The lessons
- 2.1
What a dividend actually is
Where the cash comes from, who decides it, and when it lands in your account.
- 2.2
Ex-date, record date, payment date — the full timeline
Four dates, in order, with the one that actually decides whether you get paid.
- 2.3
Your portfolio dropped on the ex-div date
The price fell by roughly the dividend. Nothing went wrong.
- 2.4
What that yield percentage really means
Yield moves every time the price moves. Yield on cost never does.
- 2.5
Trailing vs forward yield
One is history, one is an estimate. The app uses both, in different places.
- 2.6
What actually happens when a dividend is reinvested
The mechanics of turning cash back into shares, and what that does to your cost basis.
- 2.7
Why some companies pay quarterly and some twice a year
Interim and final dividends, and what that does to your income calendar.
- 2.8
Special vs regular dividends
A one-off is not a raise. How to spot one before it inflates your numbers.
- 2.9
Scrip dividends and share alternatives
Being paid in shares instead of cash, and what you're actually choosing.
- 2.10
Setting an income target that means something
Turning "more income" into a number the dashboard can track.
- 2.11
Why a tenner a month in dividends is a real milestone
The first income that arrives without you doing anything.
Educational content only. It is not personal financial advice.