The Wall Street Journal recently reported nearly 200 private colleges borrowed from restricted endowments in 2025, up from 131 in 2021, and most of the money went to everyday expenses. The institutions now explaining themselves to regulators shared one assumption: that there was a third way to free up a restricted gift. There are two, and only two.
Author Archives: Sean McEvilly
Alternative Investments, Family Office, Investment Strategy, Private Wealth, Selecting an Investment Advisor, Wealth Management
The Value of Integrated Chief Investment Officer Services: A Hybrid Model for Personalized Portfolio Stewardship
17
Nov
Nov
As investment complexity grows and families seek more bespoke solutions, the traditional boundaries of investment management are evolving. The Chief Investment Officer (CIO) role—once confined to large institutions—is being redefined to meet the nuanced needs of private clients, family enterprises, and foundations.
Outsourced CIO (OCIO) services have long provided off-site portfolio management and access to institutional expertise. But today, a new model is emerging: Integrated Chief Investment Officer (Integrated CIO) Services. This approach blends the advantages of OCIO partnerships with the in-person engagement and hands-on stewardship that complex families and organizations increasingly require.
Active Management, Alternative Investments, Investment Strategy, Market Commentary, Market Outlook, Private Equity, Private Wealth, Wealth Management
Passing the Baton: Why Your Financial Advisor’s Succession Plan Is the Key to Protecting Your Wealth
12
Nov
Nov
The Overlooked Risk in Wealth Management
Choosing a financial advisor today is about more than investment performance—it’s about securing the future stewardship of your family’s wealth. With a wave of advisor retirements ahead, families must consider who will manage their assets tomorrow, not just today. Up to 46% of U.S. financial advisors plan to retire by 2035, putting trillions of dollars at risk if succession planning isn’t handled properly. For clients, continuity can’t be taken for granted.
Hedge Fund Strategies, Hedge Funds, Investment Strategy, Private Wealth, Tax-Loss Harvesting, Wealth Management
Turning Losses Into Opportunities: The Value of Year-Round Tax-Loss Harvesting
21
Oct
Oct
No investor enjoys seeing losses in their portfolio. Yet, how you manage losses often matters as much as how you generate gains. The most disciplined investors—and their advisors—know that losses can be powerful strategic tools when used wisely.
Tax-loss harvesting takes realized investment losses and uses them to offset taxable gains, lowering overall tax liability. Put simply, it transforms short-term setbacks into long-term advantage. As one of my mentors used to put it, a loss can be an economic asset—if managed properly.
Active Management, Alternative Investments, Investment Strategy, Market Commentary, Market Outlook, Private Equity, Private Wealth, Wealth Management
Navigating Historic S&P 500 Valuations: Embracing Alternative Assets Amid Market Resilience and Uncertainty
11
Oct
Oct
Amid the historic surge in S&P 500 valuations, reaching new highs in October 2025, investors face a complex landscape marked by both optimism and heightened risk. At Vistamark Investments, the current environment underscores the value of blending opportunities in public market equities with strategic allocations to private equity and private credit. These alternative assets enhance portfolio diversification, offer higher expected risk-adjusted returns, and provide income stability essential for navigating ongoing volatility and economic shifts. With central banks adapting monetary policy and fiscal challenges ongoing, adopting a multi-asset, globally diversified approach anchored by rigorous risk management remains key to building resilient portfolios and securing enduring wealth.
Fiduciary Advisor, Low Interest Debt, Private Wealth, Selecting a Family Office Investment Advisor, Selecting an Investment Advisor, Wealth Management, Western Chicago Suburbs Investment Advisor
Selecting a Phoenix Area Financial Advisor
26
Aug
Aug
Navigating today’s complex financial landscape in Arizona can feel overwhelming for many—whether you’re an entrepreneur, executive, professional, retiree, or simply someone focused on building and protecting your family’s financial future. For professionals in the Phoenix area working at leading companies like Axon Enterprise, Avnet, Freeport McMoRan, Insight Enterprises, Microchip Technology, and Onsemi, this can be especially true when navigating employee stock options and purchase plans (ESPPs). Regardless of your background or stage in life, having a personal financial strategy or wealth management plan that reflects your unique situation and goals is essential to enhancing, protecting, and perhaps even eventually passing on your wealth to children, grandchildren, or philanthropic priorities with confidence.
Alternative Investments, Covered Call Strategies, Selecting a Private Wealth Investment Advisor, Selecting an Investment Advisor, Tax-Loss Harvesting, Wealth Management
Breaking Free from Concentrated Stock Positions: Advanced Tax Strategies That Transform Your Portfolio
24
Aug
Aug
For many successful executives, entrepreneurs, and long-term investors, a concentrated stock position is a testament to their hard work and success. It’s also a paradox: a source of tremendous wealth that can feel impossible to diversify without facing a devastating tax bill.
If you’ve built substantial equity through stock options, inherited a large position, or simply held a winning investment for years, the question remains: How do you break free and reduce your risk without triggering massive tax consequences?
Traditional tax-loss harvesting often falls short when dealing with positions that have substantial embedded gains. When your cost basis is near zero and your wealth is tied up in a single stock, the conventional wisdom of “just sell and diversify” is financially devastating.
Catholic ESG Investing, Catholic Screens, Endowments, Environmental, Social and Governance, ESG, Foundations, Nonprofits, Selecting an Endowment or Foundation Investment Advisor, Selecting an Investment Advisor
Catholic ESG Constraints for Endowments and Foundations: A Comprehensive Investment Guide
12
Aug
Aug
The intersection of Catholic moral teaching and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing presents both profound opportunities and nuanced challenges for Catholic endowments and foundations. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has established comprehensive guidelines that serve as a robust framework for socially responsible investment strategies, often referred to as Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). These guidelines underscore that effective stewardship demands both financial prudence and moral integrity, acknowledging that “socially beneficial activities and socially undesirable or even immoral activities are often inextricably linked in the products produced and the policies followed by individual corporations.” This necessitates careful navigation of complex investment landscapes. The framework skillfully balances the imperative to achieve reasonable financial returns with the sacred obligation to align investments with Catholic social teaching, creating a sophisticated approach that transcends simple exclusionary screening to actively embrace shareholder advocacy, community development, and impactful investing strategies.
Alternative Investments, Covered Call Strategies, Family Office, Financial Planning, Private Wealth, Selecting a Private Wealth Investment Advisor, Selecting an Investment Advisor, Selling a Business, Tax-Loss Harvesting, Wealth Management
A Strategic Guide to Hedging Your Concentrated Stock Position
30
Jul
Jul
For investors holding a significant portion of their wealth in a single stock, the feeling is a mix of excitement and unease. On one hand, a concentrated position can deliver life-changing returns. On the other, it exposes you to idiosyncratic risk—the unique, unpredictable dangers of a single company that can devastate your portfolio regardless of how the broader market is doing.
This guide explores strategic approaches to managing this risk, allowing you to protect your wealth while keeping your potential for upside gains.
Alternative Investments, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies, Endowments, Family Office, Foundations, Hedge Fund Strategies, Hedge Funds, Liquid Alternatives, Nonprofits, Pensions, Selecting an Investment Advisor
Hedge Funds Through 2025: Evolution, Growth, and Market Dynamics – A Deep Dive
14
Feb
Feb
The hedge fund industry has undergone significant transformation, experiencing unprecedented growth, evolving strategies, and adapting to new market realities. Global hedge fund assets have surged to record levels approaching $4.5 trillion by the end of 2024, representing more than a doubling of industry assets from the $2 trillion managed in 2010. This expansion reflects the industry’s resilience through multiple market cycles, technological advancement, and evolving investor preferences for diversified, risk-adjusted returns.
University endowments have historically allocated significant assets to hedge funds. By fiscal year 2024, the average endowment had 16.1 percent of its assets invested in marketable alternatives, a category that includes hedge funds (Source: 2024 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments). In part due to the well-publicized success of some large university endowments, smaller endowments, foundations, museums, libraries, healthcare organizations, and other nonprofit institutions have sought similar investment approaches. While effective hedge fund investing can help endowment and foundation investors meet investment objectives, it also brings specialized risks and challenges that must be diligently managed.
- 1
- 2