Morningstar Retirement and Alta Trust Company Launch Foundation Series Collective Investment Trusts to Expand Access to Professionally Managed Retirement Portfolios
MWN-AI** Summary
Morningstar Retirement, a division of Morningstar, Inc., has teamed up with Alta Trust Company and prominent asset managers to introduce the Foundation Series Collective Investment Trusts (CITs). This initiative aims to enhance access to institutional-quality investment services for retirement plans of all sizes by offering six standardized, multi-manager portfolios. The Foundation Series CITs are designed to simplify implementation for recordkeepers, eliminating the need for additional build work. This standardized approach allows plan sponsors to offer comprehensive, customizable investment lineups with less operational burden.
Nathan Voris, head of marketing at Morningstar Retirement, emphasized that the Foundation Series CITs facilitate a shift towards scalable personalization in the industry. By reducing barriers to adoption and standardizing the components within managed accounts, more plans can equip their participants with tailored and professionally managed investment experiences.
As the trustee and administrator of the Foundation Series, Alta Trust will provide key oversight while Morningstar Retirement focuses on portfolio design and ongoing management, utilizing a defined set of funds from nine notable asset managers, including Columbia Threadneedle and PIMCO. This multi-manager strategy distinguishes the Foundation Series from traditional single-manager offerings, as it fosters greater diversification and independent oversight.
Brian Harriman, from Alta Trust, highlighted that these CITs provide a consistent format compatible with existing platforms, enabling plan sponsors to access institutional portfolios without incurring extensive customization costs. This collaboration is positioned to broaden the reach of professionally managed investment solutions and drive innovation within the retirement services sector. The Foundation Series CITs are now available for investment, marking a significant step forward in modernizing retirement service delivery. For more details, interested parties can visit Alta Trust’s dedicated webpage.
MWN-AI** Analysis
Morningstar Retirement's recent collaboration with Alta Trust Company to launch the Foundation Series Collective Investment Trusts (CITs) represents a significant opportunity for retirement plan sponsors and investment managers. This initiative has the potential to reshape how institutional-quality investment services are delivered, especially for smaller plans that may struggle with access to diversified, managed portfolios.
The Foundation Series CITs are designed with a standardized, distribution-ready structure, which simplifies implementation for recordkeepers. This alleviates the operational burden often associated with managing individualized investment solutions, making it easier for retirement plan sponsors to offer customized options to participants. The ability to integrate these CITs with existing stable value funds adds a layer of flexibility and continuity, which is essential in today's fast-evolving retirement landscape.
From a market perspective, the multi-manager strategy behind the Foundation Series provides a distinct advantage. By drawing on expertise from nine reputable asset managers, the CITs deliver a diversified investment approach that can mitigate risk and enhance returns. This structure not only fosters better investment outcomes but also provides independent oversight, a critical feature for institutional investors concerned about conflicts of interest inherent in single-manager products.
Plan sponsors and recordkeepers looking to modernize their retirement offerings should consider the Foundation Series as a viable solution. The initiative aligns with the industry's broader trend toward scalable personalization, making it an attractive option for those aiming to enhance participant engagement and investment experience. Additionally, as the demand for institutional-quality investments continues to rise, this collaboration positions Morningstar and Alta Trust as leaders in addressing that need.
In conclusion, the launch of the Foundation Series CITs offers a strategic way for retirement plans to access professionally managed investment services, broaden their offerings, and reduce implementation friction. Stakeholders should evaluate these CITs as part of a comprehensive strategy to improve retirement outcomes for participants.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
Six standardized, distribution?ready CITs aim to reduce friction, broaden access, and modernize how retirement services are delivered
Morningstar Retirement , part of Morningstar, Inc. (Nasdaq: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment insights, today announced a strategic collaboration with Alta Trust Company and a group of leading asset managers to launch the Foundation Series Collective Investment Trusts (CITs), a set of six multi-manager portfolios designed to broaden access to institutional-quality investment services for retirement plans of all sizes.
Built on Morningstar’s managed accounts portfolio framework, the Foundation Series CITs are designed to simplify implementation for recordkeepers by eliminating the need for additional build work. The standardized approach also supports a recordkeeper’s existing stable value fund, enabling plan sponsors to offer more complete and customizable investment lineups without added operational demands.
“The Foundation Series CITs accelerate the industry’s shift toward scalable personalization,” said Nathan Voris, head of go?to?market and marketing at Morningstar Retirement. “By reducing adoption barriers and standardizing the building blocks used within our managed accounts, we’re giving more plans a clearer, more streamlined path to delivering tailored, professionally managed investment experiences for their participants.”
Alta Trust will serve as the trustee, CIT sponsor, and administrator for the Foundation Series. Morningstar Retirement will lead portfolio design, fund curation, and ongoing oversight, drawing from a defined universe of funds offered by nine distinguished asset managers—Columbia Threadneedle, Federated Hermes, First Eagle, Guggenheim Investments, Heitman, Invesco, MFS Investment Management, Neuberger Berman, and PIMCO. This multi?manager structure stands apart from single?manager or proprietary CIT offerings, delivering broader diversification, independent oversight, and access to a sophisticated blend of institutional investment expertise.
“These distribution-ready CITs give recordkeepers a consistent format that works with existing platforms—including stable value funds—so plan sponsors can offer institutional, multi?manager portfolios without bespoke builds," said Brian Harriman, director of retirement at Alta Trust Company. “Together with Morningstar, we’re enabling broader access to professionally managed investment solutions and helping advance innovation across the industry.”
The Foundation Series CITs are now available to receive funds. For more information, visit www.trustalta.com/foundationseriesCIT .
About Morningstar Retirement
Morningstar Retirement empowers investor success by providing research- and technology-driven products and services that help individuals reach their retirement goals. With advisory services provided by Morningstar Investment Management LLC, a registered investment adviser, Morningstar Retirement supports and collaborates with workplace retirement plans and other industry players to differentiate their services, stay competitive, and reach new markets, all in service of building a better retirement system. Morningstar Retirement not only helps people save for the retirement they want but helps them make their money last once they get there.
About Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment insights in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The Company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers and owners, retirement plan providers and sponsors, institutional investors in the debt and private capital markets, and alliances and redistributors. Morningstar provides data and research insights on a wide range of investment offerings, including managed investment products, publicly listed companies, private capital markets, debt securities, and real-time global market data. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with approximately $378 billion in AUMA as of Dec. 31, 2025. The Company operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in 32 countries. For more information, visit www.morningstar.com/company . Follow Morningstar on LinkedIn @Morningstar.
About Alta Trust Company
Alta Trust Company is a South Dakota chartered trust company that acts as the trustee of Foundation Series CITs. The Foundation Series CITs are not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Declaration of Trust for the Foundation Series CITs describes the procedures for admission to and withdrawal from the CITs. The Declaration of Trust and the Investor Disclosure, sometimes referred to as the Fund’s Employee Benefit Summary, together with the fact sheet, describe each CIT in the series. A copy of these documents may be obtained by contacting Alta Trust at info@trustalta.com .
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Landon Hudson, +1 312 697-6037 or newsroom@morningstar.com
FAQ**
How does Morningstar Retirement’s collaboration with Alta Trust Company and asset managers enhance investors' access to institutional-quality investment solutions, as stated in the announcement regarding the Foundation Series CITs by Morningstar Inc. MORN?
In what ways does the multi-manager structure of the Foundation Series CITs provide greater diversification and independent oversight for retirement plans compared to traditional single-manager options, as highlighted by Morningstar Inc. MORN?
What specific benefits do recordkeepers gain from implementing the standardized Foundation Series CITs without the need for bespoke builds, according to the information shared about Morningstar Retirement and Alta Trust Company?
How is the Foundation Series CITs positioned to support the ongoing trends in retirement services and investment management innovation, as noted in the announcement from Morningstar Inc. MORN regarding their strategic collaboration?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Morningstar Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN).
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