I have always favored dividend paying stocks (despite the reasonable arguments that total return is all that matters) for a variety of reasons. Chief among them was that if stock prices declined, at least the dividend payments would be steady, and therefore the yield would increase.
So I put this plan into action by buying Vanguard's equity income fund (VEIPX). Last year shares were trading around 24 and the yield was 3.3%. The fund is now trading around 16. At the lower price, the yield should be 5%, which is some comfort given that my principal has declined 33%. I would be happy with a 5% yield, that's pretty juicy.
But lo and behold, the current reported yield on the fund is only 3.8%. I guess those dividends weren't so reliable after all. So now I have a fund that has lost tons of value and isn't even paying a decent yield. What a ripoff.
So I put this plan into action by buying Vanguard's equity income fund (VEIPX). Last year shares were trading around 24 and the yield was 3.3%. The fund is now trading around 16. At the lower price, the yield should be 5%, which is some comfort given that my principal has declined 33%. I would be happy with a 5% yield, that's pretty juicy.
But lo and behold, the current reported yield on the fund is only 3.8%. I guess those dividends weren't so reliable after all. So now I have a fund that has lost tons of value and isn't even paying a decent yield. What a ripoff.