Los Angeles Times Investment Strategies Conference & Expo to Be Held May 5-6 at Los Angeles...

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2001

The fifth annual Investment Strategies Conference & Expo -- one of the largest events of its kind in the western United States -- will be held Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles.

The event will be held in the South Hall of the convention center from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. each day.

The Investment Strategies Conference has featured some of the top industry leaders including: Arthur Levitt, former chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Charles Schwab, founder and chairman, Charles Schwab & Co.; Andy Grove, chairman, Intel Corp.; John Bogle, former chairman, The Vanguard Group, Inc.; Mary Shapiro, president, National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) Regulation, Inc.; and David and Tom Gardner of the Motley Fool.

Advance registration continues through May 2. Registration is $45 for one day and $55 for both days. On-site registration is $55 for one day and $65 for two days. Admission to only the exhibit hall and general session is $10. Individual panel admission is $25 per session. Parking is $7 daily.

Registrations can be made online at www.latimes.com/isc or by telephone at 800/350-3211. Mail/fax registration forms can be downloaded from the event Web site, www.latimes.com/isc.

For Novices and Veterans Alike

More than 40 panels and workshops will cover a wide range of investment and financial planning topics of interest to both novice and experienced investors. Topics include:

-- Basics of Investing -- Investing 101; Morningstar's mutual fund basics; and
stock investing for beginners.

-- General Markets -- 2001 Wall Street and economic outlook; bond investing;
how to build a high-return portfolio of big-name stocks; looking abroad for
investment opportunities; great undiscovered funds; hot sectors outside
technology; California muni bond investing; value stock investing; making the
most of mid-caps; exchange-traded funds; investing in small-caps; and
income-oriented investment strategies.

-- Personal Finance -- Employee stock options; Morningstar's portfolio
makeover; Gen X investing; how to make sure your money lasts as long as you do;
your parents' finances; financing your child's education; everything you need
to know about mutual fund taxes; estate planning beyond living trusts; women's
investment issues; kids and money; and retirement exit strategies.

-- Stock Selection -- Finding the right stocks at the right time; how to pick
stocks the Morningstar way; advanced stock trading strategies/investment
secrets of the pros; and Morningstar Fund analyst picks.

Keynote Speakers/Panels

On Saturday, Don Phillips, chief executive officer of Chicago-based Morningstar, Inc., will open the conference with an 8:30 a.m. keynote address. Morningstar is recognized as one of the leading, independent financial publishers of mutual fund and stock information for professional and individual investors.

Saturday's 1 p.m. keynote panel session, "After the Fall: What's Next for Tech Stocks," will feature Alberto Vilar, president and founder of Amerindo Investment Advisors, Inc., who is considered one of the deans of technology investing; and Kevin Landis, chief investment officer and co-founder of Firsthand Capital Management, who specializes in the stocks of semiconductor, computer, and peripherals companies.

Sunday afternoon's keynote address will feature Dr. Terrance Odean, finance professor at the University of California, Davis Graduate School of Management. A specialist in the developing field of behavioral finance and market psychology, Odean will share his insights into the psychological motivations and behaviors of individual investors, the pitfalls of online investing and the record of under-performance achieved by most investment clubs.

Spanish-language Sessions

La Opinion, the largest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the country, will present eight investment panels and workshops conducted in Spanish. Topics include Investments 101; introduction to financial planning; how to pick mutual funds; understanding the key fundamentals of stock evaluation; investing in blue-chip stocks; maximizing your 401(k)/IRA; where to invest after the Internet and technology slowdown; and avoiding investment mistakes and fraud.

This is the third year La Opinion has presented its Spanish-language series.

Expo Hall

More than 80 financial and investment companies and organizations will be on hand in the exhibit hall to provide information and resources on investment and financial issues. In addition to sponsors and exhibitors, the NAIC (National Association of Investors Corporation) Pavilion will offer information on investment clubs and other financial topics.

The conference is sponsored by Morningstar. Media sponsors include KABC-AM, KFWB-AM, KNX-AM, KUSC-FM, and syndicated radio host Doug Fabian "The Money Maverick" and FabianLive.com.

Companies interested in sponsorship or exhibitor opportunities should call 213/237-7334.

The Los Angeles Times, winner of 24 Pulitzer Prizes, is a Tribune Publishing newspaper. The largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, The Times publishes four daily regional editions -- covering the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the San Fernando Valley, and Orange and Ventura counties -- as well as an Inland Valley section and a National edition.

          Los Angeles Times Investment Strategies Conference
                      Schedule: Saturday, May 5

8:30-9:30 a.m.    Keynote: Don Phillips, CEO, Morningstar

9:45-11:45 a.m.   Workshops
                  -- Investing 101
                  -- Morningstar's Portfolio Makeover: How to
                     Re-evaluate What You Own and Improve Your
                     Portfolio
                  -- Your Employee Stock Options

9:40-10:40 a.m.   -- Investments 101 (Spanish)

9:45-11 a.m.      Panels
                  -- Guru Panel: 2001 Wall Street and Economic Outlook
                  -- Bond Investing: Can Last Year's Rally Roll On?
                  -- Your Parents' Finances: Questions to Ask, Answers
                     to Get (At Any Age)
                  -- Picking Blue Chips: Constructing a High-Return
                     Portfolio of Big-Name Stocks

10:50-11:50 a.m.  -- Financial Planning 101 (Spanish)

1-2:15 p.m.       Keynote Panel: After the Fall: What's Next for Tech
                  Stocks?

2:30-4:30 p.m.    Workshops
                  -- Stock Investing for Beginners: Basics of Building
                     and Maintaining a Portfolio of Stocks
                  -- Everything You Need to Know About Mutual Fund
                     Taxes
                  -- Stock Screening: How to Find the Right Stocks at
                     the Right Time

3:45-4:45 p.m.    -- Understanding Key Fundamentals for Evaluating
                     Stocks (Spanish)

2:30-3:45 p.m.    Panels
                  -- Hot Sectors to Invest In, Outside Tech
                  -- California Muni Bond Investing: The Best Way to
                     Lower Risk Now and Boost Tax-free Income
                  -- Value Stock Investing
                  -- Women's Investment Issues

2:30-3:30 p.m.    -- How to Pick Mutual Funds (Spanish)

4-5:15 p.m.       Panels
                  -- Exchange-Traded Funds: Alternatives to Mutual
                     Funds
                  -- Morningstar Fund Analyst Picks
                  -- Small Stocks, Big Future: Investing in Small Caps
                  -- Advanced Stock Trading Strategies: Technical
                     Analysis and Other Secrets of the Pros

          Los Angeles Times Investment Strategies Conference
                       Schedule: Sunday, May 6

9:45-11:45 a.m.   Workshops
                  -- Morningstar's Portfolio Makeover: How to
                     Re-evaluate What You Own and Improve Your
                     Portfolio
                  -- Gen X Investing: How and Why Gen X Can Make its
                     Own Investing Rules
                  -- Longevity Planning: Making Sure Your Money Lasts
                     as Long as You Do

9:40-10:40 a.m.   -- Investing in Blue Chips (Spanish)

9:45-11 a.m.      Panels
                  -- Bull v. Bear: The Great Stock Market Debate
                  -- Looking Abroad for Investment Opportunities
                  -- Great Undiscovered Funds: Stock and Bond Funds
                     You May Not Know, But Should
                  -- Financing Your Children's Education: Best
                     Strategies for Saving and Tapping Financial Aid

10:50-11:50 a.m.  -- Maximizing Your 401(k) or IRA (Spanish)

1-2:15 p.m.       Keynote: Dr. Terrance Odean, University of
                  California, Davis Graduate School of Management

2:30-4:30 p.m.    Workshops
                  -- Everything You Need to Know About Mutual Fund
                     Taxes
                  -- Morningstar's Mutual Fund Basics: Fund-picking
                     and Portfolio-building for Beginners
                  -- There's More to Estate Planning Than Living
                     Trusts

2:30-4 p.m.       -- How to Pick Stocks the Morningstar Way

2:30-3:45 p.m.    Panels
                  -- The New World of Tech Stocks: The Next Wave
                  -- Market in the Middle: Making the Most of Mid-Caps
                  -- Kids and Money

2:30-3:30 p.m.    -- After the Internet and Technology Slowdown: Where
                     to Invest Now? (Spanish)

3:45-4:45 p.m.    -- Avoiding Investment Mistakes and Fraud (Spanish)

4-5:15 p.m.       Panels
                  -- Income-Oriented Investing Strategies: Where to
                     Find the Yield You Need with Less Volatility
                  -- Retirement Exit Strategies: Retire Rich with less
                     Hassles
                  -- Growing Your Portfolio with Growth Investing