STARBUCKS EXAMPLE

“During the 2008 financial crisis people said that buying a latte at Starbucks wasn’t smart. McDonald’s put up billboards saying that four dollars for a coffee is dumb. I have saved every analyst’s report and major story (in 2008). ​My favorites were:

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 * Never give an 800-pound gorilla caffeine

 * Starbucks’s days are numbered

 * McDonald’s will definitely kill Starbucks

 * How could the board bring back Schultz?”

 - Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks. Harvard Business Review, August 2010.

Focus on stocks that grow dividends over time. Starbucks is a dividend grower.  It was the company's 10th consecutive year of dividend increases. 

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$10,000 invested in Starbucks stock back in 2009 would have bought you 1,388 shares 

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Annual Dividend per share was $0.20 ($0.05 every 3 months) x 1,388 shares = $277.60 

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In 2020, annual dividend increased to $1.80 ($0.45 every 3 months) x 1,388 shares = $2,498.40

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Generally if the company keeps increasing the dividend the stock price also goes up over time:

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Share price June 1, 2009: $7.20 

Share price December 10, 2020: $105.82

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$10,000 INVESTED IN STARBUCKS 11 YEARS AGO WOULD BE WORTH $146,878 TODAY. 

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*This amount would have been much larger if you reinvested the dividends back in the stock over the years. 

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**You can buy and sell stocks for a profit in your TFSA & RRSP accounts and the proceeds are not (generally) subject to tax. U.S. stocks held in a TFSA are subject to 15% withholding tax on U.S. dividend income. There is NO withholding tax on U.S. stock dividends held in your RRSP. RRSP withdrawals are fully taxable while TFSA withdrawals are always tax-free.

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Dividends and Capital Appreciation at work