Agenda

Ariel Bezalel, Investment Manager of the Jupiter Strategic Bond Fund, will outline the current macro and geopolitical backdrop, and explain why a flexible, global approach to fixed income is key in navigating today’s complex environment.

AI is moving from experimentation to real world application across the investment lifecycle, but its effectiveness depends on how well data is structured, connected, and made accessible. Without trusted, governed data, AI cannot deliver reliable insights at scale.

This session explores how Model Context Protocol (MCP) enables AI applications to interact with trusted data sources in a more contextual and controlled way. It will examine how MCP based approaches are being applied across data, research, and enterprise infrastructure, using Morningstar as a practical example of how firms can integrate trusted investment intelligence into AI enabled workflows to improve efficiency, elevate insight quality, and unlock greater value from their data.

Ollie Smith, MC, will set the stage by outlining the day's themes and content, providing attendees with a clear roadmap of what to expect.

Former White House Presidential adviser, economist and bestselling author Dr Pippa Malmgren cuts through the noise to explain how geopolitical shifts are influencing markets, capital flows and portfolio risk. Gain clear context on what to watch, what to ignore, and how to translate macro uncertainty into more confident client conversations.

This FCA session will provide clarity on the evolving regulatory landscape and its impact on financial advisers.

The energy transition is maturing. Its focus is widening from decarbonisation to encompass energy security, affordability and industrial competitiveness, against a backdrop of rising power demand driven by the ‘electrification of everything’. 

In this session, Will Riley will draw on 25 years of energy investing at Guinness Global Investors in both oil & gas and renewables. He will explore why the energy transition is occurring and its likely progress in coming years, from short-term vs long-term effects of the Iran war to EV adoption and the data centre build-out. He will also explain how investors can invest in the theme and where areas of growth and increasing profitability can be found within this major secular growth theme for the coming decades.

Managed Portfolio Services have become an increasingly important part of the UK adviser landscape, with assets continuing to grow as advisers look for scalable portfolio solutions to support client outcomes. At the same time, the number and variety of managed portfolios available on platforms has expanded rapidly, making it increasingly challenging for advisers to compare strategies and assess their positioning.

In this session we will introduce key findings from Morningstar’s UK Managed Portfolio Landscape 2025 research, which analyses the on-platform MPS market using Morningstar’s UK Managed Portfolio Database.

We will explore key trends in asset allocation, underlying investments, performance, and costs across the UK managed portfolio universe. We will also introduce the newly launched Morningstar Rating for UK Managed Portfolios, which provides a simple, risk-adjusted framework for comparing strategies and supporting adviser due diligence.

Leveraging the Morningstar UK Managed Portfolio Database, we will also demonstrate how advisers can explore the dataset and use Morningstar tools to better understand the evolving managed portfolio landscape.

Advisers provide immense value by helping clients endure market volatility. Based on research with top advisers, this session outlines how to develop a comprehensive market volatility plan, with actionable steps to support clients before, during, and after periods of uncertainty.

Politics is in the price. Focus on what matters: the power shifts moving markets. Wei Li (BlackRock), Johanna Kyrklund (Schroders), and Anna Rosenberg (Amundi) clarify what’s material across US–China tech rivalry, supply chain rewiring, America first policies, energy risk, and Europe’s political cycle - so advisers know what to watch, what to ignore, and where to lean.

AI remains a dominant investment theme in 2026, with infrastructure spending set to rise by 60% to over half a trillion dollars. Michael Field and Kenneth Lamont explore how AI is reshaping industries, identify key beneficiaries, and share effective strategies for investing in equities and funds during this transformative era.

A practical session from Morningstar and Personal Investment Management & Financial Advice Association (PIMFA) on how to benchmark multi‑asset portfolios. We’ll explain how advisers can use PIMFA benchmarks, custom composites, and pre‑built multi‑asset indexes to align with client risk profiles and improve performance conversations. Attendees will leave with a simple framework for choosing the right benchmark for any diversified portfolio.

Rising geopolitical uncertainty has led to a period of elevated volatility across Emerging Markets. Fidelity EM portfolio manager Chris will explore how the investment case for the asset class is evolving, shaped by shifting policy dynamics, still-attractive valuations, and themes such as commodities strength and the AI supply chain.

We have long worried about the risks facing investors in traditional stock and bond allocations. After years of trending markets and crowded trades, markets have been buffeted by a series of geopolitical shocks: lockdowns, tariffs, trade wars, and kinetic wars among them. These events have disrupted the trends of past decades, creating a new environment in which to seek risk and return. In this discussion, we focus on how securities across asset classes respond to these shocks, and how investors can seek to balance risks while maintaining attractive prospective returns.

This session explores insights from our recent research collaboration with the lang cat, highlighting the importance of platforms and MPS working in unison to help advisers fully realise the benefits of both. Stephanie Williamson, Head of UK Investment Sales, will provide an overview of what sets Morningstar apart as a trusted partner of choice for MPS.

This session equips financial advisers with insights into the unique challenges retirees face, including inflation and sequencing risk. Christine Benz and Mike Coop, alongside UK financial planners will discuss safe withdrawal rates and effective strategies to help advisers confidently guide their clients toward successful retirement outcomes.

The US equity market has delivered an extraordinary run in recent years, powered by resilient earnings, rapid innovation and one of the strongest economic recoveries in the developed world. But this success has also created challenges: valuations in several areas, especially mega cap technology, now sit meaningfully above their long term averages and at a clear premium to other global markets. For investors, this raises an important question: how do you participate in America’s ongoing growth story without simply buying into its most expensive corners? As one of the longest running US equity strategies, Capital Group Investment Company of America seeks to harness this next chapter of America’s growth in diversified and disciplined way.

Join Kenneth Lamont as he navigates the changing sustainable investment landscape and asks what’s next for investors.

The emergence of semi-liquid funds provides wealth and retail investors access to private markets. This session explores private equity and debt, investor accessibility, and operational challenges in this evolving space.

Discover game-changing innovations in WealthTech! Explore 10+ solutions tackling wealth management industry challenges, from compliance to client engagement.

With geopolitics, inflation, monetary policy, and market concentration reshaping markets, uncertainty remains high for multi-asset investors. Charlotte Yonge (Troy), David Coombs (Rathbones) and John Roe (L&G) discuss asset allocation, diversification challenges, and portfolio construction for 2026.

Mark Niznik (Artemis) and Victoria Stevens (Liontrust) reflect on a decade of headwinds for UK equities, including persistent outflows and Brexit. They’ll assess today’s valuation backdrop and consider whether the coming decade represents a reset or a repeat for UK investors.

Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor at The Times, will unpack the current AI landscape and explore the key trends on the horizon. Drawing on her experience interviewing leading figures in global tech, this session will highlight what advisers need to know to navigate this rapidly evolving space.

Kindly sponsored by Jupiter Asset Management.

Join us during the drinks reception for an exclusive opportunity to meet Christine Benz, personal finance expert and author of How to Retire. Christine will be signing copies of her book.

Complimentary copies will be available while stocks last – arrive early, and enjoy a drink as we wrap up the day.