5 Dividend Investing Tips That Could Earn You Thousands

If you're in the market for dividend-paying stocks for your portfolio, you're making a smart move. The power of dividends is often underappreciated, and that can be a costly mistake. Consider this: "From 1930 to 2019, dividend income's contribution to the total return of the S&P 500 index averaged 42%," according to the folks at Hartford Funds.

Imagine that you have a portfolio valued at $300,000, with an overall average dividend yield of 4%. That will kick out $12,000 to you annually, offering an average $1,000 of monthly income that will be very welcome in retirement -- or can be reinvested in additional shares of stock to keep your portfolio growing.

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Source Fool.com