Grant Date Value per RSU	$53.54	$49.40	$73.28
Forfeited, Unvested	-38,098	-59,215	-89,998
Forfeited, Vested but Deferred	0	0	0
Forfeited	-38,098	-59,215	-89,998
Forfeited, Weighted Average Grant Date Value per RSU	$65.21	$57.58	$50.84
RSUs Outstanding, Ending Balance, Unvested	655,934	680,002	727,145
RSUs Outstanding, Ending Balance, Vested but Deferred	14,778	16,682	18,782
RSUs Outstanding, Ending Balance	670,712	696,684	745,927
RSUs Outstanding, Ending Balance, Weighted Average Grant Date Value per RSU	$67.51	$62.02	$53.37

StockBased_Compensation_Assump

Stock-Based Compensation (Assumptions for Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model) (Details) (Employee Stock Option [Member])	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Assumptions for Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model [Line Items]
Expected life (years):	7 years 4 months 24 days
Volatility factor:	35.10%
Dividends yield:	0.35%
Interest rate:	2.87%

StockBased_Compensation_Stock_

Stock-Based Compensation (Stock Option Activity) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2009
Option Exercise Price Grouping [Member]
Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised [Abstract]
Intrinsic value of options exercised	$12,021	$12,801	$22,526
Options Granted At Discount [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance, Options, Outstanding, Underlying Shares	179,559	282,695	398,859
Granted, Underlying Shares	0	0	0
Canceled, Underlying Shares	-150	-250	-650
Exercised, Underlying Shares	-179,409	-102,886	-115,514
Ending Balance, Options, Outstanding, Underlying Shares	0	179,559	282,695
Options, Weighted Average Exercise Price [Abstract]
Beginning Balance, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$21.47	$20.55	$19.72
Granted, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$0	$0	$0
Canceled, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$22.24	$21.48	$14.70
Exercised, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$22.08	$21.09	$20.19
Ending Balance, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$0	$21.47	$20.55
Options, Exercisable, Number of Shares and Weighted Average Exercise Price [Abstract]
Options exercisable - end of year, Underlying Shares	0	179,559		282,695
Options exercisable - end of year, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$0	$21.47		$20.55
Option Grants Excluding Options Granted At Discount [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance, Options, Outstanding, Underlying Shares	253,972	391,784	818,552
Granted, Underlying Shares	0	0	0
Canceled, Underlying Shares	-526	-1,352	-22,330
Exercised, Underlying Shares	-83,636	-136,460	-404,438
Ending Balance, Options, Outstanding, Underlying Shares	169,810	253,972	391,784
Options, Weighted Average Exercise Price [Abstract]
Beginning Balance, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$36.48	$28.98	$22.76
Granted, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$0	$0	$0
Canceled, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$38.61	$16.19	$39.75
Exercised, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$30.82	$16.84	$16.60
Ending Balance, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$40.20	$36.48	$28.98
Options, Exercisable, Number of Shares and Weighted Average Exercise Price [Abstract]
Options exercisable - end of year, Underlying Shares	154,864	219,449	337,684
Options exercisable - end of year, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$38.53	$33.18	$24.42

StockBased_Compensation_Additi

Stock-Based Compensation (Additional Information on Options) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Closing Stock Price Used to Calculate Intrinsic Value	$64.71
Range One [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Range of Exercise Prices	$27.54
Exercise price range, lower range limit	$27.54
Exercise price range, upper range limit	$27.54
Options Outstanding, Number of Options	96,354
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)	0 years 4 months 2 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$27.54
Options Outstanding, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$3,582
Options Exercisable, Exercisable Shares	96,354
Options Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)	0 years 4 months 2 days
Options Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$27.54
Options Exercisable, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	3,582
Range Two [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Range of Exercise Prices	$40.49 - $51.03
Exercise price range, lower range limit	$40.49
Exercise price range, upper range limit	$51.03
Options Outstanding, Number of Options	5,781
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)	0 years 10 months 28 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$49.10
Options Outstanding, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	90
Options Exercisable, Exercisable Shares	5,781
Options Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)	0 years 10 months 28 days
Options Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$49.10
Options Exercisable, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	90
Range Three [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Range of Exercise Prices	$57.28 - $59.35
Exercise price range, lower range limit	$57.28
Exercise price range, upper range limit	$59.35
Options Outstanding, Number of Options	67,675
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)	6 years 6 months 4 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$57.47
Options Outstanding, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	490
Options Exercisable, Exercisable Shares	52,729
Options Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)	6 years 6 months 4 days
Options Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$57.46
Options Exercisable, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	358
Range Four [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Range of Exercise Prices	$27.54 - $59.35
Exercise price range, lower range limit	$27.54
Exercise price range, upper range limit	$59.35
Options Outstanding, Number of Options	169,810
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)	2 years 9 months 26 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$40.20
Options Outstanding, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	4,162
Options Exercisable, Exercisable Shares	154,864
Options Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)	2 years 5 months 16 days
Options Exercisable, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$38.53
Options Exercisable, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	4,030
Vested or Expected to Vest [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Exercise price range, lower range limit	$27.54
Exercise price range, upper range limit	$59.35
Share Based Compensation, Arrangement By Share Based Payments, Vested or Expected to Vest, Range of Exercise Prices	$27.54 - $59.35
Option Outstanding, Number of Options, Vested or Expected to Vest	169,810
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (years), Vested or Expected to vest	2 years 9 months 26 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price, Vested or Expected to Vest	$40.20
Options Outstanding, Average Intrinsic Value, Vested or Expected to Vest	$4,162

StockBased_Compensation_Excess

Stock-Based Compensation (Excess Tax Benefits Related to Stock-Based Compensation) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation	$4,449	$5,898	$7,210

StockBased_Compensation_StockB

Stock-Based Compensation Stock-Based Compensation (Total Stock-Based Compensation Expense) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$17,624	$15,043	$18,905
Cost of Revenue [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	7,774	6,870	6,416
Selling and Marketing Expense [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	2,170	1,975	1,937
General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$7,680	$6,198	$10,552

StockBased_Compensation_StockB1

Stock-Based Compensation Stock-Based Compensation (Performance Shares) (Details) (Performance Shares [Member], USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Performance Shares [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted, Unvested	23,685
Granted, Weighted Average Grant Date Value per RSU	$80.91
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Shares Issued Based Upon Current Performance Levels	11,842.50
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Not yet Recognized, Share-based Awards Other than Options	$453,000

Defined_Contribution_Plan_Deta

Defined Contribution Plan (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Defined Contribution Plan [Abstract]
401(k) matching contributions	$7,451,000	$6,879,000	$6,642,000
Matching contribution to 401(k) for every dollar	$0.75	$0.75	$0.75
Matching contribution percent to employee's contribution in pay period	7.00%	7.00%	7.00%

Income_Taxes_Schedule_of_Incom

Income Taxes (Schedule of Income Tax Expense and Effective Tax Rate) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	$48,420	$44,963	($18,882)	$39,397	$44,426	$45,384	$46,695	$41,505	$113,898	$178,010	$153,625
Equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	-1,394	337	497	599	256	315	360	497	39	1,428	2,027
Net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest	-22	29	5	30	29	29	21	43	42	122	117
Income loss from continuing operations before income taxes domestic and foreign									113,979	179,560	155,769
Income tax expense	$15,490	$15,149	($8,611)	$13,650	$13,384	$14,265	$15,955	$12,427	$35,678	$56,031	$52,878
Effective income tax rate									31.30%	31.20%	33.90%

Income_Taxes_Schedule_of_Effec

Income Taxes (Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Income tax expense at U.S. federal rate									$39,893	$62,845	$54,519
Income tax expense at U.S. federal rate, percent									35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
State income taxes, net of frderal income tax benefit									2,129	3,029	1,510
State income taxes, net of frderal income tax benefit, percent									1.90%	1.70%	1.00%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Equity in Earnings (Losses) of Unconsolidated Subsidiary, Amount									-1,397	0	0
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Equity in Earnings (Losses) of Unconsolidated Subsidiary, Percent									-1.20%	0.00%	0.00%
Net change in valuation allowance related to non-U.S. deffered tax assets, primarily net operating losses									-600	-1,842	-630
Net change in valuation allowance related to non-U.S. deffered tax assets, primarily net operating losses, percent									-0.50%	-1.00%	-0.40%
Difference between U.S. federal statutory and foreign tax rates									-3,961	-2,513	-2,777
Difference between U.S. federal statutory and foreign tax rates, percent									-3.50%	-1.40%	-1.80%
Change in unrecognized tax benefits									1,481	-211	967
Changes in unrecognized tax benefits, percent									1.30%	-0.10%	0.60%
Other tax credits									-2,924	-4,374	-1,494
Other tax credits, percent									-2.60%	-2.50%	-1.00%
Recognition of deferred tax assets									-140	-1,448	0
Recognition of deferred tax assets, percent									-0.10%	-0.80%	0.00%
Other - net									1,197	545	783
Other - net, percent									1.00%	0.30%	0.50%
Income tax expense	$15,490	$15,149	($8,611)	$13,650	$13,384	$14,265	$15,955	$12,427	$35,678	$56,031	$52,878
Incomr tax expense, percent									31.30%	31.20%	33.90%

Income_Taxes_Schedule_of_Compo

Income Taxes (Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Federal									$20,726	$42,808	$38,821
State									1,996	3,882	1,997
Non-U.S.									9,638	10,456	5,719
Current tax expense									32,360	57,146	46,537
Federal									3,668	2,630	6,287
State									1,326	814	334
Non-U.S.									-1,676	-4,559	-280
Deferred tax expense (benefit)									3,318	-1,115	6,341
Income tax expense	$15,490	$15,149	($8,611)	$13,650	$13,384	$14,265	$15,955	$12,427	$35,678	$56,031	$52,878

Income_Taxes_Schedule_of_Incom1

Income Taxes (Schedule of Income before Income Taxes and Equity in Net Income of Unconsolidated Entities) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
U.S.									$80,394	$144,065	$128,920
Non-U.S.									33,504	33,945	24,705
Income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	$48,420	$44,963	($18,882)	$39,397	$44,426	$45,384	$46,695	$41,505	$113,898	$178,010	$153,625

Income_Taxes_Schedule_of_Defer

Income Taxes (Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Deferred tax assets:
Stock-based compensation expense	$3,262	$3,479
Accrued liabilities	13,632	9,805
Net operating loss carryforwards - U.S.	10,505	851
Net operating loss carryforwards - Non-U.S.	7,725	9,229
Deferred royalty revenue	354	366
Allowance for doubtful accounts	929	758
Deferred rent	10,019	8,673
Total deferred tax assets	46,426	33,161
Deferred tax liabilities:
Acquired intangible assets	-16,419	-12,967
Property, equipment and capitalized software	-23,157	-15,525
Unrealized exchange gains, net	-174	-395
Prepaid expenses	-3,677	-4,299
Investments in unconsolidated entities	-12,836	-12,009
Other	-435	-373
Total deferred tax liabilities	-56,698	-45,568
Net deferred tax liability before valuation allowance	10,272	12,407
Valuation allowance	-6,706	-7,456
Net deferred tax liability	($16,978)	($19,863)

Income_Taxes_Schedule_of_Defer1

Income Taxes (Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities Included in Consolidated Balance Sheets) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Deferred tax assets, net - current	$9,000	$3,892
Deferred tax liabilities, net - noncurrent	-25,978	-23,755
Net deferred tax liability	($16,978)	($19,863)

Income_Taxes_Summary_of_Operat

Income Taxes (Summary of Operating Loss Carryforward- U.S and Non-U.S) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Undistributed earnings of foreigh subsidiaries, permanently invested		$118,600,000
Non-U.S. [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	45,368,000	37,868,000
Operating loss carryforwards, not subject to valuation allowances	8,759,000	5,127,000
Non-U.S. [Member] | Subject to Expiration Date [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	5,314,000	5,240,000
Non-U.S. [Member] | No Expiration Date [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	40,054,000	32,628,000
U.S [Member] | Subject to Expiration Date [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	$2,136,000	$30,015,000
Operating loss carryforwards, expiration dates	31-Dec-23

Income_Taxes_Accounting_for_Un

Income Taxes (Accounting for Uncertainty in Tax Positions) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Gross unrecognized tax benefits - beginning of the year	$12,958,000	$12,699,000
Increases as a resulting of tax positions taken during a prior-year period	866,000	791,000
Decreases as a resulting of tax positions taked during a prior-year period	-54,000	-146,000
Increases as a result of tax positions taken during the current period	2,007,000	2,887,000
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Decreases Resulting from Settlements with Taxing Authorities	-2,400,000	-2,779,000
Decrease of unrecognized tax benefits relating to settlements with tax authorities	1,455,000
Reductions as a result of lapse of the applicable statute of limitations	-1,455,000	-494,000
Gross unrecognized tax benefits - end of the year	11,922,000	12,958,000
Unrecognized tax benefits included in current liabilities	5,124,000
Unrecognized tax benefits included in non-current liabilities	6,608,000
Result of tax position taken during period	2,818,000
Increase in income tax expense	2,572,000
Reductions resulting from settlements and lapse of statute of limitations	3,855,000
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact effective tax rate	11,922,000
Unrecognized tax benefits, period increase (decrease)	2,818,000
Reductions resulting from settlements and lapse statute of limitations, tax effect	1,269,000
Decrease in income tax expense upon recognition of gross unrecognized tax benefits	$10,565,000

Income_Taxes_Summary_of_Income

Income Taxes (Summary of Income Tax Examinations) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Liabilities for interest and penalties	$1,488	$1,865

Share_Repurchase_Program_Detai

Share Repurchase Program (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]
Shares repurchased, program life to date, shares	8,142,010
Shares repurchased, program life to date, value	$526,500,000
Stock repurchase program, authorized amount	700,000,000
Stock Repurchase Program, Remaining Authorized Repurchase Amount	$173,500,000

Subsequent_Events_Details

Subsequent Events (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Feb. 28, 2015

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Dividends declared per common share

$0.19

$0.17

$0.17

$0.17

$0.30

$0

$0.13

$0.13

$0.70

$0.55

$0.43

Subsequent Event [Member]

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Dividends declared per common share

$0.19

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_D2

Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Revenue	$196,415	$193,106	$189,385	$181,165	$180,500	$173,482	$175,428	$168,856	$760,071	$698,266	$658,288
Total operating expense	149,834	147,845	214,165	142,633	138,603	128,869	131,844	128,296	654,477	527,612	507,620
Operating income	46,581	45,261	-24,780	38,532	41,897	44,613	43,584	40,560	105,594	170,654	150,668
Non-operating income (expense), net	1,839	-298	5,898	865	2,529	771	3,111	945	8,304	7,356	2,957
Income before income taxes and equity in net income of unconsolidated entities	48,420	44,963	-18,882	39,397	44,426	45,384	46,695	41,505	113,898	178,010	153,625
Equity in net income (loss) of unconsolidated entities	-1,394	337	497	599	256	315	360	497	39	1,428	2,027
Income tax expense	15,490	15,149	-8,611	13,650	13,384	14,265	15,955	12,427	35,678	56,031	52,878
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	31,536	30,151	-9,774	26,346	31,298	31,434	31,100	29,575	78,259	123,407	102,774
Consolidated net income									78,259	123,407	107,962
Net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest	-22	29	5	30	29	29	21	43	42	122	117
Net income attributable to Morningstar, Inc.	$31,514	$30,180	($9,769)	$26,376	$31,327	$31,463	$31,121	$29,618	$78,301	$123,529	$108,079
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Basic Share	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$1.75	$2.68	$2.12
Earnings Per Share, Basic [Abstract]
Basic net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.									$1.75	$2.68	$2.23
Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic	44,414	44,734	44,777	44,777	45,756	46,080	46,400	46,406	44,675	46,158	48,497
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Diluted Share	$0.71	$0.67	($0.22)	$0.58	$0.68	$0.68	$0.66	$0.63	$1.74	$2.66	$2.10
Earnings Per Share, Diluted [Abstract]
Diluted net income per share attributable to Morningstar, Inc.									$1.74	$2.66	$2.20
Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted	44,548	44,889	44,777	45,093	46,211	46,519	46,853	46,814	44,901	46,491	49,148
Dividends Per Common Share: [Abstract]
Common stock, dividends, per share, declared	$0.19	$0.17	$0.17	$0.17	$0.30	$0	$0.13	$0.13	$0.70	$0.55	$0.43
Dividends paid per common share	$0.17	$0.17	$0.17	$0.17	$0.13	$0.13	$0.13	$0	$0.68	$0.38	$0.53