Stocks For 2026 and Beyond

By Michael Hooper

I have been an investor in the stock market since 1993. I’ve owned hundreds of different stocks over the years, but I have paired it down to a core holding of about 22 stocks, mutual funds and ETFs. I rarely sell. And I rarely buy new stocks, but if I want to stay relevant, I have to be open to the possibility of new stocks in my portfolio.

To that end, I’ve been adding shares in several companies lately, including Yesway (YSWY). Yesway is a Fort Worth-based convenience store operator with about 450 stores across nine states, mostly in the Midwest and Southwest United States. I’ve been an investor in convenience stores for a long time having great luck with Casey’s General Stores (CASY). I continue to own Casey’s stock, but I think it’s a little overpriced right now. Yesway recently had an IPO at $20 per share, selling 13.9 million shares. Most of the proceeds will be used to pay down debt. I bought shares at an average price of $21.94 per share. Casey’s has about 3000 stores in the Midwest mostly in small towns. Yesway is a much smaller company and has a lot of room to grow. I may add to my YSWY share count in the near future, although the stock has already been moving up and recently closed at $24.23 per share.

Another stock that has become attractive to me is Reddit (RDDT). Reddit is a social media platform that hosts more than 100,000 active communities or subreddits organized around a variety of topics. I missed out on Facebook as an investment, but I think I might have an opportunity in Reddit. The company had $2.5 billion in cash at the end of 2025 and no debt. In fiscal fourth quarter 2025, the company reported earnings topped expectations and revenue rose 70% year-over-year to $726 million in fourth-quarter 2025. Advertising revenue grew 75% year-over-year. In 2025 revenue rose 69% to $2.2 billion. Earnings per share in 2025 were $2.62 per share after the company posted a loss of $3.33 per share in 2024. Reddit will share first quarter earnings on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

Reddit does not require its users to disclose their identities. You see a lot of people bragging about their financial gains in their portfolios under the subreddit r/a race to 1 million, so you don’t know if these people are real or fake. Nevertheless, I enjoy conversations with these other investors on Reddit. The subreddit r/wallstreetbets is the main online community of retail investors who coordinated to buy GameStop (GME). I am an old guy compared to these young investors out there but a shrewd investor will always keep an open mind to new ideas and I find a lot of them on Reddit.

I continue to own Banco Popular (BPOP). I previously wrote about this stock here. The company is the largest bank in Puerto Rico, where the economy has been improving in recent years since the destruction of hurricane Maria in 2017. Banco Popular is the main source for retail banking customers for deposits and loans for things like cars and houses. Earnings at Banco Popular continue to improve at every quarter and yet the stock is relatively cheap with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 10 and a trailing P/E of 12.2. Many of its banking peers trade at much higher multiples.

I am fond of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK/A) (BRK/B), which I have owned since 1996. Ever since Warren Buffett announced a year ago that he will no longer be chief executive officer in 2026, the stock has fallen and hasn’t done much. Indeed the stock is down 9.9% from a year ago as of April 29, 2026. The new CEO Greg Abel is expected to address people Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the annual meeting of shareholders in Omaha. First quarter earnings also will come out Saturday, May 2, 2026.

Earlier this year Greg Abel announced that the company was buying back stock in Berkshire Hathaway and at the time the B shares were around $480 per share. So I think if you could buy the stock at or below $480 per share, you probably will do OK, I expect the stock to reach $500 per share again some day. Nevertheless it’s a good hedge against a crisis, every portfolio needs defensive stocks, especially when there’s a war in the Middle East going on and we have a president, Donald Trump, who doesn’t operate with any rational precision, instead, he’s impulsive, angry, full of vengeance and extremely unpredictable.

Well, there you have it folks, some stocks you may want to consider for 2026. Some caution here is warranted. The S&P 500 is near an all-time high, so there is an argument to be said that stocks in general are overvalued. With this war going on against Iran, you may want to just dip in with your toes first into the water before plunging in deep. I’m a big fan of dollar cost averaging. Buy a little stock today and buy a little stock next week or next month but don’t put your entire farm into one stock, diversify to reduce your risk.

Editor's note: Michael Hooper owns stock in YSWY, CASY, RDDT, BPOP and BRK/B.

Saying Good-bye to an Old Friend

 

Kurt Bailey

Art and Story by Michael Hooper

About 20 years ago, I saw this blind man walking up and down my street. Finally, one day I said hello to him and we became friends, sharing a love of music, The Wizard of Oz, and dogs.

His name was Kurt Bailey, he had become blind as a young child, but did not seem bitter about it, rather he adapted to his condition and found a way to live independently in his own house. 

Some people overlook people with disabilities; I knew one "Christian" couple who refused to give Kurt a ride home because they feared he would become dependent on them. How sad. If our yardstick for helping others is whether or not they become dependent on us, then we may never help anybody. I helped Kurt over the years, I’d given him rides, I fed him and we hung out together, but he never was dependent on me.

Indeed, we went on some adventures together, including one time when we got in my car and drove to a house where a man was selling well over 10,000 records. We had a blast going through the record collection and buying numerous records and then listening to them together. Old Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Seals & Crofts and the band Kansas. I told Kurt that I had seen the band Second Chapter of Acts when I was a young man in Montana in 1982, and he later found an album by this band and gave it to me. How wonderful, thank you Kurt.

Kurt Bailey contacted me recently because he was dying. We had a long and sad conversation. His kidneys were going, he was told he could go on dialysis or hospice, he chose hospice. This broke my heart, but it was his choice. We shared a few tears, knowing that we had shared many good times together, and that our time together was near its end.

Kurt was not self-loathing, he was able to see a greater world outside of himself despite his blindness. One time, on his own, he took a plane somewhere and attended A Wizard of Oz reunion and met several dwarfs who played the Munchkins in the movie. He talked about that for days, he was so grateful for his adventure. The Wizard of Oz is a deeply meaningful and inspiring movie, especially in Kansas.

When you see a person with disabilities, don’t just assume they’re going to become dependent on you just because you talk to them or help them. They might provide something to you that you might not have ever thought of before, Kurt's insights and compassion are intrinsic values that lie deep in my memory, they are values that are greater than money or possessions. 

Kurt used to take his guitar down to a pizza place and perform songs to the crowds there. He loved karaoke. He corresponded with people all over the world, using cassette pens. He loved the Lord and found peace in praying together with other believers.

Kurt lived with his dog, Snowball. Their companionship was real, they needed each other. He liked my dog Willy too, and they became friends.

A few years ago, I decided to paint Kurt’s portrait. He sat for me while I took some pictures and drew some sketches. I worked on this portrait for a long time, it shows his contemplative countenance, but Kurt was not an unhappy man, rather he was a generous and kind man who liked to laugh, listen to music and share stories.

Kurt died April 8, 2026 at age 59. He was a good soul and a great friend and I’m going to miss him. Rest in peace Kurt. I hope some day to reunite with you "somewhere over the rainbow, (where) skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."

Topeka: Life Is What You Make It

Backyard Beauty 

Art and story by Michael Hooper

I was with a group of friends, when we were talking about our favorite places in the world, like Paris, Rome, New Orleans, and Vieques, Puerto Rico. Chris Wright said, "why not Topeka, I like it here."

In 1999, I asked that question — why Topeka?— and decided yes and moved here. I took a new job as a reporter at The Topeka Capital-Journal covering business. We had been living in Grand Island and Kearney, Neb. Kearney had a terrible selection of real estate, mostly split-level houses, ours had five levels, I hated it. Heather and I wanted an English cottage, but there was none in Kearney. 

When we first arrived in Topeka, we were impressed with Collins Park, Potwin, and Westboro neighborhoods, we were like gaga, here’s some cool neighborhoods and classic houses. We found a charming limestone cottage with three bedrooms, surrounded by 18 trees, near Gage Park. We made a new life for ourselves.  

Living next to the 140-acre Gage Park with shopping nearby with a 15-minute commute everywhere in town. Easy access to the interstate. Could go west to Salina or east to Lawrence or Kansas City pretty quick. You can fly to any place in the world from Kansas City. Lawrence is only 25 minutes away. It’s like wow people, you don’t realize how good you got it right here. Great real estate, professional jobs. Cost of living is reasonable.

Heather and I raised our son Reid and daughter Hannah in Topeka. We are proud of their history and accomplishments at Randolph Elementary, Landon Middle School and Topeka High School. My son played 12 years of soccer in Topeka and made lifelong friends. Our daughter has been living in Hawaii but plans to move to Colorado where our son lives today.

After the 2008-2009 financial crisis, speculative building of homes stopped in Shawnee County. Overtime the real estate market recovered from the financial crisis. But Shawnee County ended up with short supply of real estate. In recent years, after 15% annual increases in property values, I think prices have plateaued. The Fed raised interest rates so now the cost of a 30-year mortgage is more expensive than it used to be. This may slow sales, but I still see young people buying homes and fixing them up.

Topeka is a better city in some ways than I found it in 1999. The NOTO Arts District didn't exit. Today, NOTO is a thriving arts district with more than 30 practicing artists there in studios, with thousands of visitors on first Fridays with music and entertainment in the Red Bud Park.

Topeka lost big employers like the Menninger Clinic, and Payless ShoeSource, but has gained Advisors Excel and a new generation of entrepreneurs building Topeka in their businesses and organizations. The spirit of kindness and acceptance of the mentally ill is still here, the legacy of the Menninger family. Hence the Menninger pocket park in downtown Topeka. Across the street the Evergy Plaza at Seventh and Kansas is a great place for music and entertainment. The Jayhawk Theatre continues to dazzle and entertain. I’m so impressed by entrepreneurs like Debra and Randy Clayton and the chocolate people Nick and Terry Xidis.

I've gained wonderful friends: thoughtful intellectuals in my book and art clubs. The Topeka and Shawnee County Library and its brilliant minds and books have cultivated and enriched my mind. I just loved digging into the art of Mary Huntoon with the help of Sherry Best and others at the library.

It is worth studying the lives of these three Topekans: Mary Huntoon, Cyrus Holliday, Karl Menninger. They all show us vision, persistence, genius and character. Mary Huntoon studied art in Topeka, New York and Paris before returning to Topeka to work as an art therapist for Dr. Karl Menninger at the Menninger Clinic. Holliday is co-founder of Topeka and The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, and, Dr. Karl Menninger was author of The Human Mind and co-founder of the Menninger Clinic.

My motto for Topeka: Life is what you make it. Make it great. How? Surround yourself with people of high character who are ambitious. You want to be a published author? Hang around other published authors. You want to be a better artist, take an art class at Washburn University, join an art club.

You want to be a successful real estate investor? Study and emulate successful real estate investors. You want to own a great business? Surround yourself with profitable business owners, people who own a house cleaning service or car washes, laundromats and candy machines or staffing firms (stay away from owning bars and restaurants because of their long hours and high failure rate). You want to be a great stock investor? Study Warren Buffett and join an investment club. You can be anything you want to be in Topeka. There's an expert here in just about everything.

Ken Daniel Builds Fortune in Roofing Business, His Company sold for $67.2 million in 2021

Ken Daniel

By Michael Hooper

Ken Daniel, a Topeka businessman who founded Midway Wholesale and The Topeka Independent Business Association, died March 25, 2026, at the age of 80, according to his obituary.

In 1971, Ken Daniel founded Midway Sales and Distributing in Topeka (later called Midway Wholesale) which went on to be his life's work until his retirement in 2019. Midway is a supplier of building and roofing supplies.

Beacon Roofing Supplies bought Midway Wholesale for $67.2 million in November 2021, according to a  SEC filing dated May 6, 2022. Beacon said the deal to purchase Midway Wholesale valued the company at $28.7 million in goodwill, and $38.5 million in tangible assets, for a total of $67.2 million, said David Tangeman, Houston accountant.

At the time of the sale, Midway Wholesale had 170 employees and $130 million annual sales in 10 stores in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Founded by Kenneth Daniel in 1970, Midway Wholesale was incorporated in 1974 at 218 SE Branner, Topeka.

Beacon distributes roofing supplies and building products in 400 locations in 50 states. In 2025, Beacon was acquired by QXO, Inc. (QXO), a conglomerate of roofing and building supples. I wrote about the sale of Ken Daniel's company in this article.

I interviewed Ken Daniel multiple times over the years. He is a founder of the Topeka Independent Business Association. He supported efforts by small businesses to increase access to health insurance.

Ken Daniel was elected to Junior Achievement's Topeka Business Hall of Fame. He is widely regarded as one of the sharpest minds in business.

Ken was a personable man who excelled at sales and management. He hired the right people and promoted them.

But in the beginning, it was just Ken Daniel in a tiny office at 218 SE Branner. He told me he started in 1970 as a manufacturer's representative in Topeka, a position that grew into forming his own company.

One time, Ken actually took me inside the tiny room, where he got started. It was a dusty old room with gray walls, more of a storage area when I saw it. He said as business got bigger, he took over more and more space inside the old building, eventually acquiring the entire building. Midway Wholesale's Topeka operation is next to the BNSF Railway tracks. To expand operations, Midway Wholesale purchased some land from BNSF.

In 2008, Kenneth Daniel, chairman, retired as chief executive officer at the company's annual stockholders meeting. Bruce H. Myers, president since 1999, was elected chief executive officer and president. John D. Ossello has been vice president since 1999.

Midway Wholesale originally started out as a roof coating business for the elevator industry. The business transitioned into a commercial roofing distributor. And later expanding into construction materials. Now the company sells products for both residential and commercial properties. "Buildings can now have Midway Wholesale materials all the way from their foundations to their rooftops," the company says.

Midway Wholesale's other locations are in Lawrence, Manhattan, Garden City, Overland Park, Salina, Wichita, St. Joseph, Mo., Joplin, Mo., and Grand Island, Neb.

Ken Daniel was a great leader, businessman and mentor. A Celebration of Life will be held at Countryside United Methodist Church in Topeka on Saturday, April 25th at 2:00pm with a reception immediately following.