Dividend Investing Guide
How to build a dividend portfolio, DRIP investing, and top dividend stocks
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Common Questions
What are options in investing?
Options are financial contracts that give the buyer the right — but not the obligation — to buy or sell an underlying asset at a specified price (the strike price) before a set expiration date. Each options contract covers 100 shares. Options can be used to speculate on price movements, hedge existing positions, or generate income. They are more complex than stocks and carry unique risks.
What is a 1099-B form in investing?
A 1099-B form is issued by your brokerage and reports proceeds from the sale of securities, including the cost basis and holding period of each transaction. You use this form when filing your tax return to calculate capital gains and losses. If your broker reports cost basis to the IRS (which most now do for accounts opened after 2011), the figures flow automatically into most tax software.
What is a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP)?
A dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) automatically uses your cash dividends to purchase additional shares of the same stock or fund instead of paying the dividends out as cash. Most brokers offer free automatic DRIPs. It is an easy, cost-free way to compound your returns over time — especially powerful in dividend-paying index funds where small reinvestments grow significantly over decades.
What is diversification in investing?
Diversification means spreading your investments across different assets, sectors, and geographies to reduce risk. If one holding falls sharply, others may hold steady or rise, cushioning the blow. A simple globally diversified portfolio — like a total U.S. market ETF plus an international ETF — gives exposure to thousands of companies. Diversification does not eliminate risk but reduces the impact of any single bad outcome.
What is the difference between growth and value investing?
Growth investing focuses on companies expected to grow earnings faster than average — often tech or biotech firms with high valuations. Value investing seeks stocks trading below their intrinsic worth, often in mature industries. Growth stocks tend to outperform in bull markets but fall harder in downturns; value stocks tend to be more stable but may underperform during growth-driven rallies. Many investors blend both styles.
Key Terms
Stop-Limit Order
A two-part order that triggers a limit order once a stop price is reached. Unlike a plain stop-loss, execution is not guaranteed if the market gaps through the limit price, which can leave a position open.
Bracket Order
A multi-leg order that simultaneously places a profit target and a stop-loss around an entry. When one leg is filled the other is automatically cancelled, managing both upside and downside in a single order.
One-Cancels-Other (OCO)
A linked pair of orders where the execution of one immediately cancels the other. OCO orders are used to set both a take-profit and a stop-loss simultaneously without manual monitoring.
Fill or Kill (FOK)
An order instruction requiring the entire order to be executed immediately in full or cancelled entirely. FOK orders prevent partial fills and are used when a specific quantity at a specific price is essential.
Immediate or Cancel (IOC)
An order that must be executed immediately, but unlike FOK, partial fills are acceptable. Any portion not filled at once is cancelled, making it useful for rapidly moving markets.
HSA Investing
Using excess Health Savings Account funds to invest in stocks, bonds, or funds after meeting a minimum balance threshold. Invested HSA money grows tax-free and can be withdrawn tax-free for qualified medical expenses at any age.
Dividend Reinvestment (DRIP)
Automatically using cash dividends to purchase additional fractional or full shares of the same security. DRIPs compound returns over time and may be offered commission-free through the broker or directly from the company.