CHICAGO, Aug. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc.
(NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment
research, announced the speakers and agenda for its second annual
ETF Invest Conference Sept. 21-23 at
the Swissotel in Chicago. The
conference will bring together Morningstar's ETF analysts and
investment experts, along with newsmakers in the ETF industry to
offer in-depth discussion and debate for financial advisors, money
managers, and ETF investors.
"The 2011 ETF Invest Conference will address a broad range of
concerns of ETF investors during these volatile markets, from both
a strategic and tactical perspective, and provide them with
actionable investment ideas," said Scott
Burns, Morningstar's director of ETF, closed-end, and
alternative research. "Our first conference was a tremendous
success, and we've used the feedback we received from attendees to
develop this year's agenda."
Brian Wesbury, chief
economist, First Trust Advisors, will deliver the opening keynote
address on Wednesday, Sept. 21; and
Jeffrey Zaslow, columnist for
The Wall Street Journal and author of the best-selling book
The Last Lecture, will deliver the keynote address during
lunch on Thursday, Sept. 22.
General sessions at ETF Invest will feature some of the ETF
industry's foremost thought leaders:
- An industry roundtable will kick off the Sept. 22 sessions, featuring Rick Genoni, head of ETF product management,
Vanguard; Adam Phillips,
managing director of ETFs, Van Eck Global; Anthony Rochte, senior managing director,
State Street Global Advisors; and Sue
Thompson, managing director, BlackRock; who will discuss
the opportunities, risks, and challenges in the current ETF
landscape.
- Rob Arnott, founder and
chairman of Research Affiliates, who will provide a report card on
investment strategies tied to the Research Affiliates Fundamental
Index (RAFI), five years after its inception.
- Darrin DeCosta, head of
product development, Accretive Asset Management; Matt Tucker, managing director of
fixed-income portfolios, BlackRock; and Natalie Zahradnik, senior vice president and
ETF strategist, PIMCO, who will separate myth from fact on the
subject of fixed-income ETF premiums and discounts.
- On Sept. 23, Michael Iachini, director of investment
manager research, Charles Schwab;
Paul Justice, director of
North American ETF research, Morningstar; and Dodd Kittsley,
director and senior product manager, iShares; will join moderator
Chuck Jaffe, MarketWatch
columnist; for a wide-ranging ETF analysts' roundtable, taking on
the tough questions about ETFs and the current state of ETF
investing.
- Paul Daley, senior
managing director, Fox River Execution Technology; and
Ray DeAngelo, director of the
ETF group, Knight Equity Markets; will close the conference with a
session on best practices for ETF trading.
Breakout sessions covering a number of timely topics facing ETF
investors include:
Sept. 22:
- Tim Edwards, vice
president of investor solutions, Barclays Capital; Joanne Hill, head of investment strategy,
ProShares; and Adam Patti,
founder and CEO, Index IQ; will discuss how alternative ETFs can
enhance traditional stock and bond portfolios.
- Chris Goolgasian, senior
portfolio manager, State Street Global Advisors, will talk about
the soaring price of gold and how advisors can help investors find
value when investing in this commodity.
- David Abner, director of
institutional ETF sales, WisdomTree Asset Management, and author of
The ETF Handbook; will provide an overview of how ETFs work
and offer insight into advanced ETF mechanics.
- Alex Morozov,
director of global healthcare equity research, Morningstar; will
focus on the healthcare sector, both the state of the industry and
why healthcare mergers, acquisitions, and patents are important for
ETF investors.
- Timothy Andriesen,
managing director of agricultural products, CME Group; and
Geert Rouwenhorst, partner,
SummerHaven Commodity Index Management; will examine the best ways
to incorporate commodities into an asset allocation strategy.
- Vineer Bhansali, managing
director and portfolio manager, PIMCO; Steve Laipply, director of model-based
fixed-income portfolio management, BlackRock; and Kenneth Volpert, head of taxable bond group,
Vanguard; will explore why it is more critical than ever for
investors to understand the credit landscape underlying
fixed-income ETF products.
- Jared Watts,
senior consultant, Morningstar Investment Management, will offer
strategic insights on developing ETF model portfolios within a
risk-based framework.
- Rudy Aguilera, chief
investment officer, Ironclad Investments; and Kenny Feng, president and CEO, Alerian
Capital Management, will discuss ways for investors to capture
yield in the current zero-interest-rate environment.
Sept. 23:
- Hal Ratner, senior
consultant, Morningstar Investment Management, will provide a look
into advanced ETF portfolio strategies, including ways advisors can
use ETFs to achieve portable alpha, and manage taxes and cash
flow.
- Roger Aliaga-Diaz, senior
economist, Vanguard; Rick
Harper, director of fixed-income and currency,
WisdomTree Asset Management; and Angus
Shillington, director of emerging markets investments,
Van Eck Global; will dive deep into the tactical fundamentals of
emerging-market economies.
Registration Information
The Morningstar ETF Invest Conference costs $495 per person and includes two breakfasts,
luncheons, and receptions. Two pre-conference workshops will be
held from 12- 4 p.m. Wed., Sept. 21
at the Swissotel. Attendees will be able to choose one of two
workshop tracks. The first workshop, "The Practitioner's Guide to
ETF Investing," will feature members of Morningstar's ETF research
team, who will guide advisors through an introduction to ETFs and
how to build a portfolio using them. The session will also outline
strategies Morningstar has developed to help investors make the
most of these investment tools. In addition, a second workshop,
"Alternatives 2.0," will focus on alternative strategies and
vehicles and where they fit into a portfolio. Admission to the
workshops is included with registration to the ETF Invest
Conference (or can be purchased for $99 without conference registration) and
participants are eligible for three hours of continuing education
credits. To register for the conference or workshop, call toll free
at 866-839-9729.
More information about the 2011 Morningstar ETF Invest
Conference, including the full agenda, hotel accommodations, and
complete registration information, is available at
http://global.morningstar.com/2011ETFInvest.
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 e-mail
Shawn Malayter at
shawn.malayter@morningstar.com.
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 400,000
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
through its investment management subsidiaries and has more than
$180 billion in assets under
advisement and management as of June 30,
2011. The company has operations in 26 countries.
©2011 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.
MORN-P
Media Contact:
Shawn Malayter, 312-696-6050,
shawn.malayter@morningstar.com
SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.