Investment Strategies Conference Set

Discount brokerage chief Charles R. Schwab and Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt will be among the keynote speakers at the second annual Los Angeles Times Investment Strategies Conference on Feb. 7-8.

The conference, presented by The Times along with Morningstar Inc., a leading publisher of mutual fund information, will bring together well-known money managers, investment strategists, financial planners and other experts for panel discussions, presentations and question-and-answer sessions.

The event is designed to help Southern Californians sharpen their investing skills and make intelligent investment choices and financial-planning decisions.

Keynote speakers in addition to Levitt and Schwab, the founder and chairman of Charles Schwab Corp., will include Mary Schapiro, president of the Nasdaq Stock Market’s regulatory arm, the National Assn. of Securities Dealers Regulation Inc.

The event will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center to accommodate more people and panel discussions than the 1997 conference, which was held at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. About 14,000 people are expected to attend next year.

“We’re expanding this event in response to the tremendous interest in our first conference, which sold out 10 days in advance,” said Richard T. Schlosberg III, Times publisher and chief executive.

“It’s clear that this is an increasingly relevant topic and that Southern Californians are looking to The Times for financial education and guidance,” he said.

The panel discussions, which will be moderated by writers and editors of The Times’ Business section and Morningstar, will cover topics ranging from estate planning to women’s investment issues to evaluating one’s mutual fund portfolio. Topics new for next year include planning for early retirement and strategies for small-business owners.

The 1998 conference will also include several continuously running workshops on stock-picking and basic financial planning.

More details about the conference and how to register for it will be announced in The Times later this year. Companies interested in sponsorship or exhibitor opportunities should contact Kelly Sole at (213) 237-3042.