The New York Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI-NY) will hold a meeting on Thursday, January 15, 2009 on “The Future of Financial Reporting.” Dr. William D. Lutz, appointed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in June 2008 as Chair of the SEC’s 21st Century Disclosure Initiative, will discuss the blueprint for future Commission action to improve disclosure to investors and streamline the collection of data from public companies. This initiative will introduce IDEA (Interactive Data Electronic Application), a system for public company reporting that ultimately will replace the current EDGAR system.

In addition to Dr. Lutz, speakers will include William H. Mann, III, senior investment analyst for The Motley Fool, who will discuss the potential impact of the SEC’s actions on individual investors, and Jason M. Swiatek, managing director for Jennison Associates, who will discuss the impact on institutional investors. The panel will be moderated by NIRI-NY’s Executive VP – Programs, Michelle Savage, who is Vice President, Communication for XBRL US.

Dr. Lutz has significant experience in working with the SEC on disclosure issues, has participated in several SEC roundtables, and has frequently provided advice on SEC rulemaking. From 1995 to 1999, he played an important role in advancing the SEC's Plain English initiative by preparing the SEC's Plain English Handbook, a manual to help mutual funds and public companies write clear and understandable SEC filings. He is Emeritus Professor of English at Rutgers University, and the author of numerous books and articles on the importance of plain-language disclosure.

Dr. Lutz said, “IDEA is the platform that will give investors the tools they need to make informed decisions, and the first phase of this new system is being rolled out right now. Investor relations officers, as the communications link between investors and management, need to know how in the near future investors will receive information about their companies.”

Mr. Mann is the lead advisor for "Motley Fool Global Gains," an investment newsletter service focused on identifying market-beating international stocks. The newsletter is published by The Motley Fool, founded in 1993 in Alexandria, VA by brothers David and Tom Gardner, which is a multimedia financial-services company that reaches millions of investors each month through its website, books, newspaper column, television appearances, and subscription newsletter services.

Mr. Swiatek is a small cap equity portfolio manager with Jennison Associates, the mutual fund and managed accounts arm of Prudential Financial, which has over $80 billion in assets. He has served as co-manager of the Jennison Small Cap Opportunity Fund since 2005. Mr. Switek is a member of The New York Society of Security Analysts and the CFA Institute.

Nils Paellmann, President of NIRI-NY and Vice President, Investor Relations of Deutsche Telekom, said, “The topic of this meeting is very timely and we are pleased to have an expert panel to discuss the implications for investor relations officers of the SEC’s plans to improve financial reporting for both investors and public companies.”

The meeting will take place at the Westin Times Square Hotel, located at 270 West 43rd Street at Eighth Avenue. Registration and networking will begin at 5:30 pm, with the program beginning promptly at 6:00 pm. A networking reception will follow at 7:00 pm. The event cost is $50 for NIRI members and $75 for non-members. More information is available at To register, email cleanlists@. To prepay, go to: and make payable to cleanlists@.

ABOUT NIRI-NY

NIRI-NY, the founding chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), is also the largest chapter with over 650 members. Founded in 1969, NIRI is a professional association of corporate officers and investor relations consultants responsible for communication among corporate management, the investing public and the financial community. NIRI members represent the majority of the largest publicly held corporations in the U.S. as well as many small and mid-sized companies. With over 4,300 members in 35 chapters around the country, NIRI sets the highest standards in education to advance the practice of investor relations and meet the growing professional development needs of those engaged in the field. For more information, visit