Executives From Morningstar, CAIS And NewRetirement Reveal What Financial Advisors Can Expect At This Year’s Investment Conference And Why They Should Attend
The annual Morningstar Investment Conference occurs this week from Tuesday, April 25, through Thursday, April 27, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Having attended the conference four times in the past decade, it is among my favorite wealth management events due to the sheer depth of financial market intelligence and financial advisor best practices on display.
For one thing, as an institution, Morningstar is well regarded for providing detailed, fact-based information about investments and market movements. During the past 39 years, the company has grown from a Chicago-based analyst’s startup to a publicly traded giant with more than 8,000 employees and global operations covering more than 600,000 investments.
Conference Highlights
For another, several of the conference sessions on the agenda are specifically targeted at helping financial advisors succeed. This year’s advisor-facing sessions include The X Factor: Hear from Some of the Fastest-Growing Advisors in the Business; Storytelling for Advisors; How To Scale Your Advisory Practice for Profit Without Compromising Quality or Service; and What Advisors Can Learn from Social Media Finfluencers.
“The Morningstar Investment Conference brings together advisors, asset managers and investors for three days of dialogue, analysis and perspective, grounded in Morningstar’s mission to empower investor success,” said Caroline DeCamp, Senior Director of Experiential Marketing at Morningstar.
DeCamp pointed out a few of the conference’s major highlights. “Conference attendees will hear from top industry leaders, including Kunal Kapoor, Aswath Damodaran, Daniel Ivascyn and Larry Summers,” Decamp said. “From a new Podcast Stage to our Innovation Booth, the MICUS Exhibit Hall provides engagement and networking opportunities to deliver sharpened focus, deeper insights and the data financial professionals need to prepare for what’s next in the investor’s journey.”
Global Sponsors
Some of the biggest investment management firms in the world sponsor the conference. “MICUS is an effective tool for sponsors to use to reach the people who make decisions about buying products and services for a firm or maximize a firm’s visibility to a captive audience of experienced financial professionals,” DeCamp said.
This year’s sponsors include PIMCO, BlackRock, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Nuveen, T. Rowe Price, BNY Mellon, Charles Schwab and CAIS. A 2022 winner of the WSR Wealth Exemplar Awards for Alternative Investments Platform of the Year, CAIS has over $3 trillion in network assets and supports more than 8,300 advisor teams. CAIS provides a platform for financial advisors and asset managers to transact, as well as supplementary services in education and due diligence.
“As a sponsor of the 2023 Morningstar Investment Conference, CAIS is excited to join this high-caliber event of financial advisors, investment management professionals and ecosystem partners who are actively discussing ways to accelerate technology, drive change and provide access to new opportunities,” said Abby Salameh, Chief Marketing Officer at CAIS. “We find immense value in connecting with some of the top industry leaders in the space and networking with decision-makers across the industry.”
Planning Solutions
One of the companies presenting its services at the conference is NewRetirement, an AI-based platform. Its goal is to redefine financial planning with a comprehensive platform designed for individuals, employers, financial advisors and financial services organizations. NewRetirement is holistic with both accumulation and decumulation, embedded digital coaching and education, and focused on empowering people with personalized analysis and insights to drive deeper engagement in digital financial planning.
“The financial services industry is experiencing a tectonic shift in how financial planning can engage a whole new generation of investors and planners,” said Stephen Chen, CEO and Founder of NewRetirement. “Today, people want and expect digital solutions to what used to be a ‘human-only white-glove model’ for financial advice, only available to wealthier individuals.”
As for why NewRetirement is participating in the event’s FinTech Showcase, according to Chen, “The Morningstar Investment Conference is a great event for us to meet industry leaders, and showcase how to solve digital transformation for financial service organizations and advisors, as well as for employers to offer their employees a meaningful financial wellness benefit.”
Chris Latham, Deputy Managing Editor at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at clatham@wealthsolutionsreport.com
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