Question 1

What is a Dividend King?

Accepted Answer

A Dividend King is a company that has increased its dividend for 50+ consecutive years. These are considered the most reliable dividend stocks in the US market, having weathered multiple recessions. Examples include Coca-Cola, P&G, and Johnson & Johnson.

Question 2

What is a Dividend Aristocrat?

Accepted Answer

A Dividend Aristocrat is an S&P 500 company with 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases. While the bar is lower than Dividend Kings (50 years), these are still high-quality companies with proven track records of dividend growth.

Question 3

How are US dividends taxed for foreign investors?

Accepted Answer

The US withholds 15% tax on dividends for most foreign investors under tax treaties. Check your country's specific tax treaty with the US and consult a tax advisor for your situation.

Question 4

Dividend growth stocks vs. high-yield stocks — what's the difference?

Accepted Answer

High-yield stocks offer a high current dividend yield, while dividend growth stocks have a lower yield but consistently increase their dividends each year. Dividend Kings and Aristocrats fall into the growth category, and through compounding, can generate strong long-term returns.

Question 5

How do I manage currency risk when investing in US dividend stocks?

Accepted Answer

Since US stocks pay in USD, your returns in local currency depend on exchange rate movements. USD strength boosts returns; weakness creates currency losses. Dollar-cost averaging helps spread this risk, and keeping USD assets at a set portfolio percentage is a common strategy.

#	Stock	Tier	Consec. Years	Div. Yield
1	Cincinnati Financial CINF.O	Div. King	64 yrs	2.5%
2	Nordson NDSN.O	Div. King	61 yrs	1.2%
3	Kimberly-Clark KMB.O	Div. King	52 yrs	3.5%
4	PepsiCo PEP.O	Div. King	52 yrs	3.0%
5	Lincoln Electric Holdings LECO.O	Div. King	51 yrs	1.4%
6	Automatic Data Processing ADP.O	Aristocrat	49 yrs	2.1%
7	Cintas CTAS.O	Aristocrat	41 yrs	0.8%
8	T. Rowe Price Group TROW.O	Aristocrat	38 yrs	4.3%
9	Fastenal FAST.O	Aristocrat	25 yrs	2.1%
10	Qualcomm QCOM.O	Aristocrat	22 yrs	2.0%
11	Texas Instruments TXN.O	Aristocrat	21 yrs	2.8%
12	Costco Wholesale COST.O	Aristocrat	20 yrs	0.5%
13	Xcel Energy XEL.O	Aristocrat	20 yrs	3.5%
14	Alliant Energy LNT.O	Aristocrat	20 yrs	3.2%
15	Evergy EVRG.O	Aristocrat	19 yrs	4.1%
16	Cisco Systems CSCO.O	Aristocrat	14 yrs	2.8%
17	Starbucks SBUX.O	Aristocrat	14 yrs	2.5%
18	American Electric Power AEP.O	Aristocrat	14 yrs	3.6%
19	Amgen AMGN.O	Aristocrat	13 yrs	3.2%
20	Northern Trust NTRS.O	Aristocrat	13 yrs	3.1%
21	Mondelez International MDLZ.O	Aristocrat	12 yrs	2.7%
22	Jack Henry & Associates JKHY.O	Aristocrat	12 yrs	1.2%
23	Paychex PAYX.O	Aristocrat	10 yrs	2.9%
24	O'Reilly Automotive ORLY.O	Aristocrat	10 yrs	0.0%
25	Intel INTC.O	Aristocrat	10 yrs	1.6%
26	Kraft Heinz KHC.O	Aristocrat	10 yrs	4.5%
27	Gilead Sciences GILD.O	Aristocrat	10 yrs	3.3%
28	Exelon EXC.O	Aristocrat	9 yrs	3.3%
29	Keurig Dr Pepper KDP.O	Aristocrat	8 yrs	2.6%
30	Coca-Cola Europacific Partners CCEP.O	Aristocrat	8 yrs	2.7%

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US Dividend Stocks FAQ