Mountain Vista Wealth Management

Guiding from Valley to Peak

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Q2 2019 Investment letter

INTRODUCTION

Investing with a long-term focus has consistently been a successful strategy for wealth creation.  Most people would not disagree with this point, yet we constantly find ourselves questioning what the market is going to do over the next few weeks or months.  With the financial media and an increasing number of bloggers focused on attracting eyeballs to their websites, the number of sensational stories and “doomsday” predictions has proliferated.  Do not fall into their trap.  Even a broken clock is correct twice a day. [Read more…] about Q2 2019 Investment letter

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Q1 2019 Investment Letter

INTRODUCTION

There has been a lot of talk about how the structure of the financial market has changed in recent years. The size and magnitude of the correction and subsequent recovery of the equity market over the last few months reinforces that view. [Read more…] about Q1 2019 Investment Letter

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Should I Buy A Variable Annuity?

Variable annuities are a popular alternative to traditional fixed annuity products.  They seek to offer the safety net of a stable retirement income, but still capture the higher returns offered by equity investments. As the name implies, a variable annuity’s future payments can change based upon the performance of the investments held in the annuity’s sub-account. [Read more…] about Should I Buy A Variable Annuity?

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Is Now a Good Time to Invest?

Ever since the financial crisis, we have been fed a constant drip of bearish market predictions calling for the next precipitous market drop.  After the precipitous drop that the S&P 500 index suffered in the 4th quarter of 2018, the frequency of doomsday predictions has ticked higher.  Before making any rash decisions with our investment portfolios, we must remember that the media is concerned about getting “clicks” and not maximizing the long-term returns of your investment portfolio. Remember to Tune Out the Noise.

Now that the market has corrected substantially, with the S&P reaching a peak-to-trough drop of 20% on an intraday basis, what is an investor to do? [Read more…] about Is Now a Good Time to Invest?

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2018 Year-end Investment Letter

INTRODUCTION

Before diving into the market overview, I wanted to announce that Michael J. Riolo, J.D. has joined Mountain Vista Wealth Management as a Senior Financial Advisor and Head of Financial Planning. Michael brings a wealth of financial planning experience to Mountain Vista and his expertise in the area of estate planning will be valuable to our clients. To learn more about Michael, please feel free to review his bio at the following link: https://mountainvistawealth.com/about/. We are excited to have him on the team and I encourage all of our clients to take advantage of his expertise.

Investor, Warren Buffett, famously said: “be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful”. If you prepare during the good times, namely raising cash or increasing fixed income exposures, then you can put yourself in a position to be opportunistic during market downturns and try to avoid the unpleasant feeling of being fully invested at the start of a bear market. While this behavior may serve as a source of alpha in your portfolios, it also promotes good long-term investing behavior, decreasing the likelihood of irrational, panicked selling. Is it time for you to be greedy or fearful? We are here to help you answer that question. [Read more…] about 2018 Year-end Investment Letter