Morningstar Announces Speakers and Agenda for 2013 ETF Invest Conference, Oct. 2-4 in Chicago

CHICAGO, Aug. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced the speakers and agenda for its fourth annual ETF Invest Conference Oct. 2-4 at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago. The conference will feature key thought leaders in the exchange-traded fund (ETF) industry, investment experts, and Morningstar's analysts, to provide detailed discussion and debate for financial advisors, money managers, and ETF investors.

"For our fourth annual ETF conference, we are continuing our tradition of bringing together industry experts to discuss tactics, strategies, and portfolio management to help provide investors with the necessary knowledge and perspective for successful ETF investing," Ben Johnson, Morningstar's director of global passive funds research, said. "The ETF industry is still growing, and is important to the investor audiences we serve. ETF assets have increased nearly 14 percent through July of this year, and the total assets of the 605 ETF managed portfolio strategies in our database have increased 12 percent in just the first quarter of 2013."

Keynote speakers include Douglas Hodge, chief operating officer and managing director, PIMCO, who will deliver the opening address on Wednesday, Oct. 2; Austan Goolsbee, professor at the University of Chicago and former chairman of President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers and Joseph Davis, principal and chief economist, Vanguard, who will both speak on Thursday, Oct. 3; and Rob Arnott, founder, Research Affiliates, who will speak on Friday, Oct. 4.

General sessions will feature some of the ETF industry's top strategists and thought leaders, including Heidi Richardson, director and senior global investment strategist, BlackRock; Matt Hougan, managing director of ETF analytics, IndexUniverse; Tom Lydon, editor and publisher, ETF Trends; and Brendan Conway, columnist, Barron's. The sessions will include a debate about the growing pains and next steps for the rapidly growing ETF managed portfolios space on Oct. 3 and the popular "Meet the Pundits" roundtable on Oct. 4, a free-wheeling panel discussion that will examine the current state of the ETF industry and look at what's ahead for ETF investors.

The conference will also include 15 breakout sessions focusing on three key areas: strategic, tactical, and managed portfolio solutions. Featuring speakers from iShares, MSCI, Northern Trust, Russell Investments, S&P Dow Jones Indices, State Street Global Advisors, Vanguard, and WisdomTree, among other firms, the sessions will cover a wealth of timely topics, including:

• The latest innovations in indexing and how the shifting competitive landscape will affect investors;
• Gold prices, the recent sell-off, and the role of the precious metal in investor portfolios;
• Multiasset approaches to generating income in a low-yield environment;
• The current macro landscape and practical implications for tactical investing;
• How bond investors should position themselves in the face of increased bond market volatility;
• Risk factors and how investors can isolate market inefficiencies to drive investment results;
• The implications of adding alternative investments to ETF managed portfolios;
• Quantitative model-driven portfolios and how ETFs mesh with quantitative strategies; and
• Credit and liquidity risks in high-yield sectors.

Registration Information
The Morningstar ETF Invest Conference costs $495 per person and includes the preconference workshops, two breakfasts, luncheons, and receptions. Two preconference workshops will be held from 1- 4 p.m. on Oct. 2 at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. Attendees will be able to choose one of two workshop tracks. The first workshop, "The ABCs of ETFs," will guide advisors through a history of how ETFs have evolved and provide a practical review of ETFs by asset class, including benefits and limitations. The other workshop, "Applied ETF Investing Strategies," will hone in on tools and data points investors can use to evaluate and select ETFs. Participants are eligible for continuing education credits. To register for the conference, call toll free at +1 866 839-9729.

More information about the 2013 Morningstar ETF Invest Conference, including the full agenda, hotel accommodations, and complete registration information, is available at http://www.morningstaradvisor.com/ETFInvest. Live updates from the conference can be followed on Twitter with the official conference hashtag: #ETFInvest.

Press Registration Information
Full-time members of the news media may receive complimentary registration to the Morningstar ETF Invest Conference. If you are a journalist and want to attend the conference, please email Nadine Youssef at [email protected].

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 433,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on nearly 10 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 more than $166 billion in assets under advisement and management as of June 30, 2013. The company has operations in 27 countries.

©2013 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Media Contact:

Nadine Youssef, +1 312 696-6601 or [email protected]

SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.