Morgan Stanley is expanding its corporate retirement plan advisory services offering to enhance its asset allocation advice services for plan sponsors through Model Portfolio Services. The new service allows Morgan Stanley's Corporate Retirement Directors and Graystone Institutional Consulting Directors to add proprietary risk-based model portfolios to the asset allocation services provided to plan sponsors.

"This continues the expansion of what we can deliver to plan sponsor clients in an advisory capacity. Last year we added provider search and benchmarking and today it is about providing much needed asset allocation advice to plan sponsors with the ultimate goal of achieving better participant outcomes," said Edward O'Connor, managing director of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management's Retirement Services.

The firm has developed eight model portfolios, ranging from conservative to aggressive that can also include alternative asset classes, such as REITS and commodities. Corporate Retirement Directors and Institutional Consulting Directors can provide fund selection guidance for each of the asset classes in the model using mutual funds that are approved by the plan sponsor. Plan sponsors will have access to in-depth quarterly reporting on the models and underlying funds.