Skip to content
Let's All Get Right

Dividend reinvestment

Compare reinvesting dividends with taking them as cash over the years.

Dividend reinvestment

Reinvesting dividends buys more shares, which pay their own dividends — compounding through the payout. Compare that with pocketing the dividends as cash. Every input here is a hypothetical you choose.

$
%
%
%

Reinvested, 25 yrs

$51,963

Dividends taken as cash

$35,256

Reinvesting adds

$16,707

NowYear 25
ReinvestedCash taken

“Cash taken” counts the dividends you pocketed plus the shares you kept. This ignores taxes, which can differ between reinvesting and taking cash. A dividend is never promised — a company can cut it.

This is a hypothetical illustration, not advice or a prediction. The numbers are made up to show how the math works — real returns vary and can be negative. See the full disclaimer.