One of the advantages of the wealth management industry is the wide array of conferences available for financial advisors, wealth management professionals and firms. However, the possibilities can overwhelm industry participants, who need information to narrow their conference focus to the few that serve their needs best.
Our Guide To Industry Conferences series covers the major conferences in multiple categories so you can make the best decisions when choosing which conferences to attend. This installment covers asset management conferences, and follows previous installments this year covering wealthtech, custodians, M&A, insurance and compliance, governance and regulatory conferences.
Each guide provides the essentials on the location, dates, pricing and themes to be covered, as well as speakers, sponsors and why an attendee would choose that conference. This installment brings you the essentials on the Money Management Institute (MMI) Annual Conference, the Investments & Wealth Institute (IWI) Strategy Forum and the Morningstar Investment Conference. In our view, these conferences are the most important annual events for wealth management professionals and financial advisors, especially those in the independent space.
MMI Annual Conference
MMI, an industry association representing firms that provide financial advice and investment advisory solutions, will host its 2024 MMI Annual Conference from Oct. 15 to 17 at The Sheraton & Le Méridien Charlotte Hotel Complex in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to the organization’s LinkedIn account, “The conference program will delve into the key trends driving the future of investment advice and solutions, with an exciting blend of keynote presentations, specialized track sessions, and extensive networking opportunities.”
This year’s event is co-chaired by Kara Julian, Managing Director and Head of Consulting Group at Morgan Stanley; and Brad Jung, Managing Director, Head of North America, Advisor and Intermediary Solutions at Russell Investments. Sponsors include InvestCloud, BNY, Broadridge, Cerulli Associates, Envestnet, SmartX, Vestmark and Morningstar.
Last year’s agenda included a keynote on bridging generations by Jason Dorsey, Researcher, Advisor and Speaker at The Center for Generational Kinetics; a panel on “Emerging Trends in Portfolio Management” moderated by Kelly Apple, Head of Enterprise Integrated Wealth at BlackRock; the presentation of the 2023 MMI Member Recognition Awards; the “President’s Update” by Craig Pfeiffer, President and CEO of MMI; and other panel discussions and presentations, with many organized according to tracks: the Portfolio & Platform Solutions Track, the Leading Through Disruption Track and the Distribution Track.
Early bird pricing is available through Sept. 13, at $2,345 per member or $2,645 per nonmember, and will increase by $100 after that date. Volume discounts are available. IWI will review the program for potential continuing education credit regarding the certifications it oversees.
IWI Strategy Forum
The advisor industry association IWI will host its Strategy Forum 2024 from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at the Loews Chicago Hotel. The conference is “designed for experienced wealth and investment managers, focused on adaptive strategies for forward-thinking advisors,” according to its LinkedIn page.
IWI allows a maximum of 300 participants to maintain a 10-to-1 audience-to-presenter ratio, in order to provide attendees with access to speakers. Over 30 speakers are planned.
The conference will include presentations on the implications of the presidential election with Bruce Mehlman, Partner at Mehlman Consulting; economic signals by Liz Young Thomas, Head of Investment Strategy at SoFi; the concept and importance of “grit” by Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, Assistant Professor, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; tax strategies by Merle Erickson, Professor of Accounting, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business; and the ethics of AI by Azish Filabi, Associate Professor of Business Ethics, Executive Director, American College Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services.
Eric Flett, CEO of Concentric Wealth Management and Chair of the 2024 Strategy Forum Planning Committee, said, “Given the uncertainties that lie ahead, we sought out these five provocative speakers for their expertise so that Forum attendees will have insights and solutions to apply in their conversations directly with clients during the last quarter of 2024.”
He continued, “The entire Strategy Forum program content is designed for successful, growth-oriented advisors to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully meet the complex needs of their affluent clients.”
The event will host other sessions on topics such as retirement, marketing strategy, alternative investments and commercial real estate.
As the organization that supports three certifications – Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA) and Retirement Management Advisor (RMA) – many of the forum’s sessions will provide continuing education credit, totaling up to 14.5 hours for these certifications. The Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board will also review the program for continuing education credit.
Sponsors include Invesco QQQ, Janus Henderson Investors, Capital Group, Nuveen, Benefit Street Partners, Prudential and Mass Mutual Investments.
Early bird pricing of $1,295 is available through Sept. 6, after which the price increases by $200. Nonmembers will receive complimentary membership with their registration. Discounts are available for certain membership categories.
Morningstar Investment Conference
Morningstar, which recently concluded its 2024 investment conference, has set June 25 to 26, 2025, as the dates for next year’s Morningstar Investment Conference. The conference for advisors and investors is traditionally held in Chicago, and last year moved to Navy Pier after 17 years at McCormick Place.
“Each year, investors and advisors head to Chicago for Morningstar’s signature research and analysis, as well as insights from thought leaders across the industry,” said Morningstar Magazine Managing Editor Laura Lallos in a recap of this year’s event.
The 2024 conference included keynote speakers Savita Subramanian, Managing Director, Head of U.S. Equity and U.S. Quantitative Strategy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Zack Kass, Futurist and Former Head of GTM at OpenAI; Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group; and Michael Kitces of Kitces.com. Dozens of presentations and panel discussions covered a range of topics including converting prospects, industry trends, the 2024 equity outlook, the evolution of asset and wealth management, and small cap stocks.
Morningstar CEO Kunal Kapoor also spoke at the conference.
Sponsors this year included Fidelity, AssetMark, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Federated Hermes, Commonwealth, Clark Capital Management, Blackrock, BNY Mellon Investment Management, AllianceBernstein, T. Rowe Price, Vanguard and Franklin Templeton.
This year’s advisor pass cost $399 until May 15 and $499 after that date, while the general attendee pass cost $999 through May 15 and rose by $200 afterward. It also offered a limited number of “hosted advisor” passes for free. Activities included a reception featuring dueling pianos and Navy Pier’s weekly Wednesday fireworks.
The 2024 event was approved for 26 continuing education credits by the CFP Board and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.
Janeesa Hollingshead, Contributing Editor at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at editor@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
