10 Years of Dividend Investing: What Actually Mattered Looking Back

Hit my 10-year anniversary of dividend investing this month. Some reflection on what actually moved the needle.

What mattered more than I expected:

• Consistency over timing. My best years were when I invested every month regardless of market conditions. My worst decisions were waiting for dips.

• Dividend reinvestment (DRIP). Boring but powerful. Automatically buying shares with every dividend payment compounds faster than you'd think.

• Dividend increases. A 3% yielder growing dividends at 8% annually outperformed my 5% yielders with flat payouts. Growth matters.

• Not selling. The stocks I held through volatility mostly recovered and kept paying. The ones I panic-sold... didn't get that chance.

What mattered less than I expected:

• Finding "the best" stocks. Adequate stocks held consistently beat perfect stocks I never bought. Analysis paralysis cost me more than bad picks.

• Yield optimization. Chasing the highest yields led to worse outcomes than accepting reasonable yields from quality companies.

• Macro timing. I have no edge predicting interest rates, recessions, or elections. Neither do most people.

The numbers:

Started with $25,000. Now at $210,000 between contributions and growth. Annual dividends went from ~$750 to ~$7,200. I didn't beat the S&P 500 every year, but I sleep well and have tangible income.

What I'd tell 10-years-ago me:

Start earlier. Contribute more. Stress less. Let time do the work.

What's your biggest lesson from dividend investing so far?