CHICAGO, Feb. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced the agenda for the Morningstar Institutional Conference taking place March 5-6 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference, formerly the Morningstar Ibbotson Conference, is Morningstar's premier event for institutional investors and wealth managers featuring thought leaders from academic institutions, the financial services industry, and Morningstar. Attendees will discuss current investment trends, the latest portfolio strategies, and perspectives on the U.S. and global economies.

Morningstar is pleased to welcome back Richard H. Thaler, the Ralph and Dorothy Keller Distinguished Service Professor of behavioral science and economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Thaler will discuss how investor behavior affects retirement plan design and how to apply behavioral principles to money management.

Additional speakers include:

• Brad DeLong, professor of economics and chair of the political economy major at the University of California, Berkeley, will address investing for a 30-year horizon.
• Roger Ibbotson, Ph.D., founder of Ibbotson Associates (which Morningstar acquired in 2006), professor of finance at Yale School of Management, and partner at Zebra Capital Management, will present new research that challenges long-held assumptions about the relationship between risk and return, and proposes a new paradigm for understanding investment performance—popularity.
• Ben Inker, co-head of asset allocation, GMO, will explain his firm's framework for determining an optimal retirement strategy that relies on dynamic asset allocation.
• Kevin L. Kliesen, business economist and research officer, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will share his outlook for the U.S. economy.
• Sallie Krawcheck, chair, Ellevate, and former president, Global Wealth and Investment Management division of Bank of America, will share research-based insights into how to meet the needs of women investors, who represent $11 trillion in investable assets but are still considered a "niche" market in the financial industry.

Thought leaders from across Morningstar will present new research during a series of breakout sessions on topics such as:

• Annuities, retirement, and defined contribution plans.
• Automated portfolio construction.
• Efficient income investing.
• Financial wellness.
• Minimizing downside risk while preserving returns.
• Modeling individual stock risk.
• The Morningstar Analyst Rating™ for funds in action.
• New approaches to capital market forecasting and asset allocation.
• Preserving wealth with behavioral science.
• The U.S. labor market and global economic outlook.

"This conference is our premier event for institutional investors that provides attendees with intimate access to prominent academics, industry leaders, and researchers from across Morningstar," Daniel Needham, president and CIO of Morningstar's Investment Management group, said. "The agenda touches on all the factors that contribute to the end investor's financial outcome with an emphasis on long-term, 'total wealth' investing. We're excited to present the latest research on such topics as behavioral economics, the drivers of market performance, dynamic asset allocation, and efficient income investing. We'll also explore the future of the defined contribution market and the outlook for the global economy.

"Attendees will hear from researchers and business leaders about how they harness investor behavior and employ the latest asset allocation and portfolio construction techniques to create outcomes-oriented solutions for investors. We believe this new paradigm will come to dominate the financial services industry."

For more information or to register for the conference, please visit http://corporate1.morningstar.com/Morningstar-Institutional-Conference or call +1 877-525-3257. 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 +1 312-696-6481 or alexa.auerbach@morningstar.com.

About Morningstar, Inc. and Morningstar's Investment Management Group
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 500,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 14 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. The company has operations in 27 countries.

Morningstar's Investment Management group, through its investment advisory subsidiaries, creates custom investment solutions that combine award-winning research and global resources with proprietary Morningstar data. With approximately $170 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Dec. 31, 2014, the Investment Management group provides comprehensive retirement, investment advisory, and portfolio management services for financial institutions, plan sponsors, and financial advisors around the world.

©2015 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Media Contact:
Alexa Auerbach, +1 312-696-6481 or alexa.auerbach@morningstar.com
Carling Spelhaug, +1 312-696-6150 or carling.spelhaug@morningstar.com

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SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.