U.S. online Black Friday spending reached a record $11.8 billion, up 9.1% from a year earlier Even so, overall spending rose while shoppers bought fewer items because prices kept climbing

This is inflation Wasn't this supposed to be fixed?

This comes up often Qualified dividends are taxed at 0% for a married couple whose total income is under $131,100 in 2026 Studying the tax code can pay huge dividends

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Respect to anyone building wealth Whether through a 9-5, stocks, Bitcoin, real estate, or another path Those working to create a better life for themselves and their family deserve a lot of respect

Those are some miscellaneous observations

With current dividend yields around 1%, there may be little income smoothing during the next prolonged bear market — which helps explain why total and price returns tracked closely from 2000–2012

A growing trend away from dividends is occurring: since the 1990s dividends have become a smaller share of total returns, and weaker investor demand reduces corporate incentives to pay them

Dividends arrive on a regular schedule, tend to grow faster than inflation, and make a suitable retirement income source

The emphasis is therefore on dividends rather than on selling holdings Prices at the time of a sale are uncertain, but dividend payments are more predictable when income is needed

Those dry spells were often followed by prolonged rallies that more than made up for the earlier stagnation Through the market swings, dividends continued to be paid and generally grew

The issue is long stretches where prices stagnated, for example 1929–1954, 1966–1982 and 2000–2012 Although prices rise over long horizons, extended flat periods can be problematic for anyone relying on

US stocks averaged about a 10% annual return over the long run That average combined roughly a 4% dividend yield plus about 6% price growth

Dividends matter

Volatility in the stock market creates opportunities Short-term movements are noise; the emphasis should remain on the long term

There are age-related rules for distributions

For married couples whose combined income is under $128k, qualified dividends and long-term capital gains are taxed at 0% Within a Roth IRA, qualified dividends and long-term capital gains are taxed at

This comes up often

$10,000 invested turned into $22.9 million

People search SO HARD for a 10x stock. Or a 100x stock. An example of a historic 2,294x stock: $MO (Yes, two thousand two hundred and ninety four times) Since 1989, it returned 24.16% pa, a total gain