Wealth Management Solutions, LLC

05/28/2026

May 18, 2026 Market Commentary: The Major Markets closed higher across the board ahead of the Memorial Day Weekend. Last week was noteworthy for the rotation that seemed to take place as the recent dominate leaders of the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 took a backseat to the more concentrated Dow Jones and the small cap Rusell 2000.

This was further evidenced by the performance of the style boxes which saw large cap growth lag and small cap value lead. That said, the gain of 88 basis points in the S&P 500 was welcomed. Furthermore, as volatile as the stock market or the greater economy or geopolitics has felt recently, last week’s positive performance actually stands as the 8th consecutive weekly gain since the end of March. Said differently, every week this quarter has so far been positive. The last time we saw a consecutive weekly run this long was at the close of 2023.

Two of the main drivers of late have been earnings and oil. As FactSet pointed out last week, 94% of S&P 500 companies have reported their earnings result with 84% of those companies beating their expectations. This exceeds recent historical averages in both the number of companies beating estimates as well as the magnitude of the surprises.

That said, oil continues to be a heavy concern on market participants. Oil prices have fallen off the April highs and even the recent retests of highs in May have fallen short of the level that we saw last month. Nevertheless, the cumulative impact of higher prices have begun to be felt more and more in the larger economy.

The EIA is set to report the May national average of all grades and all formulations of gasoline later this week. While April’s reading of roughly $4.25 was nowhere near as high as the peak of Summer 2022, it was still higher than the Summers of 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2023.

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05/28/2026

Markets have always absorbed political shocks. What's different now is that those shocks are no longer temporary disruptions. They're becoming structural.

Our latest article walks through exactly how geopolitical risks move markets across energy, trade, currencies, and asset classes, and what a disciplined response actually looks like for high-net-worth investors. Click the link below to read the full post.

Learn how geopolitical risks affect global markets, drive volatility, reshape investment strategy, and how disciplined wealth management helps you respond.

05/26/2026

Robo-advisors are managing nearly $2 trillion in assets globally. So why aren't they enough for high-net-worth families?
The answer comes down to what they're actually built to do.

Robo-advisors manage portfolios. They don't manage financial lives. They can rebalance your ETFs automatically. They can't coordinate your tax strategy with your business income, structure your estate plan, or evaluate insurance gaps that could expose your family to significant loss.

Learn what robo-advisors do well, where they fall short, and what genuinely complex wealth management looks like beyond the algorithm in this article.

Robo-advisors are reshaping investing, but they have real limits. Learn what they do well and where human expertise in wealth management still matters most.

05/26/2026

Without a plan, the IRS becomes your default beneficiary.
Families without a current estate plan routinely lose 30–50% of their wealth to taxes, probate, and uncoordinated documents. Estate planning isn't a one-time event — it's a living architecture.
Episode 02 of the Family Advisor Series.
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Wealth Management Solutions, LLC
1400 Newport Center Drive, Suite 290
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 475-9700 · [email protected] —
Enduring Stability. Lasting Legacy. —
Disclosures Investment advice and financial planning are offered through Wealth Management Solutions, a DBA of Balboa Wealth Partners, Inc., a registered investment adviser. The opinions expressed are those of Richard Riva and are subject to change without notice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. Hypothetical case examples referenced across this series are composites of typical client situations and do not represent any specific client. Outcomes described are illustrative; actual client outcomes will vary based on individual circumstances. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. For Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS, visit wms-llc.com. Link on Bio

05/21/2026

Are your tax-loss strategies working against you?

The wash sale rule can quietly disallow losses if timing and coordination are off, especially across multiple accounts. Small missteps can reduce the impact of an otherwise strong tax strategy.

Learn how to manage capital losses more effectively and stay aligned with your broader financial plan in this article.

Learn how the wash sale rule impacts capital losses and tax strategies, with key guidelines for managing investments more efficiently.

05/19/2026

Most people think budgeting is about cutting expenses. For high-net-worth families, it's about something else entirely.

Financial independence at a significant level of wealth isn't achieved by tracking lattes. It's achieved when every financial decision, your taxes, your investments, your estate plan, and your risk coverage, is working from the same playbook.

Discover how to build a budget that actually supports financial independence at this level, from allocating across time horizons to integrating tax strategy, risk management, and estate planning into a single coherent framework. Read our latest article.

Learn how high-net-worth families use strategic budgeting to get financial independence through tax planning, investment coordination, and risk management.

05/19/2026

The average investor underperforms their own investments by ~3% per year (Dalbar).
The fix isn't a better fund. It's a process that removes emotion from the decision — strategic allocation, rules-based rebalancing, and tax-aware management coordinated with the rest of your plan.
Episode 01 of the Family Advisor Series.
▶️ Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/
📞 949-475-9700 | 📍 Newport Beach, CA
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05/18/2026

📊 Weekly Market Pulse | May 4–8, 2026
Six in a row. The longest winning streak since 2024.
The S&P 500 gained 2.36% on the week, pushing year-to-date returns to +8.52% and closing near 7,399, while the Nasdaq surged 4.5% as the Magnificent Seven delivered the earnings season investors needed. Microsoft beat with adjusted EPS of $4.27. Meta posted a 61% year-over-year earnings jump to $10.44 per share. Alphabet's cloud revenue grew 63%. All four hyperscalers raised full-year capex guidance. ClearbrookClearbrook
The labor market cooperated too: employers added 115,000 jobs in April versus 55,000 expected — fueling a Friday relief rally. Murrayfinancialservices
A few signals beyond the megacaps:
🌏 Emerging markets surged 6.90% on the week, now +22.62% YTD — the best-performing major equity region of 2026
🥇 Gold added 2.17%, extending its 1-year return to +43.03%
🏢 REITs continued their recovery, +13.10% YTD
🇯🇵 Japan +2.83% on the week, +14.10% YTD Clearbrook + 3
The takeaway: it's rare for the S&P 500 to deliver four consecutive years of double-digit gains — historically that's only happened post-WWII and in the late-90s bubble. Concentration risk is real. But for clients who held diversified exposure through Q1's volatility — international, real assets, quality fixed income — this is what discipline gets paid for. Cliftoncapital
Nvidia's May 20 report is the final word on AI capex.
Enduring Stability. Lasting Legacy.®
Wealth Management Solutions | Your Private Chief Financial Officer
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05/14/2026

Are your financial decisions being made in silos?

When investments, taxes, and estate planning are managed separately, opportunities can be missed and inefficiencies can build over time. A private chief financial officer helps align every part of your financial life, creating a more coordinated and proactive strategy.

See how private wealth management can bring structure and clarity to your finances in this article.

Discover the benefits of hiring a private chief financial officer and how private wealth management brings clarity and coordination to complex finances.