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Some advice is pure crap

Retirement Strategy: The Cold Hard Facts Of Dividend Growth Investing

An article on Seeking Alpha of the same title started out pretty well. At least for three paragraphs. He said: "If I had to point to the one truth about dividend growth investing that was the most difficult for me to follow, it was to focus on the income stream, its reliability, its continual growth, as well as its future prospects."

Of course dividend investing is about income stream. You're supposed to live off your dividends in retirement. Well, in some strategies, anyway. 

Then all turned to shit, pardon my French. "Watching the value of my portfolio drop by 20-50% did give me sleepless nights and plenty of heartburn!"

I stopped reading at that point.

Never, ever let your portfolio drop 20 to 50 percent. Keep the 90 to 100 percent and burn the 4% minimum required to live off of and save your money for another day. As an alternative, use money markets or bonds, or -- heaven forbid -- cash. 

Most market downturns last 18 months, so it won't be forever.

Let me repeat my point again that: Never, ever let you're portfolio drop more than 10%.  The number two rule in investing is to use stops. (Number 1 is risk management).

A 50% drop in your portfolio means you have to make 100% to get back to even. 

In the last market drop, it took six or seven years to break even. Can you wait that long? Yea, you might have some dividend streams, but many companies will cut dividends on market crashes. Then what?



Always have a plan for market drops. Always have back-up cash. 

Don't listen to idiots. (And unfortunately, most CFAs and brokers are idiots -- well maybe not idiots; they make money when you're fully invested).

Caveat Emptor!

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