Markets can feel uncomfortably concentrated and that can lead to the wrong conclusions.
In this session, Vanguard’s Sebastian Lewis, CFA reframes concentration as a core feature of how markets work, not a flaw to be avoided. He will revisit the fundamentals of index investing, challenge common myths and misconceptions, and explore the often underestimated role of costs in long term outcomes. The discussion then broadens to what this evidence means for real world portfolio construction, offering a balanced framework for how active and passive approaches can coexist within robust, client focused Model Portfolio Solutions .

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Explain why market concentration is a natural feature of markets and what it means for investors.

• Differentiate between active and passive approaches, challenging common misconceptions in concentrated markets.

• Apply a practical framework to combine active and passive strategies in client focused portfolio construction, considering the impact of costs.

Darwin observed that survival doesn’t belong to the strongest — it belongs to those that adapt.
Today’s investment environment is shifting rapidly: geopolitics, economic transitions, and technological change are constantly reshaping markets. In this world, investment approaches built on fixed assumptions risk becoming outdated.
In this session, AJ Bell Investments will explore why adaptability is becoming a critical investment advantage. Discover how our MPS combines experienced human judgement with powerful technology to stay flexible, challenge old assumptions, and respond to change. In an industry facing constant disruption, advisers should ask: is your MPS provider built to evolve — or built for yesterday’s markets?

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the current drivers of market change, including geopolitics, economic transitions and technological shifts.
• Explain how an MPS that combines experienced human judgement with technology supports better decision making and flexibility.
• Understand the benefits of a MPS provider that is “built to evolve”.
  

2026 has highlighted a familiar yet uncomfortable reality for investors: volatility is no longer a temporary feature of markets — it is becoming structural. Geopolitical fragmentation, persistent inflation uncertainty, shifting interest rate expectations, and uneven global growth continue to challenge traditional portfolio construction.

Markets and geopolitics are shifting quickly in 2026. Equities have hit record highs, gold has swung sharply, and doubts persist over the durability of the ‘AI bubble’. You are helping your clients to navigate a very different investment landscape from that of the last decade. WealthSelect Portfolio Manager, Stuart Clark, will examine the forces reshaping the global landscape and what they mean for portfolio construction. They will explore whether traditional investment principles remain fit for purpose, and outline how to maintain a disciplined, long-term approach when unpredictability becomes the norm.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, attendees will understand:

• The forces driving current market and geopolitical volatility.

• How this environment differs from the past decade and its implications for portfolio construction.

• How we’re navigating conditions within the WealthSelect portfolios - managing both challenges and opportunities.

The first index fund was launched 55 years ago by Wells Fargo. While the early days of index investing offered relatively simple, “vanilla” solutions, the past 30+ years have seen a significant expansion in both investment options and vehicles. Dan Caps, MPS Index Lead Manager at Evelyn Partners, will guide you through this evolution, address three common misconceptions around index investing, and explore the diverse ways investors can put their capital to work today.

Learning Objectives:
1. Understanding the evolution and role of passive investing

By the end of the session, participants will be able to summarise at least three key milestones in the development of index investing and explain how passive strategies have grown to surpass active management in assets under management by 2023.

2. Challenging misconceptions about index investing

By the end of the session, participants will be able to identify and critically assess three common misconceptions about passive investing (e.g. limited asset classes, static allocation, market-cap constraints) and provide at least one counterexample for each.

3. Applying diversification principles in a passive portfolio

By the end of the session, participants will be able to describe how a diversified index portfolio is constructed across at least four asset classes or regions and explain how diversification impacts portfolio risk and return

Markets rise. Markets fall. Headlines panic. Clients call. Whilst uncertainty can be uncomfortable, it’s also where opportunity lives. In this session, Mike Coop, Chief Investment Officer at Morningstar, shares how to construct robust portfolios; designed not just to withstand market downturns, but how they should continue to reach your clients goals.

This session will cover:

• How to build portfolios to withstand a range of outcomes.
• Real world examples of how the team’s turned volatility into opportunity.
• Helping clients stay invested when emotions run high.

Walk away with ideas to strengthen client conversations and communicate how Morningstar’s portfolios are built to perform, whatever the headlines say. Because the goal isn’t just to survive volatility, it’s to work with it.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Understand how market volatility creates opportunities and why it should be viewed as a strategic advantage rather than a threat.
• Develop stronger client communication skills to help investors stay calm, remain invested, and understand how Morningstar’s portfolios are built to perform through booms and busts.
• Learn how to construct robust, resilient portfolios that can withstand a wide range of market conditions and continue to deliver on your clients expectations.
  

The modern financial adviser faces a structural paradox: outsourcing portfolio management to a MPS creates scale and consistency but externalising this core function can inadvertently outsource the firm's investment narrative and dilute the perceived value of your stewardship. In this session, we will explore how advisers might look to AI within a well-designed investment proposition to access the benefits of MPS and satisfy the demands of Consumer Duty while delivering a unique and compelling value proposition.