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Giving Advisers a Path to Manage Retirement Assets

Reach More Clients • Expand Your Brand • Simplify Your Operations
  • Reach More Clients
  • Expand Your Brand
  • Simplify Your Operations
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At Alta Trust we believe every adviser should have a simple path to sharing their investment strategies with qualified retirement plans. That’s why we partner with premier investment Advisers to establish Collective Investment Trusts (CITs). With a CIT, Advisers are empowered to bring their strategies directly to the retirement marketplace. With lower costs and the added protection of fiduciary oversight, CITs are the best vehicle for retirement advisers and asset managers to compete in the qualified retirement space. Because Alta Trust has established distribution agreements with every major retirement program in the country, advisers can deliver their investment strategies to clients with confidence.

Discover how launching a CIT can help your business grow.

When you work with Alta Trust you can expect…

Experienced
Trustee

With so much regulation and so much at stake, you need to partner with a firm that has deep experience and connections.

Premium
Quality

CITs are not the place to cut corners. Retirement plans and their participants deserve the highest quality and we deliver.

Collaborative
Approach

We approach all new CIT arrangements as a joint venture with each party offering significant value.

“We took on an extensive due diligence process when we decided to partner with a trust company to create CITs. Ultimately, we selected Alta Trust and have been very glad that we did. Our operations have been streamlined and our clients are happy. Alta Trust was the right choice.”

– Michael Tudor, Chief Operating Officer, Sloy, Dahl, & Holst, Inc.

 

The Alta Trust CIT Plan

Discover Collective Investment Trusts

Our team listens to your challenges and goals first. Our expertise in the industry and with CITs allows us to answer your questions and address any concerns you have before moving ahead.

Set the Course

Once we have the plan in place we go to work with stakeholder calls, document creation and collective investment trust customization. Our team will guide you each step of the way.

Work to Help You Win

When we launch the collective investment trust our team supports you so you can continue to keep your clients happy and win more business.

“Fortune 500 companies and large governmental plans have known for years how powerful and efficient collective investment trusts are for delivering cost-effective investment options. Now retirement plan participants from both large and small companies can better secure their retirement goals with the use of collective investment trusts. It is particularly gratifying to be a part of that effort.”

– Adam Ponder, CEO of Alta Trust

Why choose Alta Trust as your collective investment trust partner?

Many investment advisers are looking for ways to stay competitive in the retirement marketplace, but most aren’t familiar with CITs. Some are interested in replacing recordkeeper models. Others want to upgrade their unitized managed accounts. And many advisers hope to eliminate high-cost retail mutual funds from their retirement accounts.

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At Alta Trust we know many advisers aren’t familiar with the benefits of CITs. We also know they can be a very advantageous way for entrepreneurial investment advisers to deliver their investment strategies and expand their brand. With your ideas paired with our proven systems and fiduciary expertise, you can unlock new retirement plan opportunities with confidence.

Discover how a CIT can propel your growth today!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Collective Investment Trust?

A Collective Investment Trust (CIT), also known as a Collective Investment Fund (CIF) or a Collective Trust Fund (CTF), is a bank maintained fund that is exempt from registration under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

What is the difference between a Collective Investment Trust and a Mutual Fund?

Both Collective Investment Trusts and Mutual Funds look and act very much alike. The main difference comes with the governing statutes and the regulatory bodies that provide oversight. Banking regulators, such as the OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) and state banking regulators oversee Collective Investment Trusts, while the SEC governs mutual funds.  Collective Investment Trusts are only available to qualified retirement trusts such as 401k, Profit Sharing, Defined Benefit and government retirement plans. CITs offer the same kind of diversification as a mutual fund but also add an additional layer of fiduciary protection.  CITs are also well known for offering a retirement vehicle that is much lower in cost than the typical mutual fund.

Are CITs new?

No. CITs were first offered in 1927 and gained popularity in 1936 when Congress gave them tax exempt status. Until the 1980s they were the vehicle of choice for retirement plans due to their low costs. However, CITs were typically valued annually or semi-annually and with the emergence of daily valued 401k plans a daily valued vehicle was needed and mutual funds filled that role. CITs have begun to regain their popularity over the last several years as retirement plans are becoming more cost sensitive and because most CITs are now valued daily.

What is the NSCC?

The NSCC is the National Securities Clearing Corporation and it is the non-profit exchange that processes virtually every mutual fund and collective trust trade. The NSCC processes over 4 quadrillion fund trades per year. By receiving an NSCC Cusip a Collective Investment Trust is available to trade with virtually any custodian in the United States.

What are the advantages of starting a CIT with Alta Trust?

CITs are low cost vehicles that give you access to $17 trillion in assets in the retirement marketplace. CITs are managed in omnibus so you can have thousands of retirement plans investing in your strategy and as the manager you only have to manage one account. On top of all that Alta Trust is one of a few companies in the country that dedicates itself to Collective Trusts. We have developed a cost effective way to establish and administer CITs that we feel every money manager in the country should at least think about.

Is it risky to start a CIT?

No, Alta Trust provides a platform that makes it easy and painless to set up a Collective Investment Trust. We take care of all of the CIT establishment, ERISA compliance, IRS reporting and other compliance, so new Investment Managers can focus on their important roles of managing money and gathering assets.

How long does it take to set up a CIT?

It typically takes about two months to establish a CIT. During that time important documents will be created including a Declaration of Trust, Participation Agreement, Investor Disclosure and Investment Policy Statement. Alta Trust will work with the Investment Manager to set up a custody account, trading protocols, fund universe and marketing materials. Alta Trust will obtain a cusip for trading on the NSCC (National Securities Clearing Corporation).

What benefits will I receive from setting up my own suite of CITs?

CIT sponsors receive numerous benefits including marketing advantages for providing lower cost and higher fiduciary funds. Some advisers are able to aggregate asset classes of mutual funds and qualify for lower cost share classes. Other managers are able to greatly improve the operational efficiency in their office, reduce overhead and focus more on client retention. Advisers who have one or more model portfolios find that CITs provide a way to trade all of their strategies for all of their plans in a few accounts. Moreover, advisers who are looking to establish a proven track record now have a daily NAV that provides a foundation for their performance.

We know finding the right partner to launch your CIT strategy is imperative.
​Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions. Our team is happy to have a conversation to hear your unique needs and goals.
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