CHICAGO, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ibbotson Associates, a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. (Nasdaq: MORN), today announced that it is expanding its annual Asset Allocation Conference to present thought-provoking ideas related to all aspects of investing. The renamed Morningstar Ibbotson Conference will be held March 5-6 at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes resort in Orlando, Fla. Designed for institutional investors, the conference will feature prominent speakers from academic institutions and the financial services industry discussing innovative concepts and new research in the field of financial theory and practice.

This year Ibbotson is pleased to host Nobel-Prize-winning economist and founding father of modern portfolio theory Dr. Harry Markowitz. Markowitz will present a talk via satellite about financial engineering, its role in financial crises, and how it stacks up against traditional portfolio theory for managing risk.

General session speakers at this year's conference include:

    --  Roger Ibbotson, founder of Ibbotson Associates, professor of finance at
        Yale School of Management, and partner at Zebra Capital Management, will
        discuss the idea of using asset liquidity as an investment style the
        same way investors currently use size, value, or momentum;
    --  Frederick Dopfel, managing director and head of the client advisory
        group at Barclays Global Investors, will discuss the impact of
        "home bias" investing on investors in emerging and developed
        countries;
    --  Jan Hatzius, chief U.S. economist for Goldman Sachs, will provide his
        economic and financial outlook for the United States for both the near
        and long term;
    --  Gary Gorton, professor of finance at Yale School of Management, will
        discuss the characteristics of commodity futures as an asset class and
        strategies for investment; and,
    --  Don Phillips, managing director for Morningstar, will present new
        techniques for using indexes to explain manager performance.

Additional academic and industry experts as well as thought leaders from across Morningstar and Ibbotson will present 14 breakout sessions covering topics including, Ibbotson's economic outlook, advances in retirement income and liability-relative optimization, using volatility as an asset class, benchmarking and scoring target date funds, fundamental indexing, the impact of unreported manager trades on fund performance, and infrastructure as an asset class, to name a few.

"This is an unprecedented time for the financial services industry. Uncharted market territory, shifting demographics, and a changing retirement landscape are driving innovation in financial planning and new investment product development," said Peng Chen, president of Ibbotson Associates. "We are very excited to bring together thought leaders from academia and the investment management industry to share their latest research and thinking on the economy, asset allocation, manager selection and benchmarking, and portfolio construction."

In addition, Morningstar will host an institutional software client symposium for Morningstar Direct and Morningstar(R) EnCorr(R) users on March 4. Clients will receive hands-on training from product experts, trade tips with peers, and explore the methodologies that drive these products.

For more information or to register for the conference, please visit http://global.morningstar.com/ibbotsonconference or call 877-525-3257. Attendance is $1,095 per person, and early registration is available for $950 through Feb. 4, 2009. Attendees can earn 11 hours of continuing education credits from the CFP(R) 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.

About Morningstar, Inc. and Ibbotson Associates

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in the United States and in major international markets. The company offers an extensive line of Internet, software, and print-based products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on more than 290,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles. The company has operations in 19 countries and minority ownership positions in companies based in three other countries.

Ibbotson Associates is a leading independent asset allocation provider offering investment advisory services, retirement advice programs, and customized research. Ibbotson applies academic research to create real-world solutions for financial institutions. Founded in 1977, Ibbotson is a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

(C)2009 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.


    Media Contact:
    Alexa Auerbach 312-696-6481, alexa.auerbach@morningstar.com

SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.; Ibbotson Associates