Home > Passive Income Investing > Blog > What Are Dividend Stocks?

What Are Dividend Stocks?

Investing in dividend-paying stocks is a great way to build long-term wealth. Below, you’ll find introductory information about dividend stocks. In later sections, we will cover more advanced topics, such as dividend yield and dividend reinvestment programs.

How Do Dividends Work?

Essentially, for every share of a dividend stock that you own, you are paid a portion of the company’s earnings.

You get paid simply for owning the stock (which is a slice of the ownership of the company you paid for).

For example, let’s say Company X pays an annualized dividend of 20 cents per share.

Most companies pay dividends quarterly (four times a year), meaning at the end of every business quarter, the company will send a check for 1/4 of 20 cents (or 5 cents) for each share you own.

This may not seem like a lot, but when you have built your portfolio up to thousands (if not tens/hundreds of thousands) of shares, and use those dividends to buy more stock in the company, you can make a lot of money over the years.

The key is to reinvest those dividends, especially when you have time to reinvest - when you are retired/retiring, you may use/live off those dividend streams that you had accumulated over the years.

What are Cash Dividends and One-time Dividends?

Cash Dividends

These means "the usual dividends" - regular cash dividends are those paid out of a company’s profits to the owners of the business (i.e., the shareholders).

A company that has preferred stock issued must make the dividend payment on those shares before a single penny can be paid out to the common/normal stockholders.

Special One-Time Dividends

In addition to regular dividends, sometimes a company may pay a special one-time dividend (basically means it's special, and once-off ie non-recurring).

These are rare and can occur for a variety of reasons such as a major litigation win, the sale of a business or liquidation of a investment.

They can be in the form of cash, stock or property dividends.

When Do Dividends Get Paid?

Dividends must be declared (i.e., approved) by a company’s Board of Directors each time they are paid.

There are four important dates to remember regarding dividends.

  • Declaration date:

    The declaration date is the day the Board of Directors announces their intention to pay a dividend.

    On this day, the company creates a liability on its books; it now owes the money to the stockholders. On the declaration date, the Board will also announce a date of record and a payment date.

  • Date of record:

    The date of record is the date on which a company reviews its records to determine exactly who its shareholders are — an investor must be a “holder of record” in order to receive a dividend payout.

    A stock will almost always begin trading ex-dividend (or “ex-rights”) the second business day before the record date.

    In other words, only the owners of the shares on or before the ex-dividend date will receive the dividend.

    If you purchased shares of Coca-Cola on or after the ex-dividend date, you would not receive its upcoming dividend payment; the investor from whom you purchased your shares would.

  • Ex-dividend Date:

    The ex-dividend date of a stock is the single most important date for dividend investors to consider.

    To receive a stock’s upcoming dividend, an investor must purchase shares of the stock prior to the ex-dividend date.

  • Payment date:

    This is the date the dividend will actually be given to the shareholders of company.

How Often are Dividends Paid?

Dividends are paid either:

  • once per year
  • twice per year
  • four times per year
  • or worse: irregular (no set schedule) - avoid these if possible (as you want to invest for regular dividend cash flow)

For U.S./Singapore stocks in particular, there are no “set in stone” rules dictating the frequency of dividend payouts.

That is to say, corporations have the freedom to set their own payout policies regarding both the size and timing of their distributions.

With that being said, there is a tradition that most regular corporations will pay out a dividend to their shareholders on a quarterly basis, which aligns with the legal requirement to report earnings on a quarterly basis.

Ultimately, the decision of how of often dividends will be paid out is left to a company’s board of directors.

In many countries outside of the United States, corporations will often times pay out a distribution on either an annual (once a year) or semi-annual (twice a year) basis; as mentioned previously, there are also a number of U.S. stocks that don’t follow the quarterly tradition, instead they too will make annual or semi-annual distributions to their shareholders (quite a few of the dividend stocks that I invest in Singapore pay dividends 2x per year ie every 6 months)

There are other instances when securities will not stick to a quarterly dividend payout plan.

More often than not, companies that are legally structured with the intent to generate a consistent distribution of income to shareholders will pay out dividends on a monthly basis; specifically, this includes many, but not all, real estate investment trusts (REITs) as well as master-limited partnerships.

These companies may be appealing to investors who require a more frequent stream of income.

What Exactly is a Stock Dividend?

A stock dividend is a proportionate distribution of additional shares of a company’s stock to owners of the common stock.

In other words, you will receive additional shares of stock when a company declares a stock dividend, in contrast to a cash dividend.

A company may opt for stock dividends for a number of reasons including inadequate cash on hand or a desire to lower the price of the stock on a per-share basis to prompt more trading and increase liquidity.

The term “stock split” can also apply to stock dividends.

Key Lessons in This article

  • Dividends are a way that companies reward shareholders for owning the stock, usually in the form of a cash payment.

  • Normally, companies pay cash dividends on a regular basis (often quarterly). Sometimes, they’ll elect to pay a one-time dividend, as well.

  • Stock dividends are another type of payment that involve additional shares of stock instead of cash. These are also know as stock splits.

Where to next?

A) Take a look at my Books and buy whichever interests you =)

B) Tools & Resources I use to improve my life

  1. Christianity: Bible Gateway & Verse of the day (free)
  2. Website + Digital Marketing for small / service business: Solo Build It
  3. Health: 
    a. Xtend Life Total Balance Men's Premium Multivitamins
    b. Xtend Life Kiwi Klenz (Gut Health) 
    c. VigRX Plus (Bigger, harder & long-lasting erections)
    d. Brita Everyday Elite Water Filter Pitcher / Jug

C) Topics & things that interest me

  1. Eternal life and salvation: Jesus Christ the Way, the Truth & the Life
  2. Fix Your Health: Get healthier, live longer, run faster, more energy, fuck more
  3. Passive Income Lifestyle: Build financial security by buying & building assets that provides you recurring passive income.
  4. Loving Relationships: Attract, build, grow & maintain relationships you love
  5. Leadership & Fatherhood: Leading by example, communication & consistency.
  6. Philanthropy: Giving to projects & people you care about.
  7. Active Philosophy: Conscious, Purposeful Faith, Hope & Love
  8. Productivity & Effectiveness: Doing what matters most with less and ease.
  9. Insure yourself and your loved ones (Health insurance is important)
  10. Add-on Adventures: Become rich and wealthy
  11. Add-on Adventures: Build businesses that adds positive value to your society and life
  12. Success Principles

D) Visit the Blog for latest articles and updates

E) Back to Homepage

Take action TODAY: One year from today, you'll be one year older. What would you have done by then?


Back To Top