2012 Halftime Market Briefing

NAPFA, Meridian-IQ and BrightTALK are proud to present this webinar to help you make the most of your exhibiting efforts at the 2013 NAPFA Spring Conference. We will cover what you can expect from this year’s conference, deep-dive analysis of the conference attendees and tactical steps you can take at the show and after the show to turn attendees into prospective clients.

Investors have been conditioned to believe that traditional bonds are safe and can deliver 5% annualized yields over the long term. In the current climate, neither may be true.
Join the webcast as Nathan Rowader provides answers to many questions your clients may have regarding income investing, including:
•Is the bull market for bonds over?
•What is the impact of rising interest rates?
•Where might opportunities exist in this new environment?

We live in changing times and there is no lack of macro events for today’s markets to navigate. Join us for an informative discussion with Jim Welsh, Forward Portfolio Manager, as he assesses the macro market landscape and helps us better understand the forces that could drive market trends.

This quarter, we will discuss the following topics:
•Are there obstacles to the U.S. economy continuing to expand?
•Overview of Global Markets and pockets of opportunities: Where are the opportunities for investors?

Good corporate governance is essential for the sustainable development of a company and the health of an economy. As capital markets in Asia have grown, so too has the attention investors pay to the actions of companies and the commitment they make to maintaining high standards of corporate governance. A combination of government and corporate policy reform has seen an increase in corporate governance standards across Asia. In our upcoming webcast, four of our Portfolio Managers will give their perspective on this important development and discuss how they incorporate an assessment of corporate governance into their investment decisions.

A wave of financial innovation and regulatory reform is revolutionizing Wall Street and popularizing new asset classes aimed at democratizing the flow of capital and giving smaller investors and businesses greater opportunities to prosper. As a result, the financial services industry is undergoing a dramatic transformation that is rapidly rendering traditional banking and brokerage revenue models obsolete, conventional capital raising strategies unfeasible and typical asset class returns negligible.

NowStreet’s new webinar series, “Capitalizing on Financial Innovation” is designed to help broker-dealers, investment bankers, financial advisors, issuers and investors capitalize on this surge of industry disruption. Part I of this timely webinar series will focus on crowdfunding and is aimed at properly preparing investors, asset allocators and issuers for the forthcoming Crowdfunding Revolution. Webinar participants will be armed with the latest financial and legal knowledge from renowned crowdfund industry experts. They will also learn how to employ the social tools needed to succeed in this emerging industry.

Moderator:
* Dara Albright, Founder, NowStreet

Panelists:
* Richard J. Salute, CPA, Consultant with extensive expertise in capital markets and securities regulations
* Douglas S. Ellenoff, Partner at Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole
* Ruth Hedges, CEO of Funding Roadmap

Alan Reid, Forward CEO, discusses our company, our products and what investors are looking for in our latest video.

Commercial real estate markets appear to be entering an extended cycle of recovery. Institutions and private equity funds are taking note as they ratchet up their real estate commitments. Please join an informative and entertaining webcast with Forward’s Real Estate team to learn more about what’s behind this powerful new cycle.

Emerging markets have truly evolved, with the four major countries that became synonymous with emerging markets — Brazil, Russia, India and China — facing slower growth and some of the hiccups of development. Now, many smaller countries not top of mind with investors are exhibiting some of the growth expected of emerging markets.

So, what exactly are emerging markets now and how should investors allocate their money to these markets? Where within this universe are the best opportunities, given that some of these smaller markets like Turkey and Thailand have logged double-digit gains in 2012 while Brazilian and Chinese names have lagged? And what about bonds? Where is the opportunity? Corporate debt? Local-denominated bonds?

Join this live roundtable discussion as experts share their thoughts on where the best opportunities lie and where emerging markets are headed in 2013.

Panelists:
* Reshma Kapadia, Staff Writer, Barron's Magazine (Moderator)
* Bruce Brewington, PM, Forward Management, LLC
* Rob Lutts, CIO, Cabot Money Management
* Robert J. Luna, CEO, Surevest Capital Management

With returns in conventional asset classes diminishing, institutional money has been flocking to better performing alternative assets such as PE. This “smart money” also knows how to navigate the tax code in order to maintain more of the appreciation. Particularly with interest rates dwindling down to zero, limited growth opportunities on public stock exchanges and tax rates imminently on the rise, how can smaller retail investors recapture portfolio yield without much of it going to Uncle Sam?

Join us for a timely webinar that will provide new strategies for creating and maintaining wealth.


Moderator:
* Dara Albright, Founder, NowStreet

Panelists:
* Richard J. Salute, CPA, Capital Markets and SEC Practice Consultant for CohnReznick
* Maureen Mattera, CPA, Director, CohnReznick
* James A. Jones, Director of Business Development, Accuplan and Founder, AlternativeAssetsIRA

While many traditional income strategies are falling short of investors’ needs, the global investment landscape holds an expanding array of income-generating strategies. How can investors navigate the risks and opportunities they present?

Join us for a virtual roundtable exploring this new generation of income approaches. Forward research and investment professionals specializing in these strategies will brief you on the basics, share their insights and answer your questions.