The Wednesday Weekly
Financial Market Insight May 6th, 2026
Weekly Market Insight
Welcome to our weekly market update. This newsletter is designed to provide you with current market data, investment insights, and educational information about market trends and strategies. The content herein represents our observations and analysis of market conditions and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute personalized investment advice or a recommendation for any specific security or strategy.
Major Market Indexes
Closing Price as of 05/05/2026
The Strong Tower Difference
Ask Yourself…
What do you own?
Why do you own what you own?
Do you know what you’re truly paying for your investment management and advice?
If you can’t answer these three questions, watch this video
Items of Interest
Who Doesn’t Love Christmas?? (Yes, I know it’s May)
Did you ever watch Little House on the Prairie?
One of the earliest episodes shows the Ingalls family celebrating Christmas in their new cabin on the prairie. The weather was brutal, and yet Mr. Edwards (one of my favorite characters) arrived bearing simple gifts: a few sweet potatoes.
After those potatoes, Caroline thought a bit better of Mr. Edwards and bit less about his offensive spitting of tobacco. The girls each received a single penny and a tin cup. You would have thought they had been given a king’s ransom. It was simple.
When my grandfather was alive, Christmas was something else entirely. The whole family together. A massive tree with presents, piled so high, you could barely see my head poking up from the middle of all the boxes and bows.
I have a picture of that somewhere. That felt special!
But it raises a question:
Was it the presents… or the presentation?
The wrapping paper.
The bows.
The experience of opening it all.
And that brings me to something else.
How does the financial services industry present itself?
You fill out a questionnaire.
It determines your “risk tolerance.”
That leads to a model allocation.
A pie chart.
A mix of mutual funds or indexes.
You’re told it’s diversified.
Designed to manage volatility.
Built to deliver the “optimal” return for your level of risk. (Optimal return? Maybe a topic for another time.)
Structured to meet your retirement goals.
Now step back for a moment.
What does the package actually contain?
If, at the end of that process, what you own is simply a collection of mutual funds placed into a model portfolio, managed somewhere else by someone else, with little or no direct oversight from the advisor sitting across the table from you, then that begs a question:
What are you paying for?
Where is the value?
Could you replicate something similar at a discount brokerage firm?
Maybe.
Or… you can dig deeper.
Ask better questions.
Request transparency.
Understand what you own, why you own what you own and what is it truly costing you?
If you’re not sure what to ask, start simple:
What exactly is in this portfolio?
What are the internal and external costs?
Who is actively managing this, and how often?
Just like you’d seek a second opinion from a doctor, it makes sense to do the same with your retirement plan.
Final Thought
Everyone loves Christmas.
Everyone loves receiving a gift.
A gift given with love is one thing.
Once the wrapping is torn away and the bow is gone from your Comprehensive Financial Plan….
What is actually inside? That is what matters.
Your retirement needs, goals and the results that come with it, are something entirely different.
Forget the pretty paper and bow…What’s in the Box?
Current Strong Tower Model Allocation
Clients Only — Allocation as of 05/05/2026
Bottom Line:
55.00% of our model is currently in the top 4 Industry Groups.
92.00% of our model is currently in the top 8 Industry Groups.
About Us
At Strong Tower Wealth Management, we offer comprehensive wealth management services using a goal-focused and holistic approach that considers each client’s overall financial situation, including their family, circumstances, and objectives. Our services include investment management, insurance planning, and estate planning coordination, provided with an emphasis on clarity and transparency.
Not a client yet? We invite you to schedule an introductory assessment with Brett to discuss your financial goals and learn more about how we can support you.
Brett Lewis
Founder / Managing Director
Strong Tower Wealth Management
www.strongtowerwealthmanagement.com