Easy Money: Reinvesting Dividends

Some of the easiest money comes from reinvesting dividends.  Over long periods of time (such as 20, 60, or 80 years) dividends accounted for a little more than 40% of total stock market returns.  Stated otherwise, if you spent dividends, as opposed to reinvesting them, your portfolio would have enjoyed only a little more than half the return it could have gotten with reinvested dividends.  Remember that reinvesting dividends has a compounding effect, and compounding is very, very good for your net worth (see http://blogger.uncleleosden.com/2009/09/if-you-love-compounding-compounding.html).  Your total return can be greatly magnified with compounding, accounting for well over half the long term return.

It's easy to reinvest dividends when you invest in mutual funds.  On the account opening form, just check the box for reinvesting dividends and interest, and the mutual fund's administrator will do the rest. Dividend reinvestment plans (DRIPs) offered by the company issuing the stock are clumsier, since you have register with the company and the shares are less liquid (not so easily sold).  Some brokerage firms will reinvest dividends received in your account.  However, you may not have from DRIPs or brokerage accounts the diversification that offers a reasonably steady flow of dividends.  The easiest way to reinvest dividends is through mutual funds (make sure you choose a fund with low costs).

You'll have to pay taxes on the dividends if they're held in a taxable account (although possibly at a lower rate than what you pay for ordinary income).  If your investments are in a tax-sheltered account like a 401(k) or IRA, dividends will be reinvested as a matter of course and you'll pay taxes when you withdraw the money, or convert or transfer to a Roth account.  For money from tax sheltered accounts, taxes will be assessed at ordinary income rates.  But taxes are imposed on dividends even if you don't reinvest.  So they're don't really affect your decision whether or not to reinvest.

Reinvesting makes money for you while you're sleeping, cooking dinner, playing golf, mowing the lawn or indulging in more screen time than you'd ever allow your kids.  Don't pass up this chance to make easy money.