CHICAGO, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc.
(NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment
research, is hosting its 23rd annual investment conference for
financial advisors Wednesday, June 8
through Friday, June 10, at McCormick
Place Convention Center in Chicago.
This year's keynote speakers are Bill
Gross, founder, managing director and co-chief
investment officer of PIMCO, who will speak on June 8; Laurence
Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock, who will address
attendees on June 10; and
David Laibson, Harvard University professor of economics, who will
close the conference on June 10 with
a look at how a person's life cycle affects financial decision
making.
"Market volatility is still foremost on many investors' minds,
but the goal of the Morningstar Investment Conference is to nurture
sound, fundamental investing principles which endure through any
market conditions," said Don
Phillips, president of fund research for Morningstar. "No
other conference brings together top industry thought leaders—fund
managers, investment professionals, academic experts, Morningstar
analysts—with financial advisors to explore the current investor
landscape and debate the answers to the investing world's most
pressing questions."
General sessions feature some of the industry's top portfolio
managers and thought leaders:
- Will Browne, managing
director, Tweedy, Browne Company; Kenneth Feinberg, portfolio manager, The
Selected Funds; and David
Poppe, portfolio co-manager, Sequoia Fund; who will
discuss the risks and rewards facing active stock fund managers
today.
- Cory Gilchrist, portfolio
manager, Marsico Capital Management; Anne Gudefin, executive vice president,
PIMCO; and Dennis Stattman,
managing director, BlackRock; who will reveal global stock
strategies and talk about where they are finding the most exciting
growth opportunities.
- Bruce Berkowitz, founder
and chief investment officer of Fairholme Capital Management; who
will take part in a free-wheeling and wide-ranging one-on-one
conversation with Morningstar's Don
Phillips.
- Bill Eigen, chief investment officer of absolute return
and opportunistic fixed income, J.P. Morgan; Rick Rieder, chief investment officer of
fixed income, fundamental portfolios, BlackRock; and
David Rolley, portfolio
manager, Loomis, Sayles & Co.; who will debate the challenges
and opportunities confronting bond investors, as well as
offer up some ideas for bond bargain-hunting.
Breakout sessions on June 9
include:
- Tom Allen, portfolio
manager, Fidelity Investments; Michael
Carmen, equity portfolio manager, Wellington Management;
and David Giroux, portfolio
manager, T. Rowe Price; who will
discuss how they maximize research and tools to hone their stock
strategies.
- Ben Allen, portfolio
manager, Parnassus Investments; Paul
Hilton, director of sustainable investment business
strategy, Calvert Investments; and Jack
Robinson, founder and chief investment officer, Winslow
Management; who will take aim at the notion that sustainable
investing is simply a fad and detail growth opportunities presented
in the category.
- MacKenzie Davis,
portfolio manager, RS Investments; Bob
Greer, executive vice president, PIMCO; and
Geoff Jay, equity research
analyst, Janus; who will provide their thoughts on investing in
commodities markets and discuss macroeconomic drivers in the
space.
- David Daglio, portfolio
manager, The Boston Company; Michael
Keller, senior vice president, Brown Brothers Harriman
& Co; and Keith Lee,
managing director and senior portfolio manager, Brown Capital
Management; who will discuss the successful strategies behind their
under-the-radar funds with impressive long-term records.
- Axel Merk, president and
chief investment officer, Merk Funds; K.C. Nelson, portfolio manager, Driehaus
Capital Management; and Tom
Schwab, chief investment officer and portfolio
co-manager, The Collar Fund; who will explore fixed-income
alternative investment strategies.
- Peng Chen, president of
global investment management, Morningstar; Ben Inker, head of asset allocation, GMO;
and Ross Levin, founding
principal and president, Accredited Investors; who will share their
views on asset allocation and the role different asset classes
should play in a portfolio.
- George Evans, senior vice
president and director of equities, OppenheimerFunds;
David Herro, chief investment
officer and portfolio manager, The Oakmark Funds; and
Bob Smith, portfolio manager,
T. Rowe Price; who will debate
whether emerging markets are overheated or full of
opportunity.
Breakout sessions on June 10
include:
- Jesper Madsen, portfolio
manager, Matthews China Dividend, who will give his take on
less-volatile means of investing in Chinese capital markets, in the
latest installment of the conference's popular "Investing 501"
sessions.
- John Cummings, executive
vice president, PIMCO; Guy
Davidson, director of municipal fixed income,
AllianceBernstein; Lyle
Fitterer, portfolio manager, Wells Fargo Advantage
Funds; who will go beyond the dire predictions for municipal bonds
to discuss the possibilities of these investments.
- Tom Hancock, lead manager
of international quantitative portfolios, GMO; Steve Leuthold, founder and chief investment
officer, Leuthold Weeden Capital Management; and John Montgomery, founder and portfolio
manager, Bridgeway Funds; who will examine momentum investing's
recent return to form.
- Hal Ratner, senior
consultant for investment management, Morningstar; and
Sue Thompson, managing
director, BlackRock; who will address best practices for advisors
blending ETFs and mutual funds to create a complete portfolio for
their clients.
In addition, senior members of Morningstar's fund research staff
will hold a roundtable on June 8,
moderated by CNBC's Tyler Mathisen,
to discuss and debate opportunities and threats on the horizon for
fund investors. On June 9,
Morningstar's equity research team will discuss ways to generate
income in a low-yield environment.
Registration Information
The Morningstar Investment Conference costs $795 per person, which includes two breakfasts,
luncheons, 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, exhibiting
opportunities, attendee registration, and continuing-education
credits, is available at http://www.morningstaradvisor.com/MIC2011.
Conference updates are also available on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/MStarAdvisor or through the conference
hashtag: #MIC2011. In addition, Morningstar will again provide
conference attendees with a free conference mobile application,
available to download for the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android. The
mobile app allows attendees to view the agenda, sessions, and
sponsor and exhibit information; register for continuing education
credits; and follow conversation about the conference through the
#MIC2011 conference hashtag.
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 at 312-696-6050.
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
Internet, software, and print-based products and services for
individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar
provides data on approximately 390,000 investment offerings,
including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with
real-time global market data on more than 5 million equities,
indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in
addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also
offers investment management services and has nearly $140 billion in assets under advisement and
management as of March 31, 2011. The
company has operations in 26 countries.
©2011 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.
MORN-P
Media Contact:
Margaret Kirch Cohen, 312-696-6383,
margaret.cohen@morningstar.com
Shawn Malayter, 312-696-6050,
shawn.malayter@morningstar.com
SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.