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Vista Wealth Management Review

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This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Vista Wealth Management Group, LLC is a financial advisor firm headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The firm works with individuals and high-net-worth individuals as well as also advises corporations, charitable organizations and other entities. The firm has a relatively high minimum account size at $2 million.

Vista Wealth Management was founded in 1999. Through an evidence-based approach to long-term investing, the firm offers both investment advisory services and financial planning services to its clients. Vista is on our list of the top financial advisors in Palo Alto.

Vista Wealth Management Background

Vista Wealth Management was founded in 1999. Co-founder and CEO Michael Spector brought his years of experience in personal finance to create a firm that gets 100% of its revenue from clients so that the interests of firm are always aligned with those of the client. It is a fee-only firm.

Vista Wealth Management Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

Vista Wealth Management’s clients include individuals, high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and corporations. The majority of clients are individuals and high-net-worth individuals.

Vista Wealth Management generally imposes a minimum account size of $2 million for investment management services. Multiple accounts for the same client may be aggregated to meet the minimum account value.

Services Offered by Vista Wealth Management

Vista Wealth Management offers a range of services to its clients under the two broad umbrellas of investment advisory services and financial planning. They are as follows:

  • Investment advisory services
    • Asset allocation
    • Asset location
    • Concentrated positions
    • Investment execution
    • Tax loss harvesting
    • Rebalancing
  • Financial Planning
    • Tax planning
    • Estate and gift planning
    • Debt management
    • Risk management
    • Budgeting
    • Charitable planning

Vista Wealth Management Investment Philosophy

When it comes to analyzing securities, Vista Wealth Management relies on trend analysis, historical data and price data in order to determine securities that are being undervalued. The firm looks to select securities and investment products that the market is undervaluing, then build diversified portfolios across several asset classes.

The firm may use a long-term purchase strategy, a short-term purchase strategy, a trading strategy or a mix of the three, depending on the risk tolerance and financial preferences of the specific client.

Fees Under Vista Wealth Management

For investment advisory fees, Vista Wealth Management charges fees according to the schedule below. These fees are billed quarterly and in advance. The firm institutes a minimum annual fee of $19,000.

Vista Wealth Management Fees
Account Size Fee Rate
First $3MM 0.95%
Next $2MM 0.80%
Next $5MM 0.70%
Next $10MM 0.50%
Next $10MM 0.40%
Above $30MM 0.30%

For stand-alone financial planning and consulting, the firm charges an hourly fee, which can range from $250 to $500 per hour depending on a number of factors, including the complexity of your situation, your existing relationship with the firm and the size of your account.

The below table shows how Vista Wealth Management's fees for its investment advisory services compare to the national median. Remember that these are only estimates and actual fees may vary.

Estimated Fee Comparison*
Your Assets Vista Wealth Management Fees
$500K N/A
$1MM N/A
$5MM $44,500
$10MM $79,500
*Estimated investment management fees do not include brokerage, custodial, third-party manager or other fees, which can vary in amount.

Learn more about advisors' typical costs here.

What to Watch Out For

Vista Wealth Management does not have any disclosures on its legal and regulatory record.

Opening an Account With Vista Wealth Management

You can get in touch with Vista Wealth Management by filling out the contact form provided on its website. The form requests your first and last name, email address, phone number and a brief message or question. If you’d prefer to call the firm, the phone number is (650) 252-0550.

All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.

Tips for Finding a Financial Advisor

  • Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
  • If you want to be sure you’re on track to maintain your lifestyle after you’re done working, our retirement calculator can help you. When you enter your information, the calculator will tell you what you need to save to live the life you want in retirement.
  • If can't quite meet the account minimums of many traditional advisors, you may want to look into a robo-advisor. Robo-advisors often have lower minimums and fees, but can still help you reach your investment and retirement goals.

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research