Morningstar and Redtail Technology Announce Expanded Agreement, Adding Redtail's Robust CRM Functionality to Morningstar Office for Financial Advisors

CHICAGO, April 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, is integrating Redtail Technology's robust customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities into Morningstar Office^SM, its portfolio and practice management system for financial advisors.

The CRM integration expands Morningstar's relationship with Redtail, a leading provider of CRM solutions for financial professionals. In 2014, the companies worked together to provide seamless access to Morningstar's proprietary research and analytics within the Redtail CRM user interface. Now, advisors can transfer data between firms to reduce redundant entry and provide up-to-date client and account data within the Redtail CRM interface. Redtail will become an integral part of Morningstar Office, along with account aggregation, back-office services, and rebalancing capabilities.

Jeff Schwantz, Morningstar's head of advisor and wealth management solutions, North America, said, "Incorporating Redtail CRM as a core functionality in Morningstar Office is another example of our focus on helping advisors demonstrate value to their clients, by embracing an open technology ecosystem to improve the daily management of their practices. We want to deliver an experience for advisors that best meets the needs of the investors they serve."

In addition to account aggregation, back-office services, and rebalancing capabilities, Morningstar Office includes portfolio management and performance reporting, advanced research functionality, sophisticated investment planning, and secure client communication. Redtail CRM solutions include automated workflows, an intuitive user interface, and paperless office and email archiving.

"Redtail and Morningstar share a commitment to investing in innovations that keep financial advisors ahead of fluctuating investor demands," Brian McLaughlin, CEO of Redtail Technology, said. "The latest evolution of Morningstar Office illustrates Morningstar's continued commitment to delivering valuable tools built specifically for independent advisors."

About Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar provides data on more than 510,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 17 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $180 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Dec. 31, 2015. The company has operations in 27 countries.

About Redtail Technology

Redtail Technology is a leading provider of web-based Client Relationship Management (CRM), paperless office, and email archiving solutions in the financial services industry. Easily affordable, easy to implement, and offering integration with many of the industry's most widely used applications, Redtail is committed to providing financial advisors with the core technologies that drive their day-to-day operations.

©2016 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.