CHICAGO, June 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (Nasdaq:  
 MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today
 announced that ING is now making available Morningstar(R) Retirement
 Manager(SM), including a managed retirement account service, to more than
 26,000 retirement plan sponsor clients and 1.8 million plus participants.
 This "do it for me," fee-based discretionary account management service
 option expands the breadth of services offered by Morningstar Associates to
 ING clients, which include plan investment line-up selection and a free
 participant investment advice option. The addition of discretionary managed
 accounts helps meet a wider range of participant needs, and may be used as
 a qualified default investment alternative (QDIA) under the provisions of
 the Pension Protection Act of 2006.
 
     "Investing for retirement can be a challenge for many individuals who
 may be overwhelmed by the complex decisions they face in their employer's
 plan," said Rick Mason, president, ING Retirement Services Market Segments.
 "These investors recognize that retirement is not a 'do-it-yourself'
 project they can handle on their own," he adds.
 
     With Morningstar Retirement Manager, participants receive a
 personalized retirement strategy, including a retirement income goal
 assessment, recommended savings rate, and construction of an appropriate
 portfolio strategy based on individual goals. Participants who enroll in
 the managed account service will also benefit from professional asset
 management, ongoing account monitoring, and quarterly progress reports to
 help them track their advancement toward their goals.
 
     "Plan sponsors and their fiduciary advisers increasingly seek services
 like Retirement Manager that can give participants the added confidence
 they need in their investment decisions to help them remain invested,"
 added Mason.
 
     "Investors can panic during times of economic uncertainty and sabotage
 their retirement goals. Having a long-range plan and staying the course
 through bull and bear markets can help investors save enough to provide
 income after they leave the workforce," said Patrick Reinkemeyer, president
 of Morningstar Associates. "Consequently, we're focused on helping people
 create a retirement strategy that establishes long-term savings,
 contributions, and income goals. Once a strategy is established, our
 investment professionals can then create and manage an investment portfolio
 that is designed to meet those long-term objectives, and move investors
 closer to a successful retirement."
 
     "By working with Morningstar, we are taking an extra step in providing
 our customers with an objective, third-party solution across the entire
 spectrum of defined contribution products, which includes plans for
 employees of small- to mid-sized corporate employers, government,
 healthcare and education entities," said ING's Mason.
 
     ING began making online investment advice available from Morningstar
 Associates in 2002, and assistance with plan investment line-up
 construction and ERISA 3(21)(a) liability through Portfolio Blueprint in
 2003.
 
     About Morningstar, Inc. and Morningstar Associates, LLC.
 
     Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment
 research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers
 an extensive line of Internet, software, and print-based products and
 services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar
 provides data on more than 270,000 investment offerings, including stocks,
 mutual funds, and similar vehicles. The company has operations in 18
 countries and minority ownership positions in companies based in three
 other countries. For more information about Morningstar, visit
 http://www.morningstar.com.
 
     Advisory services are offered through Morningstar Associates, LLC, a
 registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar,
 Inc. As of March 31, 2008, Morningstar Associates' retirement services were
 available to more than 8 million people through approximately 76,000
 retirement plan sponsors and 22 plan providers.
 
     About ING
 
     ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking,
 investments, life insurance and retirement services to over 75 million
 private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries.
 With a diverse workforce of about 125,000 people, ING comprises a broad
 spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under
 the ING brand. Insurance products and Retirement plan funding issued by ING
 Life Insurance and Annuity Company and are distributed through ING
 Financial Advisers, LLC (member SIPC). C08-0618-001R
 
     (C) 2008 Morningstar Associates, LLC. All rights reserved. The
 Morningstar name and logo are registered marks of Morningstar, Inc.
 Morningstar(R) Retirement Manager(SM) is offered by and is the property of
 Morningstar Associates, LLC, a registered investment advisor and wholly
 owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., and is intended for citizens or
 legal residents of the United States or its territories. Morningstar
 Associates is not affiliated with ING.
 
     Media Contacts:
 
     Alexa Auerbach, 312-696-6481, alexa.auerbach@morningstar.com
 
     Deborah Pont, 860-580-2678, deborah.pont@us.ing.com
 
 
 

SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.

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