Dividend investors seeking to optimize income from their investments can look at ex-dividend dates in order to time their purchases accordingly once they have made the "Buy" decision.
We all know that timing the market is extremely difficult and only very few investors consistently find the right entry points. Timing to maximize income from dividends, however, is much simpler. Buying a stock before the ex-dividend date qualifies you for the next upcoming dividend payment, whereas foregoing the next ex-dividend date should, in theory, give you a better entry price point as the stock is expected to trade with a discount on the ex-dividend date.
Over the next fortnight - precisely, on March 14, Altria (MO) goes ex-dividend.
