Morningstar Announces Speakers and Agenda for 2016 ETF Conference, Sept. 7-9 in Chicago; Charles Schwab Chief Investment Strategist Liz Ann Sonders and Former U.S. Navy Seal Robert O'Neill to Deliver Keynotes

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Jul 26, 2016, 10:55 ET

CHICAGO, July 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, has announced the speakers and agenda for its seventh annual ETF Conference, Sept. 7-9 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The conference for financial professionals features experts from across the exchange-traded fund (ETF) industry including Morningstar analysts, who will discuss the industry's complexities, theories, and opportunities.

"There are now more than 1,900 exchange-traded products listed on U.S. exchanges, and the ETF industry has more than $2.2 trillion in assets under management. There is an ETF offering exposure to virtually every asset class, sector, strategy, and investing theme," Ben Johnson, CFA, Morningstar's director of global ETF research, said. "Our conference will sort through the myriad of options available to ETF investors to help them hone in on proven solutions and strategies that lead to better outcomes."

Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.'s chief investment strategist, will deliver the opening keynote address on Wednesday, Sept. 7. Robert O'Neill, former U.S. Navy Seal, will give the keynote luncheon address on Thursday, Sept. 8.

General session speakers on Thursday, Sept. 8 are Tobias Moskowitz, Ph.D., AQR; Jason Hsu, Ph.D., Rayliant Global Advisors; Rich Bernstein, RBA Advisors; Chris Brightman, CFA, Research Affiliates; and Mark Yusko, Morgan Creek Capital Management. Patrick O'Shaughnessy, O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, will address attendees on Friday, Sept. 9.

The popular "Meet the Pundits" panel will close the conference on Sept. 9. Inside ETFs' Matt Hougan, Morningstar's Johnson, and ETF Trends' Tom Lydon will engage in a no-holds-barred discussion of the latest trends in the ETF industry, moderated by Financial Times journalist Robin Wigglesworth.

The conference offers 15 breakout sessions focusing on strategic, tactical, and managed-portfolio solutions. Speakers from BlackRock/iShares, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, MSCI, Northern Trust/FlexShares, PIMCO, Vanguard, and WisdomTree, among other companies, will cover an array of timely topics, including:

Low-volatility strategies;
Fixed-income ETFs;
Asset allocation;
Multifactor ETFs;
The evolving regulatory landscape; and
Behavioral science.

Preconference Workshops

Morningstar will offer a preconference workshop from 1-4 p.m. CT on Sept. 7, led by Johnson and Alex Bryan, Morningstar's director of passive strategies research for North America. They will share key findings from recent research including Morningstar's Active/Passive Barometer and the annual global strategic beta landscape report. Johnson and Bryan will also discuss how Morningstar analysts conduct due diligence on ETFs and demonstrate how they apply their process through case studies.

Registration Information

The Morningstar® ETF Conference costs $550 per person and includes all conference sessions and two breakfasts, luncheons, and receptions. Participants are eligible for continuing education credits. To register for the conference, call toll free at +1 866 839-9729 or visit http://corporate1.morningstar.com/Morningstar-ETF-Conference/.

More information about the 2016 Morningstar ETF Conference, including the full agenda, hotel accommodations, and complete registration information, is available at http://www.global.morningstar.com/etfus. Live updates from the conference will be available on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MstarAdvisor or through the conference hashtag, #MstarETFUS.

Press Registration Information

Full-time members of the news media may receive complimentary registration to the Morningstar ETF Conference. If you are a journalist and would like to attend the conference, please contact Nadine Youssef at +1 312-696-6601 or [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 individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar provides data on approximately 530,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on nearly 18 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 advisory subsidiaries, with more than $185 billion in assets under advisement and management as of June 30, 2016. The company has operations in 27 countries.

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

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SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.