This year’s buffet of market predictions appears appetizing at first, but our year-end retrospective shows that guesswork disguised as portfolio advice generally turns out to be wrong.

What do riptides and market volatility have in common? They’re scary and potentially harmful—unless you know how to navigate the waters.

Today, people are enamored of U.S. stocks and the attractive returns they’ve delivered. International stocks? Not so much. Giving up on international stocks now in favor of more U.S. stocks could be a big mistake.

In soccer, it’s hard to “do nothing.” It’s the same in investing. This year’s FIFA World Cup reminded us that while we don’t know which way the market will “kick the ball” tomorrow, next month, or next year, when it comes to long-term investing, staying centered wins.

Vista’s annual Symposium is an opportunity for our investment and financial planning teams to review the latest research in our field. From discussing best practices for the asset allocation decision to determining the right amount of international stocks to own, we explored topics that will help us best serve our clients.

Plan for the unexpected. Get comfortable with losing. Enjoy the journey. Chief Investment Officer Dougal Williams shares some valuable investing advice from an unlikely source.