Time is scarce, helpful information is abundant. And nowhere is that more evident than at an investment conference like Inside ETFs.

Flashy names on the main stage. Break-out panels. And a maze of booths piled high with branded swag.

It can be daunting, off-putting, and sometimes solicitous. 

That’s a shame. Asset managers have more to offer than tchotchkes or even a new fund. It’s often an interesting angle on the markets or a creative solution to an investment problem. Too bad that so much of what they have to say gets drowned out in the collective noise.

Consider this special issue timed with the Inside ETFs conference a small attempt to solve that problem—a collection of perspectives written by ETF managers but designed to easily peruse and digest.