A New Look at Investor Behavior Tuesday, October 14 • 11:15 am – 12:30 pm Much of financial theory is based on the concept that individuals act rationally and consider all available information in the investment decision-making process. However, in recent years, behavioral finance research has shown evidence to the contrary. Left to their own devices, investors make costly mistakes when they buy and sell stocks. This panel examines the damaging biases that cause investors to chase strong returns, regardless of risk, overreact to short-term market volatility, and make sub-optimal decisions. Moderator       Evan Simonoff Financial Advisor Jack Ablin Harris Private Bank Pat Dorsey Morningstar, Inc. Sam Stovall Standard & Poor's Playing Both Sides of the Market Tuesday, October 14 • 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm In the last few years, interest in alternative approaches to achieving higher alpha has grown exponentially. Equity longshort strategies have allowed fund managers to participate in the upside during positive years and mitigate the losses in negative years, thus generating superior risk-adjusted returns and smaller capital drawdowns over a normal market cycle. The long-short category is full of unique strategies, and this panel of fund managers will share their different approaches across key factors, such as style, market capitalization, geography, market exposure, sector, and philosophy. Moderator       Marta Norton Morningstar, Inc Mark Fedenia Nakoma Absolute Return Fund Paul Stewart Gateway Fund Lee Schultheis AIP Mutual Funds S&P’s 2009 Outlook for the Equity Markets Tuesday, October 14 • 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm Hear the latest research direct from S&P’s top analysts and strategists. This discussion starting with the broader economic and equity outlook for the first half of 2009 will move to the strategic advantages for investors. Your plans for client portfolios will be incomplete without considering what these market insiders have to say. As a bonus, you’ll find out the timeliest equity power picks—specific investments S&P says your clients simply can’t do without in the new year.   Stephen Biggar Global Director of Equity Research Sam Stovall Chief Investment Strategist Alexander Young Equity Market Strategist   Tax Issues & Implications of the 2008 Elections Wednesday, October 15 • 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm Thomas Moncrief Some political pundits have called the 2008 Presidential election a “real prizefight.” No matter who wins the election, you want to be prepared for the potential impact that politics—and the election results—will have on your clients’ portfolio. This landmark election has the potential to shape future legislative policies and will have profound business and economic implications. Thomas Moncrief, CPA, a partner at Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP, will discuss changes to tax rates on capital gains, a redesign of the estate and gift tax rules, income tax changes that will affect investment selections, and other issues that you should be prepared to face as a result of the elections. Global Investing: Where Do We Go from Here? Thursday, October 16 • 10:15 am – 11:30 am In recent years, the mantra for US investors has been “go global for stronger growth, higher returns, and greater diversification.” Since global markets topped out in late 2007, overseas markets (with some exceptions) have performed worse than the US. The MSCI world equity index slid 12% this year, and last year’s superstars—India, China, and Asia (ex Japan)—have plummeted due to higher oil prices and inflation. This panel of international equity fund managers will identify where the next hot spots are likely to be found. Moderator       Carlton Delfeld Chartwell Partners Charles De Vaulx International Value Advisors, LLC Daniel O'Keefe Artisan Partners Jim Oberweis The Oberweis Report . What’s Ahead for the Fixed-Income Market Wednesday, October 15 • 9:45 am – 11:00 am Today’s investment environment, characterized by slim bond yields and modest returns (if any) on equities, makes retirement investing more challenging than ever. The era of double-digit returns is pretty clearly over. Even high single-digit returns may require some creative thinking about the spectrum of investment opportunities. In this session, leading practitioners examine these issues and explain how they are dealing with the realities of the current markets. Moderator       Evan Simonoff Financial Advisor Daniel Fuss Loomis, Sayles & Company, LP Margaret Patel Evergreen Investments James Kaplan William Blair & Co. Morningstar’s Nine Favorite Investing Ideas in Stocks, Funds, and ETFs Wednesday, October 15 • 11:15 am – 12:30 pm All is not lost when the market turns south. There are stalwart investments out there that won’t go under just because the rest of the market suffers. Join three Morningstar experts as they discuss their three favorite investing ideas in stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs.   Karen Dolan Director of Fund Analysis Paul Justice ETF Strategist Paul Larson Equity Strategist   Asset Allocation for Maximum Portfolio Growth Wednesday, October 15 • 11:15 am – 12:30 pm In a world where commodities, hedge funds, private equity, real estate, and other alternative investments dominate the headlines, portfolios ranging from 60% to 80% equities and 20% to 40% fixed-income securities appear to be anachronisms. In this session, these panelists will discuss current trends, the wide variety of asset classes and sector selections available, and how to enhance the risk/return trade-off that will deliver returns that help clients reach their financial objectives. Moderator     Jeff Tjornehoj Lipper Michael Cuggino Permanent Portfolio Funds Jeff Dunham Dunham & Associates Investment Counsel, Inc.     Barry James James Funds Dan O'Neill DirexionFunds