Guides

Dividend investing, explained with the maths shown

Short, specific guides written to answer one question properly, with worked examples you can reproduce in our calculators.

How dividends work, the different types, how much they pay and how they are taxed.

Six steps, a realistic 25-year example and the mistakes that cost beginners most.

A 30-year worked example, DRIP in a falling market, cost basis, and when to turn it off.

Rates, the holding-period rule, every 1099-DIV box, REITs, foreign tax and DRIP cost basis.

When you must own a stock to get paid, why the price drops, and the dividend-capture myth.

Earnings, free cash flow and REIT payout ratios, and how to read them without getting fooled.

The exact rules, how the index works, and what a long dividend streak does not tell you.

Where monthly payments come from, the hidden cost of 10%+ yields, and a smarter alternative.

Value a dividend stock with the Gordon growth model, and see what return a price implies.

Why credit unions pay "dividends", the APY formula, and which number to compare.

What yield on cost tells you, what it hides, and how to use it properly.