The Dividend-ETF Trap
Over the last few years we’ve seen a dramatic increase in interest in dividend-paying stocks. The heightened interest has been fueled by both the media hype and the current regime of interest rates that are well below historical averages.
The low yields available on safe bonds led even many once-conservative investors to shift their allocations from safe bonds to dividend-paying stocks. This is especially true for those who take an income, or cash flow, approach to investing—as opposed to a total return approach, which I believe is the right one.
