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Dividends are not free money

Funds & Diversification

A transfer, not a gift

When a company pays a dividend, its share price drops by roughly the amount paid — the cash left the business and arrived in your account. That is a transfer, not extra return. Dividends are useful for income and can signal discipline, but 'high dividend' is not a synonym for 'good investment'.

Check yourself

On the day a dividend is paid, the share price typically…

  1. Rises by the dividend
  2. Falls by roughly the dividend correct
  3. Is unaffected

The cash used to be inside the company and now is not. The value moved; it was not created.

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