(May 1 – 14:30 ET) – Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada plans is entering into a strategic partnership with Morningstar Canada. to provide Morningstar’s Web-based and PC-based products to Sun Life’s Canadian customers and advisors. The partnership is expected to launch on June 1.

Morningstar’s products Web-based products include Quicktakes, Fund Finder, Fund Selector, Portfolio X-Ray, and MIDAS, a product for group plan sponsors. Its PC-based products include BellCharts, PALTrak, Personal Portfolio Monitor, and PALTrak for Pooled Funds. Other products will also be offered as they become available later this year.

Morningstar products will be launched over the coming months for Sun Life Financial’s Group Retirement Services division, Sun Life Securities Inc. and Sun Life Financial Advisory Services Inc.

Sun Life Financial’s Group Retirement Services division will offer MIDAS products to plan sponsors and plan members. Group plan members will be able to access a consolidated view of their complete investment portfolio, including funds available within their company-sponsored plan in combination with any mutual fund held externally.

Through Portfolio X-ray, plan members will be able to obtain a detailed analysis which “looks through” their complete investment portfolio.

Clients of Sun Life Securities Inc. will have access to a complete suite of Morningstar products, including Portfolio X-ray.

Morningstar will provide Sun Life Financial Advisory Services Inc. with a white-labelled version of the morningstar.ca Web-site, supplemented by Morningstar’s suite of advisor PC-based products.

“Morningstar is an objective source of accurate and timely investment information. This relationship will enable us to partner with a leader in its field to provide consistent and authoritative investment information across our Canadian customer base,” said Marcel Gingras, executive vice-president, Canadian Operations.

“We are fully committed to becoming Sun Life Financial’s preferred supplier of investment-information products and services in Canada,” said Scott Mackenzie, president and COO, Morningstar Research Inc.