TJ Terwilliger

"Dividends are dumb!" Ever heard that? The 'Total Return' crowd loves to bash them, saying they're taxed, bad capital allocation, and that you should just sell shares for income. But are they right? Let’s break it down with real numbers and facts.

Revenue doesn't pay dividends. Earnings don't pay dividends. Cash pays dividends. Focus on free cash flow generation.

Can the company raise prices without losing customers? If yes: margins are protected If no: inflation kills margins over time Pricing power matters most.

The goal isn't finding the highest yield today. It's finding sustainable cash flow that can grow for decades. Yield on cost is what matters long-term.

The fastest way to find good investments? Eliminate the bad ones quickly. Don't understand it? Pass. Doesn't interest you? Pass. Can't predict where it'll be in 10 years? Pass. Save your energy for the ones that pass all three.

Dividend growth checklist: ✓ Free cash flow growing? ✓ Payout ratio sustainable? ✓ Pricing power? ✓ Capital efficient? ✓ Strong balance sheet? These create 25+ year streaks.

@Dividend_Learn A lot of dividend growers beat up right now. second vote on $ACN Accenture from me. $ADP is down quite a bit $SPGI S&P Global is a dividend king that's down $ABT Abbott Labs $POOL Pool Corp

I need inspiration. Looking for a dividend stock to research. Please give me a name that is not super popular like $V or $PG or $O. Will do the research and post the results by Sunday. Appreciate your help.

@RyanDetrick Pretty normal stuff, but the market is in extreme fear.

The S&P 500 is in the midst of the first 5% mild correction since November (-5.1%). We tend to see three of these a year on average. They aren't fun, but they are a necessary part to investing.

Debt isn't bad. But too much debt kills companies in downturns. The secret to survival? Conservative balance sheets.

You don't have time to research every stock. So learn to say 'no' quickly. If you can't answer yes to all three: • I understand this business • This interests me • I can see this in 10 years Move on.

You can't predict the future. You also can't calculate the odds of what already happened in the past. All you can do is make good decisions with incomplete information.

Some of the best investment advice I've seen. Some of these took me years to learn the hard way.

How wealth compounds: Stage 1: You earn money Stage 2: You buy assets Stage 3: Assets pay you The goal? Get to Stage 3 and never look back. That's what dividend growth investing is built for.

Not all great companies stay great. The difference? A moat. Here are Pat Dorsey's 4 Moat Categories to help you find businesses built to last:

This chart covers 60+ years of data. The green bars (dividend growth) are taller than the gray bars (inflation) in almost every period. Even during the worst inflation decades, dividends eventually caught up. Dividend growth is a long-term inflation hedge.

It's amazing how well Buffett's net worth tracks the exponential curve you'll see on a compound growth calculator.

Wise words from Peter Lynch

6 Investing Rules Every Investor Needs to Know

@SteveOnSpeed Stocks aren't the only good place to invest.

This is the best $6,000 we’ve ever spent on our health and fitness. Getting weaker as you age is a choice. And we’ve chosen not to.

@LazaroInvestor Keep building that tax free money.

$6,090 Tax free savings account contribution already this year Almost at the 7k 2026 limit... but plot twist: carryover room means I still have plenty more to go before I'm truly maxed. Tax man stays losing.

@BrianFeroldi They also hold when there are lots of smart sounding reasons to sell.

The best investors aren't fearless. They just buy despite being filled with fear.