Category Archives: Investment Strategy

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

Posted on by Sean McEvilly
17
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.

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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

Posted on by Sean McEvilly
12
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.​

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Active Management, Alternative Investments, Investment Strategy, Liquid Alternatives, Market Commentary, Market Outlook, Private Wealth, Wealth Management

The Rise of Private Lending: Growth, Structures, and Key Investor Considerations in 2025

Posted on by Matthew Rice
29
Oct

 

The private lending industry has transformed from a niche alternative into a global financial powerhouse, with assets under management surging from roughly $375 billion in 2008 to more than $2 trillion by 2023—and is projected to reach $3 trillion by 2025. This explosive growth is driven by two critical shifts:​

  • Post-2008 regulations forced banks to pull back on traditional lending, opening the door for private lenders to fill funding gaps.

  • Investors seeking stable yield turned to private debt during prolonged periods of low interest rates, including the pandemic and periods of rate volatility.

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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

Posted on by Sean McEvilly
21
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.

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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

Posted on by Sean McEvilly
11
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.

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Endowments and Foundations, Family Office, Fiduciary Advisor, Financial Planning, Investment Strategy, Pensions, Selecting a 401(k) Plan Investment Advisor, Selecting a 403(B) Plan Investment Advisor, Selecting a Family Office Investment Advisor, Selecting a Pension Plan Investment Advisor, Selecting a Private Wealth Investment Advisor, Selecting an Endowment or Foundation Investment Advisor, Wealth Management

The Vista of Insight and the Mark of Excellence: Why We Founded Vistamark Investments

Posted on by Matthew Rice
20
Sep

 

We founded Vistamark Investments LLC because we knew that clients and institutions deserve a new standard of partnership. Our careers have given us an insider’s perspective on how much the industry needed to evolve. We saw firsthand how investment firms too often fall back on “off-the-shelf” solutions, ignore experience-driven innovation, and fail to build around what investors and organizations truly need. Vistamark isn’t just an advisor practice—it’s a purpose-built, full-service investment platform that blends world-class research, technology, and bespoke client service.

Our name reflects our philosophy: Vistamark stands for the Vista of Insight and the Mark of Excellence. We’re driven to offer a broad perspective on each client’s financial landscape—paired with relentless standards and an unwavering commitment to best-in-class results. Every relationship, every investment strategy, every partnership is held to our mark of excellence.

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401(k) Plan Litigation, 401(k) Plans, Active Versus Passive Management, Defined Contribution Plans, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA, Fiduciary Advisor, Non-Fiduciary Advisor, Pensions, Roth vs. Traditional Contributions, Selecting a 401(k) Plan Investment Advisor, Selecting an Investment Advisor

Shield Your 401(k) Plan: 5 Essential Strategies to Prevent Fiduciary Lawsuits

Posted on by Matthew Rice
27
Aug

The landscape for 401(k) plan sponsors has become increasingly challenging. With over 200 ERISA class-action lawsuits filed since 2020, fiduciary litigation targeting 401(k) plans is surging, creating unprecedented legal exposure. High-profile cases, even against well-respected entities like NYU and Fidelity, highlight a stark reality: even the most well-intentioned fiduciaries can face devastating personal liability for participant losses.

But here’s the good news: you’re not powerless. By implementing these five evidence-backed strategies, you can significantly shield your plan from costly litigation while simultaneously strengthening outcomes for your participants.

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401(k) Plan Litigation, 401(k) Plans, 403(b) Plans, Active Versus Passive Management, Defined Contribution Plans, ERISA, Fiduciary Advisor, Managed Accounts, Roth vs. Traditional Contributions, Selecting a 401(k) Plan Investment Advisor, Selecting a 403(B) Plan Investment Advisor, Selecting an Investment Advisor

The Case for Managed Accounts in Defined Contribution Plans

Posted on by Matthew Rice
25
Aug

The potential value that managed account providers bring—including personalized guidance, holistic planning, dynamic rebalancing, and tax-aware portfolio management—has rarely been in question. The primary critique has always been about their added expenses relative to target-date funds, which have offered a reasonable, if highly imperfect, solution at a much lower cost.

However, a combination of intense competition, technological advancements that improve the efficiency of delivery, and other market factors has driven these expenses down meaningfully over time, particularly for the very large plans. As the cost difference between managed accounts and target-date funds has become much more negligible, especially for mega plans, the value proposition for managed accounts has grown meaningfully.

This shift allows mega defined contribution plan sponsors with substantial assets to deliver institutional-quality investment management and financial advice to participants at significantly reduced costs. These large-scale plans—spanning 401(k), 403(b), and 457 platforms—leverage their substantial bargaining power to negotiate managed account fees that reframe the traditional cost-benefit equation for their participants.

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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

Posted on by Sean McEvilly
24
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.

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401(k) Plans, Active Versus Passive Management, Defined Contribution Plans, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, ERISA, Fiduciary Advisor, Non-Fiduciary Advisor, Pensions, Roth vs. Traditional Contributions, Selecting a 401(k) Plan Investment Advisor, Selecting an Investment Advisor

Navigating Your Fiduciary Compass: A Guide for 401(k) Investment Committee Members

Posted on by Matthew Rice
23
Aug

 

As a 401(k) investment committee member, you hold a position of profound trust and critical responsibility. This isn’t merely an oversight role; you are a plan fiduciary, legally and ethically bound to act exclusively in the best interests of your plan participants and their beneficiaries. This article serves as a direct guide for every committee member to effectively fulfill these vital duties and navigate the complexities of plan governance.

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