Why (& When) to Consider Dividend Stocks in Your Portfolio (2024)

FAQs

Should you have dividend stocks in your portfolio? ›

Yes, there are a lot of advantages. However, there's also a price to pay for those benefits. The most obvious advantage of dividend investing is that it gives investors extra income to use as they wish. This income can boost returns by being reinvested or withdrawn and used immediately.

There's a misconception that dividend stocks are only for retirees or risk-averse investors. That's not the case. You should consider buying dividend-paying stocks whenever you start investing to reap their long-term benefits.

What Is a Good Dividend Yield? Yields from 2% to 6% are generally considered to be a good dividend yield, but there are plenty of factors to consider when deciding if a stock's yield makes it a good investment. Your own investment goals should also play a big role in deciding what a good dividend yield is for you.

Whether you want to live off dividends today or are investing for the long haul, the best way to build a dividend portfolio for steady income is to follow a simple set of risk management principles: Hold between 20 and 60 stocks to reduce company-specific risk. Roughly equal-weight each position.

Another potential downside of investing primarily for dividends is the chance for a disconnect between the business growth of a company and the amount of dividends the company pays. Common stocks are not required to pay dividends. A company can cut its dividend at any time.

If you are looking to create wealth and have a longer time horizon, staying invested in growth will enable you to enjoy longer returns. But if you are looking for a more immediate return and steady cash flow, dividend investing could be the best choice for you.

At the most basic level, you only need to own a stock by the ex-dividend date (or deadline) in order to get the dividend. And you can sell the stock a day or two after that, once everything settles. So in theory, you only need to own the stock for a couple of days to get the dividend.

A range of 0% to 35% is considered a good payout. A payout in that range is usually observed when a company just initiates a dividend. Typical characteristics of companies in this range are “value” stocks.

What is the highest paying dividend stock that pays monthly? ›

That makes Coca-Cola a Dividend King. This elite group consists of companies that have increased payments for at least 50 consecutive years. Coca-Cola's stock has a 3.3% dividend yield. That's more than double the S&P 500's 1.4%.

It is possible to achieve financial freedom by living off dividends forever. That isn't to say it's easy, but it's possible. Those starting from nothing admittedly have a hard road to retirement-enabling passive income.

Advantages of Growth Stocks

Growth stocks are often less established than their dividend-paying counterparts, as they are plowing their profits back into their companies. Dividends paid will not be used to invest in expanding operations, developing new products, or making inroads in new markets.

Dividend Stocks are Always Safe

However, just because a company is producing dividends doesn't always make it a safe bet. Management can use the dividend to placate frustrated investors when the stock isn't moving. (In fact, many companies have been known to do this.)

In fact, there can be significant positives to investing in stocks without dividends. Companies that don't pay dividends on stocks are typically reinvesting the money that might otherwise go to dividend payments into the expansion and overall growth of the company.