That random chat with a retiree at Starbucks changed my whole approach to dividends

I was at a Starbucks downtown last week, and this older guy saw me checking my brokerage app. He asked what I was looking at, and I said I was just watching my dividend drip. He laughed and said I was too focused on the payout date, not the payout longevity. Then he told me he's been holding the same 3 utility stocks since 1987, never sold a share, and just lets the dividends stack for 37 years now. That actually hit me hard because I'm always chasing the next high yield stock, jumping around every quarter. Has anyone else had an older investor just drop some simple wisdom that made you rethink your strategy?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_reed473d ago

That line about "payout longevity" versus "payout date" is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I see this same short term thinking everywhere now, people jumping from one thing to the next whether it's stocks, jobs, or even just hobbies. The older folks who stuck with something simple for decades often end up way ahead, and it's a hard lesson to learn when you're used to chasing the next shiny thing.

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tylerw722d ago

Met my neighbor's uncle who made a fortune just buying Coca-Cola stock every time he got paid, never sold.

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