It was the Saturday before Christmas, just before store opening when I pulled my SUV into the Costco parking lot, selected a parking place that would offer minimal chances of door dings, took one last swig of Starbucks® and headed into the store’s vestibule.

I was traveling through southern Minnesota. It was 2:30pm and it had already been a long day. Some days are like that, just a little more taxing than others. The clients and the client meetings had been fine, but the outside world seemed to be crumbling while I drove. Half a world away, Afghanistan was falling to the Taliban, and closer to home, my father had contracted COVID-19. On my little stretch of I-90, the sun bore down with temperatures in the 90s, while southerly winds stretched my SUV's air conditioning to its limits. Approaching Fairmont, I saw the road sign announcing a McDonald's and since I hadn't yet had lunch, I pulled in. 

We’re halfway through 2021, and it’s safe to assume most investors are pleased with the performance of their accounts. Financial markets behaved well the first six months of the year and especially favored larger dividend paying stocks. Fine by me as I favor them as well.

Anyone who's bought anything recently knows... prices are going up.