Dividends Are an Investor's Best Friend By Sham Gad About this article: There is much debate over the future expectations of market returns in the U.S. over the next few years. What those returns will turn out to be is anyone's guess. We will only know who is right after the fact and no sooner. What seems apparent, however, is that certain economic behavior patterns are changing. The most significant is the consumption level of the U.S. consumer since GDP is two-thirds consumption-related. Future consumption patterns will very likely have a profound effect on rate of economic growth, which will affect the level of corporate hiring, spending and investment, which in turn will affect corporate profitably and thus future equity returns. Now more than ever, corporate dividends cannot be ignored. Equity market returns are made up of two variables: stock price appreciation and dividends. It's time for investors to focus more on the latter. It's important to... Or, call us at 1-866-321-TSCM (8726) Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. Outside the U.S. and in Canada, call 1-212-321-5200.

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