Morningstar to Present 4 Times Conference Panels
Mutual fund investors will have an opportunity to learn firsthand about building a winning fund portfolio, as experts from fund rating firm Morningstar Inc. offer four panels on the subject at The Times’ second annual Investment Strategies Conference.
The event, to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center downtown the weekend of Feb. 7-8, also will offer investors a chance to hear firsthand from two dozen leading mutual fund managers, as well as from many other experts in the areas of investing and personal finance.
Chicago-based Morningstar, whose “star” ratings have become virtually an industry standard in terms of rating mutual funds based not only on performance but also on risk, will present two panels each day:
* “Picking Mutual Funds: How to Buy Right” (offered Feb. 7 from 10:45 a.m. to noon and Feb. 8 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.) will focus on how investors can narrow their fund shopping from the thousands of funds available to a select group of potential choices. The panel will provide guidance on how to pick long-term fund winners that fit investors’ risk tolerance.
* “Mutual Funds: Evaluating Your Fund Portfolio” (offered Feb. 7 from 2:45 to 4 p.m. and Feb. 8 from 10:45 a.m. to noon) will focus on how to periodically evaluate your individual funds to make sure that they still make sense in your portfolio, given your goals and changing market conditions.
Several other panels to be offered at the conference also are aimed at helping mutual fund investors understand how best to structure fund portfolios.
Those panels include:
* “Passive Versus Active Investing,” a debate between Gus Sauter, manager of the Vanguard Index 500 stock fund, and Ralph Wanger, manager of the Acorn Fund, to be held Feb. 8 from 2:45 to 4 p.m.
* “401(k) and 403(b) Investing,” which will focus on how to make smart fund choices within employer-sponsored retirement plans. The panel will be offered Feb. 7 from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m.
In addition, other well-known fund managers who will be speaking at the conference include David G. Herro of the Oakmark International fund; Bernard Schroer of Franklin California Tax-Free Income fund; William Gross of the Pimco funds; William J. Nasgovitz of the Heartland Value fund; and David Decker of Janus Special Situations fund.
The cost to attend the conference is $55 for both days or $45 for one day. Investors can register in advance for the specific panels they wish to attend, although registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and seating is limited.
For more information or to register, call (800) 350-3211 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., or visit The Times’ Web site at https://www.latimes.com/isc
