Dividends should only be considered a cherry on top! You should be pursuing a stock that is consistently increasing in value because the fastest way to make money from the market is through appreciation.

If you can find a stock that appreciates well (aka 8% or more return a year) and it offers a dividend, then you have hit the jackpot.

There is a huge downside to pursuing high dividend stocks. One downside of high dividends is that it prevents the company from having excess money to reinvest into the business. Another reason is that it stunts stock appreciation since the dividend is pulled from the stock price.

However, even though this is the correct philosophy, people still love pursuing the largest dividends which is why I made this post. Hopefully you come pursuing dividends and learn the correct process.