Morningstar Announces Agenda For Annual Institutional Conference, Feb. 21-22

CHICAGO, Jan. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced the agenda for the Morningstar Ibbotson Conference taking place Feb. 21-22 at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Fla. The conference, Morningstar's premier event for institutional clients, will feature thought leaders from academic institutions, the financial services industry, and Morningstar. They will discuss the changing investment landscape and some of the latest advancements in investing and financial planning with a focus on delivering better financial outcomes.

Marvin Zonis, professor emeritus, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, will discuss the rules for successful global investing. Businesses that seek success through globalization need to make better "country bets," and Zonis will describe the 15 principles for estimating a country's political stability and economic growth.

Other general session speakers include:

• 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 which stock characteristics—size, style, volatility, liquidity, etc.—have the greatest effect on returns over the long run;
• Kevin Kliesen, business economist and research officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, who will provide his economic outlook for 2013, and;
• Rodney Sullivan, head of publications for the CFA Institute, who will discuss active quantitative portfolio management in today's turbulent markets.

Additional academic and industry experts as well as thought leaders from Morningstar will present a series of breakout sessions, a number of which will feature new research. Topics include:

• Dynamic asset allocation—Evaluating the effectiveness of various strategies, such as macro, momentum, liquidity, and correlation;
• Gamma—Quantifying the amount of extra income investors can achieve by making better financial planning decisions;
• Myth of the dumb fund investor—Do individual investors pay a premium for active funds when they'd be better off buying passive investments?;
• Valuation-driven active asset allocation—Where to allocate assets when valuations are not attractive;
• Evaluating target-date funds—How to judge risk and quantify return;
• Best practices for combining active and passive exposures; and
• Liability-relative investing for the individual investor.

"These are pivotal times. The United States is struggling to bridge the political divide to create a blueprint for economic recovery, while Europe has enacted austerity measures and bailouts and waits to see if they are enough to get the Eurozone back on track. The slow recovering housing market could breathe some much-needed life into the markets or it could sputter out and further shatter investor confidence," Thomas Idzorek, president of Morningstar's Investment Management division, said. "For two days, we'll bring some of the leading minds in the financial service sector to help answer these questions and more, as well as share new ideas and techniques for investing in this uncertain market."

For more information or to register for the conference, please visit http://advisor.morningstar.com/products/conference/ibbotson2013_home.asp or call 877-525-3257. Attendance is $1,095 per person, and early registration is available for $995 until Jan. 18, 2013. 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 [e-mail].

About Ibbotson Associates, Inc. and Morningstar, Inc. Ibbotson Associates is a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. It is part of the Morningstar Investment Management division, which creates custom investment solutions that combine award-winning research and global resources with proprietary Morningstar data. With approximately $195 billion* in assets under advisement and management, the Morningstar Investment Management division provides comprehensive retirement, investment advisory, and portfolio management services for financial institutions, plan sponsors, and advisors around the world.

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 more than 385,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 8 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. The company has operations in 27 countries.

*Data as of Sept. 30, 2012. Includes Morningstar Associates, Ibbotson Associates, Morningstar Investment Services, OBSR Advisory Services, and Ibbotson Australia.

©2013 Morningstar, Inc.  All rights reserved.

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