Morningstar Announces Speakers, Agenda for 25th Annual Investment Conference

CHICAGO, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, is hosting its 25th annual investment conference for financial advisors Wednesday, June 12 through Friday, June 14, at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.

This year's keynote speakers are Michael Mauboussin, managing director, global investment strategies for Credit Suisse, who will open the conference on June 12; Erik Wahl, artist, author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, who will address attendees on June 13; and Ronald O'Hanley, president of asset management and corporate services, Fidelity Investments, who will speak on June 14.  

"The worst investment decision is to stop investing," Scott  Burns, director of global fund research for Morningstar, said. "For our silver anniversary celebration, we've designed our conference to provide advisors with ideas to reengage investors and get them off the sidelines. We'll be focusing our dialogue on investing solutions including income, global trends, alternatives, active strategies, and more."

General sessions:

• Bill Nygren, portfolio manager, Oakmark Funds; and Steve Wymer, portfolio manager, Fidelity Investments; will discuss their differing approaches to active management in the value and growth categories.
• John Bogle, founder, Vanguard, will share his thoughts about fund investing in a wide-ranging conversation with Don Phillips, president of research for Morningstar.
• Curtis Mewbourne, managing director and head of portfolio management, PIMCO; Tad Rivelle, chief investment officer, fixed income, TCW; and Stephen Smith, managing director and portfolio comanager, Brandywine Funds; will debate where the opportunities are for investors in a challenging global environment for bonds.
• Carl Richards, author of The Behavior Gap and director of investor education, The BAM Alliance, will close the conference with his unique take on behavioral finance.

June 13 breakout sessions:

• Ryan Brist, head of U.S. investment-grade credit and portfolio manager, Western Asset Management; James Keenan, managing director and head of leveraged finance portfolios, BlackRock; and Gibson Smith, chief investment officer, fixed income, Janus; will explore opportunities and pitfalls in the corporate bond market.
• Richard Bernstein, CEO, Richard Bernstein Advisors; Michael Mendelson, portfolio manager, AQR Funds; and James Montier, asset allocation team member, GMO; will examine the current macroeconomic landscape and how it might affect asset values and inflation.
• Anthony Parish, head of portfolio strategy and research, Sage Advisory; Mitch Reiner, founder and managing partner, Wela Strategies; and Lucas Turton, managing partner and chief investment officer, Windham Capital Management; will explain how ETF managed portfolios can be used to implement a global multiasset income strategy.
• Hersh Cohen, managing director, co-chief investment officer and senior portfolio manager, ClearBridge Investments; Jesper Madsen, portfolio manager, Matthews Asia; and John Spears, vice president, Tweedy, Browne Company; will debate whether the market is currently in a dividend bubble and if recent tax changes will reduce investor enthusiasm for dividend stocks.
• Bradley Alford, founder and portfolio manager, Alpha Capital Management; Richard Bregman, founder and CEO, MJB Asset Management; and Richard Raby, portfolio manager, Creative Financial Group; will offer their best practices for advisors when sorting through the wealth of new alternative fund and ETF products.
• Charles de Vaulx, chief investment officer and portfolio manager, International Value Advisers; Rajiv Jain, head of portfolio management, Virtus Investment Partners; and Mark Yockey, managing director and portfolio manager, Artisan Partners; will share their top international investing opportunities.
• Fran Kinniry, principal, Vanguard; Anne Lester, managing director and global head of product and strategy, J.P. Morgan Asset Management; and Mihir Worah, managing director, PIMCO; will discuss ways to generate a bond portfolio income stream in a low-yield environment.

June 14 breakout sessions:

• Patrick Galley, chief investment officer and portfolio manager, RiverNorth Capital Management; John Cole Scott, executive vice president and portfolio manager, Closed-End Fund Advisors; and Robert Shaker, chief compliance officer, chief CEF strategist, and portfolio manager, Shaker Financial; will shed light on the benefits and risks of closed-end funds.
• Maria Bruno, senior investment analyst, Vanguard; Christine Fahlund, vice president and senior financial planner, T. Rowe Price; and Roger Wohlner, financial advisor, Asset Strategy Consultants; will discuss current challenges of retirement planning and ideas for maximizing income for retirees.  
• Kamal Bhatia, senior vice president and head of taxable fixed-income and alternatives, OppenheimerFunds; Henry Davis, partner and managing director, Arden Asset Management; and Dennis Heinke, director of institutional product strategy, Franklin Templeton Investments; will discuss their efforts to converge aspects of both mutual funds and hedge funds in their alternative portfolios.

Morningstar's senior fund researchers will hold a roundtable on June 12, moderated by Consuelo Mack, host of public television's "Consuelo Mack WealthTrack," to discuss and debate the current challenges and opportunities for fund investors. On June13, David Blanchett, head of retirement research, Morningstar Investment Management, will present his research on "Gamma," which quantifies how much additional income investors can generate by making better retirement decisions. On June 14, Warren Miller, director of quantitative research, Morningstar, will examine how to combine the disciplines of quantitative research and fundamental investing for portfolio management.

Registration Information

The Morningstar Investment Conference costs $795 per person, which includes two breakfasts, lunches, and receptions. To register for the conference, advisors may call toll free at 866-839-9729.

More information about the Morningstar Investment Conference, including the full agenda, hotel accommodations, attendee registration, and continuing-education credits, is available at http://global.morningstar.com/MIC2013. Conference updates are also available on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MStarAdvisor or through the conference hashtag: #MIC25.

Press Registration Information

Full-time members of the news media may receive complimentary registration to the Morningstar Investment Conference. If you are a member of the media and want to register for the conference, visit: http://global.morningstar.com/mediaregistration or call Shawn Malayter, Morningstar media relations, at 312-696-6050.

Preconference Workshop and Advisor User Forum

All registered attendees to the Morningstar Investment Conference may attend one of two complimentary preconference workshops—on alternative investments or closed-end funds—at McCormick Place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central time on June 12. Lunch is provided. Registered conference attendees will receive email instructions to sign up for the workshop of their choice.

Additionally, Morningstar is hosting its eighth annual Advisor User Forum at its Chicago headquarters, 22 W. Washington St., from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 12. This is an exclusive event for subscribers to Morningstar Advisor Workstation, Morningstar Office, and QuoteSpeed, which will include hands-on software training and informational sessions with Morningstar analysts and experts on topics advisors can use in building their practice. The Advisor User Forum costs $49 and includes lunch. To register for the Advisor User Forum, advisors may call toll free at 866-839-9729.

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 individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on approximately 422,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 9 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 registered investment advisor subsidiaries and has approximately $157 billion in assets under advisement and management as of March 31, 2013. The company has operations in 27 countries.

©2013 Morningstar, Inc.  All rights reserved.
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Media Contacts:

Margaret Kirch Cohen, +1 312-696-6383, [email protected]
Shawn Malayter, +1 312-696-6050, [email protected]

SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.