Is it Well worth the Value?

Curious readers can obtain the Dividend Kings spreadsheet totally free. Dividend Kings are 50+ shares which have paid and elevated their dividends for 50+ consecutive years. 

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Certain Dividend is an investing web site and paid publication service specializing in dividend shares and earnings investing.

When the Certain Dividend weblog began in 2014, it constructed a major viewers by offering in-depth analyses of shares on the Dividend Aristocrats checklist.

The Aristocrats are S&P 500 index shares which have paid and elevated dividends for the previous 25 years or extra. 

Certain Dividend has expanded its analysis circumference to greater than 850 shares and now gives a number of paid newsletters offering inventory suggestions for earnings traders.

It provide a number of free spreadsheet downloads for curious traders, together with:

• Dividend Kings — Record of fifty+ shares which have paid and elevated their dividends for 50+ consecutive years.
• Month-to-month Dividend Shares — Record of 70+ shares that pay a month-to-month dividend as a substitute of quarterly.
• Dividend Champions — Record of 140+  shares which have 25+ consecutive years of dividend will increase.

Not like standard newsletters similar to Motley Idiot Inventory Advisor, Certain Dividend favors dividend safety, dividend progress, and complete return moderately than disruptive progress shares. 

The Certain Dividend E-newsletter is its flagship premium publication. It’s the main focus of this Certain Dividend evaluation.

The flagship publication might be subscribed to individually or bundled as a part of the Certain Dividend Professional Plan with 4 different newsletters: The Certain Retirement E-newsletter, The Certain Passive Revenue E-newsletter, The Prime 10 Dividend Elite Service, and The Prime 10 REITs Service (actual property funding trusts).

I’ve been a paying subscriber of Certain Dividend for greater than 4 years. I exploit the varied companies to assist slender the universe of dividend shares that I think about for my portfolio.

It’s price the fee to me. This text explains why. 

Unique pricing for RBD readers is detailed under.

Certain Dividend has grown from a humble weblog to one of the acknowledged inventory newsletters for income-focused traders. 

The corporate now has greater than 9,000 premium members. 

Who Is Certain Dividend For?

Certain Dividend’s target market is traders seeking to construct passive earnings by dividend shares.

These traders are typically nearer to retirement age (50+), however the service can also attraction to youthful long-term dividend traders fascinated by passive earnings. 

Market Index funds are ample for most individuals — traders don’t want to purchase particular person shares. 

Nevertheless, the entire market and blue-chip index funds usually yield under 2%. 

For these seeking to improve the earnings yield on their funding {dollars}, shopping for particular person dividend shares can do the job. 

Subsequently, the Certain Dividend E-newsletter and different merchandise are greatest suited to these wanting past index funds and bonds to generate dependable retirement earnings and dividend progress.

The Certain Dividend Professional Plan is really useful for “clever traders with $50,000+ portfolios”. It’s the greatest worth for subscribers.

The Certain Dividend E-newsletter is designed for “clever traders with $10,000+ portfolios and people simply beginning their dividend progress journey.”

E-newsletter Walkthrough

The Certain Dividend E-newsletter is a 50+ web page PDF despatched to your e-mail each month. The publication arrives within the morning on the primary Sunday. 

After I obtain mine, I often learn the opening article, take a look at the Prime 10 Record, then flag the e-mail and return to it after I’m researching shares at my pc. 

Every month, the publication incorporates ten inventory suggestions and greater than 850 dividend safety and danger rankings.

On this part, I’ll rapidly go over pricing after which stroll by the month-to-month publication sections. Extra detailed pricing is under. 

Word: Screenshots are taken from the August 2020 model of the publication to keep away from revealing current proprietary data. The information is outdated, however you’ll see how the publication is structured. 

You possibly can strive the Certain Dividend E-newsletter for a 7-day trial to get the newest variations and cancel when you don’t prefer it. You received’t be charged till after the 7-day trial is full. Cancel your subscription at any time.

The common worth for the Certain Dividend E-newsletter is $29 per 30 days. RBD readers pay $9.25 per 30 days through the use of the button under or the Certain Dividend coupon code “RBD1975“.

Begin your 7-Day Free Trial

Video Walkthrough

Opening Ideas

Every month-to-month version begins with a gap article about present market situations, dividend investing fundamentals, superior evaluation, or a take a look at historic knowledge.

Most have a chart or knowledge desk included. 

Some current Opening Ideas articles embody:

• The Dividend Kings & COVID-19
• Shopping for When Others Are Promoting
• Did the U.S. Inventory Market Underreact to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
• Why Make investments In Dividend Shares?
• Analyzing Our Promote Suggestions
• The Market’s Valuation Now
• On Payout Ratios

These are insightful and not more than 400 phrases — simple to soak up Sunday morning. 

The Certain Dividend Prime 10 Record

The subsequent part is undoubtedly the most well-liked, the Certain Dividend Prime 10 Record. 

Right here’s the way it seems to be. Word: These suggestions are from August 2020 and are proven for illustrative functions. 

A few of the key fields within the Prime 10 Record embody:

• Dividend Danger Rating – A proprietary score on dividend security
• Dividend Yield
• Payout Ratio – A favourite metric for dividend traders, the share of earnings paid to shareholders
• Anticipated Progress – The anticipated annualized dividend progress fee
• Anticipated Whole Return (ETR)

A few of these values are precise (e.g., worth, yield); others are derived from knowledge and evaluation (e.g., ETR).

On the backside, there’s an equal-weighted Prime 10 Record comparability to proudly owning the S&P 500 through SPY.  

Should you observe the Certain Dividend investing methodology over time, you possibly can count on to earn the next dividend yield than the SPY. Anticipated returns are not any assure of future outcomes. 

The Prime 10 Record is a wonderful place to begin when you’re searching for new funding concepts. Choose your favourite and full due diligence, or observe the Portfolio Shopping for Information (under) to diversify your portfolio over time. 

Evaluation of Prime 10 Securities

The subsequent part is a deep dive into every of the Prime 10 Record shares, often three pages lengthy per advice. The deep dive features a narrative, monetary assertion knowledge tables, and a dividend yield historical past chart.

That’s 30 pages of study. 

For this part, the screenshots come from the August 2020 version and the Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) advice.

Evaluation Narrative

The evaluation begins with a page-long narrative that features:

• Overview & Present Occasions
• Aggressive Benefits & Recession Efficiency
• Progress Prospects, Valuation, & Catalyst

The narrative explains the conviction, which incorporates quantitative and qualitative knowledge factors. 

On the backside, there’s an information desk with key statistics, ratios, and metrics to assist the conviction.

Right here is the Walgreens Boots Alliance desk within the August 2020 version. 

Monetary Information Tables

Subsequent, are three tables displaying ten years of information. The tables are Revenue Assertion metrics, Steadiness Sheet metrics, and Profitability and Per Share metrics. 

I don’t use these tables a lot for my analysis, however I discover them fascinating to see long-term tendencies.

Dividend Yield Historical past Chart

Lastly, there’s a dividend yield historical past chart for every inventory within the Prime 10 Record. I like this chart as a result of it exhibits, in a single view, the correlation between worth and yield.

Suggestions typically level to a current divergence, which can point out a price alternative.

When the worth goes down, the yield rises, a basic dividend investing idea.

Dividend traders can obtain increased yields by in search of decrease costs, and maximizing earnings from funding {dollars} when the shares are towards low historic valuations. 

Mixed with dividend security, qualitative evaluation, and most of the metrics specified by the information desk, traders can construct assured positions which might be prone to proceed to pay and develop dividends over time. 

Closing Ideas

The Closing Ideas web page is much like the Opening Ideas part. They’re generally longer however typically comprise a chart to assist the story.

Each month, the Closing Ideas part finishes by asserting when the following subject will attain your e-mail and an funding recommendation disclaimer. 

Actual Cash Portfolio

Within the January 2019 version of the Certain Dividend E-newsletter, the service began a real-money portfolio to purchase their suggestions and observe the efficiency over time. 

Every month they make investments $1,000 within the highest-ranked safety within the Prime 10 Record that they both don’t personal or personal the least quantity. 

The actual-money portfolio is designed to point out the progress of constructing and sustaining a dividend progress portfolio utilizing the Certain Dividend Technique. 

They don’t purchase shares that push the portfolio over 30% in anyone sector to forestall over-concentration and preserve diversification. 

The portfolio will maintain 30 securities max. As soon as the portfolio reaches 30 securities, it is going to purchase the highest-ranked safety already within the portfolio, as much as 10% of its worth.

Promote standards are the identical as suggestions within the publication. 

Dividend investing is usually extra about earnings than complete return.

The yield and worth of the portfolio holdings are highlighted clearly, however it doesn’t evaluate annualized returns to the S&P 500 returns over the portfolio’s life.

Higher efficiency knowledge to incorporate portfolio compound annual progress fee (CAGR) could be an space for enchancment for this part. 

Shopping for & Rating Standards

The Shopping for & Rating Standards web page has been constant over many editions of the Certain Dividend E-newsletter.

Right here’s how Certain Dividend chooses its Prime 10 Record:

1. Filter our Certain Evaluation Analysis Database universe of securities for:
   • 10%+ Anticipated Whole Returns
   • A & B Dividend Danger Scores
   • U.S. securities solely (no worldwide securities, REITs, MLPs, or BDCs, and so forth.)
   • All firms should have their dividend lined by money flows
2. Type by Anticipated Whole Returns (highest first)
3. Not more than three firms per sector
4. Veto any securities from the Prime 10 Record as vital after qualitative evaluation
5. The Prime 10 Record is the ten highest Anticipated Whole Returns securities from steps 1 by 4
6. “A” Dividend Danger Rating securities rank forward of “B” Dividend Danger Rating securities throughout the Prime 10 Record

To obtain an “A” Dividend Danger Rating, a safety should be within the high 20% for dividend security. To obtain a “B” Dividend Danger Rating, a safety should be within the high 40% for dividend security.

The system for the Dividend Danger Rating is under:

Dividend Danger Rating (Uncooked) = Payout Ratio x 100 – # Years of Regular or Rising Dividends + 50

We view securities with “A” and “B” Dividend Danger Scores as typically having safe dividends which might be most unlikely to be lowered within the close to future.

Portfolio Constructing Information

I exploit the Certain Dividend E-newsletter primarily for concept era and danger rankings. However the service additionally gives a shopping for information for traders searching for a fundamental technique to purchase really useful shares. 

The technique is straightforward. 

Purchase the top-rated inventory within the Prime 10 Record that you simply don’t at present personal. Should you already personal all ten, purchase the inventory you personal the least.

Right here’s the illustration for August 2020:

Previous Suggestions & Sells

The subsequent part incorporates a big desk with the bought and unsold earlier suggestions from the previous 6+ years. Efficiency is measured in opposition to the S&P 500 utilizing the SPY index ETF. 

This desk provides a transparent view of how the person suggestions have carried out by Whole Return and CAGR. It additionally contains an up to date dividend danger rating and 5-year anticipated returns. 

Concerning gross sales, the Certain Dividend E-newsletter has two promote guidelines. 

Promote Rule #1 — Dividend-Primarily based Promote Guidelines: Any previous advice that reduces or eliminates its dividend is mechanically a pending promote. We evaluation and analyze these securities to find out when to provoke the ultimate sale. Secondly, any previous advice with an “F” Dividend Danger Rating is reviewed as a possible promote.

Promote Rule #2 — Valuation-Primarily based Promote Guidelines: Promote previous suggestions with anticipated complete returns under the anticipated complete returns of the S&P 500 over the following a number of years. This promote rule replaces our earlier valuation-based promote rule of promoting securities with an adjusted P/E ratio of 40 or increased.

E-newsletter authors subject a “pending sale” for shares earlier than issuing a last promote advice. After a inventory has a pending sale, they advise ready for an inexpensive exit worth nearer to truthful worth. 

Promote suggestions are one space that’s much less aligned with my dividend investing technique.

Trying over the checklist of current gross sales, I see a number of high-quality dividend progress shares and Dividend Aristocrats that I nonetheless personal and have appreciated considerably for the reason that promote date.

I received’t cherry-pick the checklist. However generally, as somebody who has aimed to personal high-quality firms for many years, I exploit the promote suggestions as one other knowledge level in my portfolio upkeep evaluation, however I don’t observe it.

The Certain Dividend Passive Revenue E-newsletter focuses extra on buy-and-hold ceaselessly shares. 

Record of Securities by Dividend Danger Rating and by Sector

The Dividend Danger Rating part lists all 600+ shares within the Certain Dividend Analysis Database and ranks them. 

It teams shares into 5 danger scores, A, B, C, D, and F. 

The highest 120 most secure shares are in group A. The subsequent 120 most secure shares are in group B, and so forth. 

Inside every group, the checklist is sorted by Anticipated Whole Returns. These rankings don’t essentially align with the Prime 10 Record, which considers sectors and qualitative evaluation. 

The subsequent part breaks the rankings a step additional by sector. 

The sector lists assist generate funding concepts for protected shares when you’re seeking to bulk your portfolio’s publicity to a selected sector.

Choose a sector and select a low-risk inventory for additional analysis. Or search the PDF for any dividend inventory image to seek out the place it ranks amongst related firms. 

The eleven sectors are:

• Primary Supplies
• Communication Companies
• Shopper Cyclical
• Shopper Defensive
• Vitality
• Monetary Companies
• Healthcare
• Industrials
• Actual Property
• Know-how
• Utilities

Execs: Certain Dividend E-newsletter

The Certain Dividend E-newsletter is a supplemental analysis device. Use it to keep away from investing alone, however don’t solely depend on it for inventory purchases.

Like all advice or publication, it’s not a alternative for due diligence. 

Should you’re investing hundreds of {dollars} a yr in particular person shares, it helps to have a second opinion past free web content material. 

The Prime 10 Record is the premium content material. It highlights the cream of the crop, narrowing your seek for investable new holdings.

Certain Dividend makes use of a structured rules-based method, so that you don’t must construct your individual methodology to seek out new concepts.

The Dividend Danger Rating is one other professional as a result of any time you want to purchase a high-quality dividend inventory, it’s doubtless within the 600+ checklist.

Verify the chance rating earlier than deploying capital. If it’s under a C, it’s possible you’ll discover a extra appropriate best-of-breed inventory in the identical sector. 

Lastly, the Certain Dividend workforce consists of a number of finance writers who do that for a dwelling, bringing you insightful articles from totally different views which might be simple to digest. 

Cons: Certain Dividend E-newsletter

The promote guidelines have been a bit aggressive for my style since late 2018. Most profitable dividend traders maintain for many years, not years. They don’t like promoting glorious firms, even when they’re going by powerful occasions. 

It seems Promote Rule #2 was lately up to date, so we’ll see in the event that they proceed to advocate promoting top-notch shares attributable to excessive valuations. 

Within the Evaluation of Prime 10 Securities, the monetary knowledge desk is an information dump moderately than an extra evaluation. Although it’s fascinating to view tendencies, the Evaluation Narrative and Dividend Yield Historical past Chart are extra helpful. 

Lastly, I’d wish to see higher efficiency transparency within the Actual Cash Portfolio part. This is able to inform a brand new investor if following their portfolio-building technique is working.

Later within the publication, particular person inventory advice worth efficiency knowledge is listed, however not as a lot for the Actual Cash Portfolio.

As a portfolio-building information, there’s extra story to be informed for potential followers.

Dividend investing is totally different than the Motley Idiot publication methods (disruptive progress), so traders shouldn’t count on comparable returns.

However the Idiot is extra meticulous and clear in regards to the efficiency of the whole portfolio of suggestions over time. 

Certain Dividend may implement related efficiency reporting for higher transparency. However with ten suggestions per 30 days, it’s a extra tedious effort to trace all of them.  

Certain Dividend Professional Plan Pricing

Right here’s every part you get with the Certain Dividend Professional Plan:

The Certain Dividend E-newsletter — The Certain Dividend flagship publication focuses on high-quality dividend progress shares buying and selling at truthful or higher costs. It publishes on the first Sunday of the month. It contains every part as described on this Certain Dividend evaluation. 

You may also subscribe to only the Certain Dividend E-newsletter for $9.25 per 30 days. Use Certain Dividend Coupon Code “RBD1975”. 

The Certain Retirement E-newsletter — Focuses completely on securities with 4%+ dividend yields, together with shares, REITs, MLPs, and BDCs. It publishes on the 2nd Sunday of the month.

The Certain Passive Revenue E-newsletter — Focuses on ‘purchase and maintain ceaselessly’ dividend shares. Its aim is to purchase as soon as and by no means promote for really passive rising earnings over the long term. It publishes on the third Sunday of the month.

Prime 10 Dividend Elite Service — Analyzes the Prime 10 dividend shares with 25+ years of rising dividends each month. It publishes on the first Sunday of the month.

Prime 10 REITs Service — Analyzes the Prime 10 REITs each month. It publishes on the 2nd Sunday of the month.

The common worth of the Certain Dividend Professional Plan is $499.

Use the button or the Certain Dividend coupon code “RBD100S” to avoid wasting $100 yearly and get the discounted worth of solely $399 per yr. 

You possibly can strive the Certain Dividend Professional Plan for a 7-day trial to get instantaneous entry to the latest newsletters. You received’t be charged till after the 7-day trial is full.

Begin your 7-Day Free Trial

Please notice: RBD is an affiliate associate with Certain Dividend. Should you join a service utilizing hyperlinks on this web page or use the Certain Dividend coupon code “RBD100S”, RBD might be compensated. 

Further Newsletters

As acknowledged within the introduction, this Certain Dividend evaluation focuses totally on the flagship Certain Dividend E-newsletter, which is certainly one of 5 elements of the Certain Dividend Professional Plan.

The opposite newsletters within the bundle observe an identical format tailor-made to the particular funding goals. 

Right here is extra details about the opposite newsletters within the Certain Dividend Professional Plan bundle. 

The Certain Retirement E-newsletter

This product makes use of knowledge from the Certain Evaluation Analysis Database to seek out and rank high quality dividend progress shares with 4%+ yields — so that you spend money on high-yield dividend progress shares buying and selling at truthful or higher costs.

Every month you get the Prime 10 greatest 4%+ yielding high quality earnings securities, plus actionable purchase and promote suggestions and a portfolio-building information. 

Particularly, The Certain Retirement E-newsletter recommends securities that typically have the next traits:

• 4%+ yields solely (typically increased)
• Securities prone to pay regular or rising dividends into the longer term
• Securities buying and selling at or under truthful worth
• Securities with sturdy anticipated complete return potential

Apart from specializing in increased yields, the principle distinction from the Certain Dividend E-newsletter is the Certain Retirement E-newsletter additionally recommends REITs and grasp restricted partnerships (MLPs, each defined on this visitor publish by Certain Dividend author Bob Ciura). 

The Certain Dividend E-newsletter yields are usually decrease than 4% on common however exhibit increased long-term progress.

The Certain Dividend Passive Revenue E-newsletter

The shares really useful in The Certain Passive Revenue E-newsletter are supposed to be bought as soon as and by no means bought. 

Regular earnings and earnings progress are key elements of economic freedom by passive earnings. 

Rising passive earnings offers the bottom for a protected and safe retirement as a result of earnings progress counteracts the wealth damaging-effects of inflation.

The publication prioritizes progress and long-term security, with dividend yields that exceed the S&P 500’s for every advice.

The Certain Passive Revenue E-newsletter has every part you’ll want to construct your rising passive earnings portfolio, together with an in depth evaluation of the Prime 10 ‘ceaselessly’ passive earnings shares every month and a to-the-point portfolio-building information.

Prime 10 Dividend Elite Service

This service offers suggestions on the Prime 10 dividend shares every month with 25+ years of rising dividends. It publishes on the first Sunday of the month.

The Dividend Elite Service is a part of the Certain Dividend Professional Plan. 

This text has much less element and quantitative evaluation than the Certain Dividend E-newsletter. It offers ten suggestions and a story of the funding thesis of every.

However is lighter on knowledge and charts, excludes opening and shutting ideas, and promote suggestions. 

Prime 10 REITs Service

The Prime 10 REITs Service analyzes the Prime 10 REITs each month. It publishes on the 2nd Sunday of the month.

It’s included within the Certain Dividend Professional Plan. 

The publication has an identical format to the Prime 10 Dividend Elite Service however focuses completely on actual property funding trusts (REITs).

The Certain Evaluation Analysis Database

The Certain Evaluation Analysis Database contains well timed, detailed analyses of over 850 dividend shares. 

The service offers detailed complete return estimates for every inventory. It ranks all shares by anticipated complete returns — supplying you with the ability to see the very best anticipated complete return dividend shares at any time and avoiding the worst.

It additionally features a portfolio monitoring device. Import your inventory portfolio symbols and share numbers to know precisely how a lot dividend earnings you’ll obtain every month and yr.

I extremely advocate this device, its the perfect dividend monitoring spreadsheet I’ve ever used.

Certain Dividend codecs the database right into a spreadsheet, making it simple for customers to edit and manipulate. 

The Certain Evaluation Analysis Database subscription additionally contains entry to all 5 premium newsletters.

The value is $999 yearly. There could also be a waitlist to affix.

Is it Well worth the Value?

Certain Dividend is a wonderful useful resource for earnings traders seeking to construct steady dividend earnings for retirement. 

New traders simply getting began ought to first think about whether or not index investing is ample for his or her wants. 

Particular person inventory investing requires further analysis past a publication Prime 10 checklist. Earlier than proudly owning particular person shares, resolve when you’ve got the time and information to carry out the mandatory analysis. 

Should you do, I like to recommend inventory newsletters for investing inspiration and extra knowledge factors on your analysis. 

The Certain Dividend E-newsletter is greatest for these investing at the very least $5,000 per yr into particular person dividend shares. 

You may also go to the archives for a whole lot of free articles and useful lists. 

The common worth to subscribe to the Certain Dividend Professional Plan is $499. RBD readers pay $399 per yr. Use the button under or Certain Dividend coupon code RBD100S.

Begin your 7-Day Free Trial

The Certain Dividend Golden Rule Dedication

• 7-Day Free Trial – You aren’t billed for seven days.
• 60-Day Full Refund Grace Interval – If the Certain Dividend Companies should not best for you anytime throughout the first 60 days from the date you joined, e-mail them, and you’ll obtain a full refund; no clarification is required.
• Prorated Refunds After 60 Days
• Pre-Billing Renewal Notifications – They’ll e-mail you 5 days earlier than your plan’s annual renewal, so you might be by no means stunned with a renewal fee.
• Prime-Notch Buyer Service

Thanks for studying this Certain Dividend evaluation 2025.

Are you a subscriber? Please share your expertise with the Certain Dividend Newsletters within the feedback under. 

Word: The suggestions offered by Certain Dividend don’t replicate the opinions of RBD. Please carry out analysis earlier than investing your cash into these or every other investments. Don’t make investments cash into shares that you simply can not afford to lose. Make investments at your individual danger. You could lose some or your whole capital invested.

* Additionally notice: RBD companions with manufacturers and companies that you could be discover helpful in your individual investing endeavors. As at all times, I solely associate with manufacturers and companies I exploit or have absolutely vetted and endorse. I’m a paid subscriber of, and, individually, an affiliate associate with Certain Dividend. Should you grow to be a paid subscriber by one of many hyperlinks or buttons on this article, RBD might be compensated for the referral. Thanks for supporting this web site. 

Disclosure: The writer is lengthy BMY, WBA, T