CHICAGO, Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar,
Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment
research, today announced that the Morningstar Ibbotson Conference
is taking place Feb. 23-24 at the
Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Fla. The conference, which is
Morningstar's premier event for institutions, will feature
prominent speakers from academic institutions and the financial
services industry who will discuss new research and techniques in
asset allocation, investment research, and portfolio
construction.
Thomas Sargent, winner of the
2011 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and professor of economics
and business at New York University,
will deliver the keynote address. Sargent will discuss the role of
government policy and regulation in the midst of today's economic
crisis.
General session speakers include:
- Liz Ann Sonders, chief
investment strategist for Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc., who will address the state of the
markets and the forces that shape the economic landscape;
- Charles Nelson, president of
Great-West Retirement Services, who will discuss the opportunities
and challenges in the retirement industry as defined contribution
plans become the primary source for retirement security;
- Meir Statman, Ph.D., Glenn
Klimek professor of finance at Santa
Clara University, who will address investor desires and
behavioral finance;
- William A. Strauss, senior
economist and economic advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of
Chicago, who will provide his
economic outlook for 2012; and
- Roger Ibbotson, Ph.D., founder
of Ibbotson Associates, professor of finance at Yale School of
Management, and partner at Zebra Capital Management, who will
examine the quarter-century controversy over the importance of
asset allocation.
Additional academic and industry experts as well as thought
leaders from Morningstar will present a series of breakout
sessions, a number of which are designed specifically to help large
plan sponsors. Topics include dynamic asset allocation, new
techniques for mutual fund selection, target-date fund glide path
stability, credit and liquidity risks of stable value products,
asset-class- versus risk-factor-based asset allocation; and
incorporating non-normal return assumptions into fund of funds
optimization. In addition, John
Rekenthaler, vice president of research for Morningstar will
present an overview of the methodology behind the new Morningstar
Analyst Rating™ for funds.
"There's a great deal of uncertainty in the markets as
Europe struggles through a
financial crisis and the United
States faces record deficits. Individual investors,
advisors, and institutions are questioning whether the global
economy is in a temporary slump or has reached an enduring phase of
low growth or even contraction," said Peng
Chen, president of Morningstar's Investment Management
division. "We're pleased to bring together thought leaders from
academia and the investment management industry to share their
views on the economy and explore new ideas and techniques for
investing in this increasingly sophisticated and interdependent
global market."
In addition to the conference, Morningstar will host an
institutional software symposium focused on asset allocation for
Morningstar Direct(SM) and Morningstar® EnCorr® clients on
Wednesday, Feb. 22. Clients will
receive training from product experts, trade ideas with peers, and
explore Morningstar methodologies.
For more information or to register for the conference, please
visit
http://advisor.morningstar.com/products/conference/ibbotson2012_home.asp
or call 877-525-3257. Attendance is $1,150 per person, and early registration is
available for $995 until Jan. 25, 2012. Attendees may earn continuing
education credits from the CFP® Board (CFP license) and
the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy
(NASBA).
Full-time members of the news media may attend the conference at
no cost, but must register in advance by contacting Alexa Auerbach at 312-696-6481 or
alexa.auerbach@morningstar.com.
About Ibbotson Associates, Inc. and Morningstar, Inc.
Ibbotson Associates, Inc. is a registered investment advisor and
a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. Ibbotson Associates,
along with Morningstar's other investment advisory subsidiaries,
comprise the Morningstar Investment Management division. These
registered investment advisor subsidiaries provide independent
investment management and consulting services to institutions and
advisors and have more than $167
billion in assets under advisement and management as of
Sept. 30, 2011.
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 330,000
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. The company has operations in 26 countries.
©2011 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.
MORN-C
Media Contact:
Alexa Auerbach, 312-696-6481 or
alexa.auerbach@morningstar.com
SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.