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Get Rich with Dividends: A Proven System for Earning Double-Digit Returns

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2016 Book of the Year award winner by the Institute for Financial Literacy

"Set it and forget it" investing, with less risk and higher returns Get Rich with Dividends is the bestselling dividend investing book that shows investors how to achieve double digit returns using a time tested conservative strategy. Written by a nineteen year veteran of the equity markets, this invaluable guide shows you how to set up your investments for minimal maintenance and higher returns, so you can accumulate wealth while you focus on the things that matter. Using the author's proprietary 10 11 12 system, you'll learn how to generate the income you need on a quarterly or even monthly basis. You'll discover the keys to identifying stocks that will return twelve percent or more every year, and how to structure your investments for greater security and financial well being. This method is so easy to use, you'll want to teach it to your children early to set them up for financial independence and help them avoid the problems that plagued many investors over the past decade. Dividends are responsible for 44 percent of the S&P 500's returns over the last eighty years. They represent an excellent opportunity today, especially for investors who have been burned in recent meltdowns and are desperate for sensible and less risky ways to make their money grow. This book describes a framework that allows investors to reap higher returns with a low to no maintenance plan. Market risk is high and interest rates are low, making it a perfect time to get started on a more sensible wealth generation strategy. With expert guidance toward finding and investing in these unique but conservative and proven stocks, Get Rich with Dividends is the only book on dividend investing you'll ever need.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 29, 2012

218 people are currently reading
722 people want to read

About the author

Marc Lichtenfeld

8 books5 followers

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5 stars
189 (28%)
4 stars
252 (38%)
3 stars
170 (25%)
2 stars
37 (5%)
1 star
7 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
Profile Image for عبدالله.
59 reviews23 followers
November 23, 2019
This is one of the books I wanted to give a higher rating but I could not. The idea behind the book is a good one. The author has a good ability to simplify things which is a good thing but not always. Some topics should have been tackled deeper than he did. He repeats him self over and over, sometimes in a useful manner and sometimes not at all.

It is more like a pocket book than a regular text book (nothing wrong with pocket books). Some chapters are not - really - related to the topic of the book. I would not recommend this book to be read alone and definitely not to count on alone because it is - simply - not enough. I recommend this book to traders and investors not convinced to put their money in dividend companies, or people who want to be rich in a blink of an eye (to convince them that it is not possible).

I like the spirit and the passion of the author about his strategy. The book in some parts would deserve a 5 out 5 rating and in some parts would not even deserve 2 out 5.

P.s. I just finished the "Intelligent Investor" of the legendary B. Graham and rated it 5 out 5. So, maybe the standards went too high; that I gave this book 2 out 5.

Anyway, if investing in stock market is a major thing in your life; then go read the book; it is worth it then.
457 reviews159 followers
August 27, 2025
Standard bits on how to invest but one hilarious part of when to sell (pun intended) with advice on depends on when to sell (what does an elderly diaper have to do with when to sell-LOL!)
Profile Image for Tralala Tralala.
113 reviews1 follower
November 1, 2020
That man is a snake oil salesman.
He recommends stock picking, while acknowledging at the same time that: 1. active managers never beat the market, and 2. talking about the Lake Wobegon effect.
All honest research basically points to stock picking as a really, really bad investment strategy for retail investors. And the author basically agrees, and then proceed to tell you to do it, but on dividend stocks. How is that not stock picking?

Next, let's oppose successful people (by that, I mean people who made their money doing actual business or actual trading), vs salesmen (by that, I mean people making their money by selling you books about investing, selling you investment newsletters, investment seminars, basically people who are taking YOUR money selling you tips to make money, even though they themselves never made any, and therefore really have no legitimacy doing so. But they're always smooth talkers).

Successful people include:
- Warren Buffet. He's said many times that his heirs will get their money invested in an S&P 500 tracker. Period.
- Tony Robbins. He wrote 2 books about money, neither of which he financially benefits from, precisely as proof that he didn't just write long infomercials. He's loaded, but never made money selling you INVESTMENT advice. He basically asked successful market professionals for their recommendations. The conclusion? Unless you're Ray Dalio, buy a cheap S&P 500 tracker. Period.

Salesmen include:
- Robert T. Kiyosaki. He pretty clearly never made any significant dough investing the way he's telling you to in his books and seminars. He makes his money selling you books, seminars, and dreams.
- Marc Lichtenfeld. His websites look like scams. His advice is dangerous (stock picking, expecting retail investors to follow earnings reports, drill into cash flows statements, and so on). His wall street experience is a sham. In fact he never worked on Wall Street. He started his career as a reporter for 3y, then there's a 1y unexplained gap in his CV, then he worked in some unknown equities shop for 2 years, in Florida, then went back to being a reporter, and soon after started his Oxford mailing list. That's a journalist career, not a financial markets professional one. Naming his biz Oxford is a classic ploy to make something dubious sound legitimate.
- The Motley Fool. Need is say more?

Now there is value in dividend stocks. And understanding compounding is absolutely critical, and should be taught in schools. But in this book, the logical conclusion is "oh, he sells a newsletter with his stock picks, I'll use that", because the alternative is becoming a fully fledged equity analyst. So, this book is an infomercial. And of course, there's no transparency in their claims of success, because there's no real portfolio to look at. It's like Motley Fool claiming their legitimacy because they said they liked Google and Amazon early on.

Missing, critically, is a comparative analysis between an S&P500 ETF and the suggested strategies. I doubt he created alpha. In fact you can be sure that had he found it, he's be telling you about it. And if you don't know what alpha is, please do yourself a service and go buy the cheapest ETF tracking the S&P 500 you can find.
Profile Image for Zo Lang.
27 reviews7 followers
January 25, 2016
This book was going good until the author started talking trading options which was very puzzling.
Profile Image for Stuart Marsh.
6 reviews
January 1, 2020
Wow! great read. Funny and engaging with a logical progression for how much it was just lists of numbers. I loved how he walked you through the "why" of his system and let you into all the nuances of his decisions. I'd love to read some other perspectives to gauge how valid of an opinion this book has, but it seems pretty legit.
Profile Image for Carlos.
31 reviews
March 13, 2021
I wasn't completely sold on dividends being new to investing but with his explanations they make sense as to why you would want to hop on these asap.

From a beginners perspective its almost like..."why would invest 10K to get 35 dollars back?" Its sounds like waste of time but with the snowball effect and also taking into consideration that the stocks themselves could potentially grow then it makes sense.

Time to start chipping away.
39 reviews
May 7, 2023
Still Great

I read the second edition a while back and decided to give the third edition a read because I use the system or as close as I can manage in my own investing. It's a solid system that works. It takes work, but it is a good system. I use a hybrid of Investment Quality Trends written about in Dividends Don't Lie and Dividends Stilill Don't Lie alongside the Dividend Freedom Tribe on Seeking Alpha to find purchase points for stocks that fit this system.

It has worked for me, and I hope it works for others. It is not a get rich quick scheme, but it produces solid results in good times and bad while setting you up for a bright, less stressful future. For what it's worth, the less stress of the system in that when your portfolio is dropping you know it is only going to speed up your income growth might just be the best thing ever for an investor. It makes years like 2022 exciting rather than terrifying.

And if Marc Lichtenfeld ever reads this... thank you. It is appreciated.
Profile Image for Jeremy.
46 reviews11 followers
March 26, 2013
As a book, this wasn't very good. Despite its short length, it still did not contain enough information to fill it, and at times, I felt the author was trying to make his case in the least intuitive way possible.

The content, however, was a little better, but I've begun to have my doubts. Basically, he argues that you should invest in companies for their dividends, which seems like good advice. To be more precise, focus on companies that have a history of raising dividends by 10% and yield 4%.

It's hard to believe that any company can sustain 10% dividend increases for very long. So that prescription doesn't seem very likely to me, but like I said in an earlier review, I'm no investment expert. Maybe it's doable. I guess I'll find out when I try to do it myself.

By the way, if you can find a stock that increases its dividends 10%/yr and yields 4%, and you reinvest the dividends, I'd be very happy to invest in it.
Profile Image for Terry Koressel.
287 reviews25 followers
July 11, 2017
I read many of the reviews for Get Rich with Dividends; they were generally poor. However, I thought the book was excellent. Why? Most people do not realize the long-term impact of "double-compounding": 1) the compounding of dividend income through auto reinvestment; and 2) the growth in the dividend rate itself. Put both together and in 10 years the return on your original investment is significant....with relatively low risk. Yes....the title may have a hint of sensationalism. But the underlying premise of the book is solid. Advice worth considering. I am a follower. I recommend the book!
Profile Image for Laurisa Reyes.
Author 28 books612 followers
February 15, 2021
Great book for beginners. Some things went over my head, but overall I found this book very informative and helpful. I now feel confident about building a portfolio of dividend paying stocks.
16 reviews
November 17, 2019
Niewątpliwą zaletą tej książki jest to, że jest pisana jasnym i zrozumiałym językiem. Jest to ważne, gdyż pomimo tego że książka dotyczy obrotu różnego rodzaju instrumentami finansowymi, autor unika wszelkiego rodzaju komplikacji i stara się przedstawić prezentowane zagadnienia tak prosto jak to tylko możliwe. Dodatkowo, poruszane przez niego kwestie są bogato ilustrowane przykładami rynkowymi. Niestety główna zaleta tej pozycji, staje się również jej wadą, bo wg mnie w niektórych momentach brakowało mi trochę bardziej zaawansowanego podejścia do tematu, np. czytelnik dowiaduje się o współczynniku beta i jak go interpretować, ale nie ma ani słowa o tym jak ten parametr można policzyć dla własnych inwestycji, nawet w znacznym uproszczeniu (tak jest też w paru innych przypadkach). Dodatkowym minusem tej książki jest częste powtarzanie pewnych treści przez autora. Wydaje się też, że niektóre rozdziały nie są bezpośrednio związane z tematem wiodącym. Być może w zamyśle autora miały one stworzyć dodatkowy "backgroud" do omawianego mechanizmu działania kumulujących się dywidend, ale można też odebrać to jako brak pomysłu na wypełnienie kilkudziesięciu stron książki. Ja mam z tą książką jednak zupełnie inny problem. Trochę trudno mi ją umiejscowić w polskich realiach. Książka dotyczy amerykańskiego rynku obrotu akcjami i osadzona jest również w tamtejszych realiach fiskalnych. Zaproponowana przez autora strategia i szacowane zwroty z inwestycji opierają się na doświadczeniach dywidendowych tamtego rynku kapitałowego. Niestety w Polsce kwestia polityki dywidendowej spółek akcyjnych nie jest tak konserwatywnie przestrzegana jak w niektórych spółkach amerykańskich, a znalezienie kilkudziesięciu spółek które w ciągu ostatnich 10-15 lat rokrocznie podnosiłyby poziom dywidendy jest niemożliwe albo graniczy z cudem. Trudno zatem przewidzieć jak sprawdziłby się ten system w polskich realiach. Z innej strony jeśli ktoś dysponuje odpowiednimi środkami (próg wejścia w taką inwestycję będzie zapewne znacznie wyższy), może spróbować wykorzystać ten system inwestując za pośrednictwem polskich biur maklerskich na NYSE, ale ze względu na koszt samej inwestycji, ryzyko kursowe i komplikacje podatkowe trudno powiedzieć na ile będzie to opłacalne.
39 reviews
May 18, 2022
Solid book on Dividends

It's a solid book on dividends. A lot of what he is saying makes sense. Basically in the accumulation phase he recommends buying stocks that based on their consistent dividend growth will give you a 12% yield in ten years. Hard to find but there are stocks that will end up fitting the mold he is talking about. A pretty good explanation of the generic concept. Seemingly a true advocate of buy and hold using DRIP vs. some other systems that are more of a buy when the yield is historically high and sell when price has appreciated to make the yield historically low.

Although I did find his section on covered calls of which he seems to be a huge user of based on his style when discussing it went a bit counter to the main system. However, even there he argued against using them much for those that have a longer timespan because they would mess up your DRIP dividend growth system. I think it was merely the obvious zeal he had for them that raised my eyebrows.

I did actually enjoy his style of writing. He was pretty good at explaining his system and I liked his examples of what returns would look like with different returns based on starting yield, price appreciation, dividend growth, etc. I thought that was very well done and painted the picture of what results would look like depending on the various cycles the market goes through. End result is I enjoyed the book and I would recommend it to someone exploring the buy and hold DRIP dividend growth style of investing.
Profile Image for Vincent Pham.
100 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2022
I love dividends and already invest in dividend paying stocks prior to reading this so I wasn't sure how much I would get out of this book. Turns out, this book had a few tidbits I was unaware of and that alone made the read worthwhile.

Some things I wasn't aware of is it is actually better for a dividend stock to have their share price stay stagnant or increase less vs skyrocketing due to the power of dividend reinvestments (DRIPs). Through time, the tempered share price would actually allow one to collect more shares each time a dividend is reinvested and build a higher stake in the company, thus snowballing the dividend payouts quicker.

Another thing I didn't realize was how much a dividend payment can fluctuate if you buy an international dividend stock instead of a domestic dividend stock. This is because we'd have to consider the fluid movements of currency values relative to the US dollar over time. Thus, a foreign company could increase their dividend payment but due to their currency's movement vs the US dollar, we may get a dividend decrease once it funnels through to our brokerage accounts (the opposite effect could happen to which would be a good thing).

I also enjoyed the section that touched on Options as I have dabbled into selling call and put options for my investment strategy as well. All in all, I would say the bulk of this book was a good review but there was definitely new and useful information as well. Someone who wants to get into dividend paying stocks would be wise to choose this book.
Profile Image for Nick Claxton.
21 reviews
March 29, 2020
And easy 4.5 but not five do too the information is not timeless and also the repetitiveness of it. Alot if itit is already out of date.

This is an awsome book. A good way to start a plan to invest and invest confidently. I am going to follow these steps and see where they take me. Used along with rich dad poor dad and the intelligent investor is very awsome. Packed full with knowledge and know how. A book i am going to use alot of what it says. Even unexpectedly goes into options woth proper warnings. A few prombkems i gave is the constent reputation which maybe need for some but not for most. The resder sshould understand the power of compounding after the first chapter but yet it goes on and on and on about it. It could and should have been about 40 pages shorter.

The road map i needed to start confidently investing. The intelligent investor is way more information packed but this i feel more clearly and concisely where to take it. A diffrent more passive attempt at it. A much littler package and easier to understand then intelligent investor. A book i will pass down to my kids.
Profile Image for Gijs Limonard.
1,332 reviews36 followers
June 16, 2025
2,5 stars; all good points but nothing new; yes please do acknowledge the 8th wonder of the world; compounding interest, and please start early, very early to maximize your profits, trade long not short term; for a more upbeat and knowledgable work on investing check out these classics; The Intelligent Investor, A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing and The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor.
Profile Image for Jay Chatree.
28 reviews3 followers
April 19, 2020
เป็นหนังสือที่กล่าวถึงแนวทางการลงทุ้นในหุ้นอีกแนวที่น่าสนใจ ยิ่งในภาวะตลาดซบเซาขนาดนี้ มีแต่คนแนะนำให้ลงทุนแนวนี้ คือแนวเก็บปันผล ซึ่งหนังสือพูดถึงหุ้นในอเมริกาเป็นหลัก ถ้าในบ้านเราก็มีแนวทางหรือหนังสือหุ้นห่านทองคำให้ได้ศึกษา หลักการหลักๆคือ เค้าแนะนำให้เราซื้อหุ้นที่มีอัตราปันผลเติบโตอย่างต่อเนื่อง ซึ่งอาจจะดูน่าเบื่อแต่ใช้ระยะเวลาเพื่อนำเงินปันผลมาลงทุนเพิ่ม ให้อัตราการทบต้นได้ทำงานของมัน ผลที่ได้ 10 20 ปีเราก็จะมีฐานะทางการเงินที่มั่นคงในวัยเกษียณ เนื้อหาส่วนใหญ่ในหนังสือก็จะเป็นการให้ข้อมูล ตัวเลขโน้มน้าวว่าการให้เงินปันผลทำงานตามแนวทางของมันจะได้ผลอย่างไรในระยะเวลาที่ยาวนานเพียงพอ เราก็ไม่ต้องเหนื่อยเช็คหุ้นตลอดเวลา แค่เข้ามาเช็คเป็นครั้งคราวว่า หุ้นตัวนั้นยังทำกำไร และมีความสามารถในการจ่ายปันผลที่เพิ่มขึ้นได้ไหม ลองอ่านลองปรับประยุกต์ใช้กับหุ้นไทยได้ แต่คงไม่ง่ายที่จะหาหุ้นไทยที่มีการจ่ายเงินปันผลเพิ่มขึ้นสม่ำเสมอเป็นเวลา 20 ปี แต่คนที่ทำงานหนักมักจะได้รับผลตอบแทนที่คุ้มค่า ลองหามาอ่านกันได้ครับ
Profile Image for Brian Nelson-Palmer.
227 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2021
I liked this book a lot because this guy didn’t try to say that you need to spend all your time studying the market. He also didn’t try to sell you something. He did a great job sharing the knowledge on how to achieve wealth with a set it and forget it approach. I’ll incorporate some of what he says in my strategy with the market, and I like it.

That said, I wish he also talked about specific examples, or made the numbers relatable. Sometimes with his examples he really just spouted off number and more numbers, and I found myself struggling to follow him.

I’d recommend this book only if you’re entry level familiar with the market. If you’re completely new to it you’ll want to go get educated in general (spend a couple of days watching YouTube videos, have a broker account set up, and have purchase stocks and watched videos on how to do research on stocks) before picking up this book.
82 reviews1 follower
January 4, 2025
Surprisingly enough, it's not all that easy to find a book on dividends, so coming across Get Rich With Dividends was a nice surprise. Admittedly, the title might attract a different crowd than those who are interested in a measured, long-term dividend strategy-it sounds a bit too sensational. However, beneath that flashy headline, Marc Lichtenfeld does provide a solid foundational understanding of how dividend investing works. I liked that he explained it, step by step, and because of this, this book would be helpful both for beginners and people with more experience in investing. The only thing that felt a bit out of track was the addition of some contemporary commentary on cryptocurrency. It provides timeliness, but at the same time, it's somewhat out of place from the rest of the dividend-focused material. That aside, for anyone looking to improve their understanding of how dividends can help generate long-term returns, this is still a worthy read.
37 reviews
August 21, 2022
- engaging read about investments compounding through strong high yield dividend stocks
- key is that the companies continue to increase their dividends
- would have loved a bit more direction in what specifically to look at. Essentially, you still have to pick your stock. Feels easier to just pick a couple ETFs, but I get the appeal behind having dividend cash flow
- I like the idea that a 5% dividend yield means you’re already halfway to beating the market. So the stock doesn’t need to outperform market
- author didn’t feel condescending or elitist and I loved the many examples
- some of the topics would get complicated at times. Definitely a book where it’s posible to pick and chose your chapters
- dogmatic and disciplined approach to investing
Profile Image for Angel.
1 review
May 24, 2021
This book will surely be extremely useful for beginners in the stock market. I'd recommend to immediately read deeper stuff from the everlasting classics (Graham, Buffet, Lynch, Bogle, etc), just to have a glimpse of what money actually is. If you're a more seasoned investor or trader, there's nothing new here. However, considering the current pandemic spurred a crazed new trend of young traders loosing their life savings (and huge loans) on meme stocks, crypto gambles and TikTok-influencer-scam courses, it's important for this uncomplicated books to exist. The market will continue to take money from dumb people and give it to patient and disciplined investors.
Profile Image for Candace Garcia.
89 reviews
February 15, 2023
Don't like the title as it makes it seem like a get rich quick scheme, which this is not. I really came to understand the difference between investing for capital gains vs dividend income. I appreciate learning another long term approach that is different from index funds, which seems to get all the attention in the books I've previously read. I think the information was detailed and complete but as a beginner investor I think it could have gone even a step further in the explanation of exactly how to analyze stocks for selection as it still feels a bit complicated.
Profile Image for kz.
116 reviews10 followers
December 21, 2020
I liked how this book is a “what’s what” of the investing world, although talk about what qualities to look for in dividend stocks are sprinkled throughout the book a lot of this book just talks about things that aren’t super related to dividend long term investing, namely, day trading which has an entire chapter dedicated to the topic. Easy read though, I didn’t mind the casual attitude of the book and the jokes.
Profile Image for Sarah.
40 reviews
May 23, 2021
Even as a new investor I found the book a bit repetitive, but I’m sure the author had a page count they had to reach for publication. I can’t be mad though because the strategies in the book seem (to my inexperienced eye) to make fiscal sense and I’ll be using the author’s system to get started on building my IRA portfolio. If I make a nice profit I’ll forgive the author his repetition entirely and come back to give it 5 stars.
Profile Image for Christopher Weber.
30 reviews1 follower
November 29, 2021
If you think 10 years is a long time to change your financial life you need to read this book. If you think that the companies around you that your pay the bills to each month out of your hard earned money are useless money grabs you need to read this book. If you want to be financial independent and legitimately quit the rat-race and sit back and live off your hard earned savings you need to read this book.
Profile Image for Bonnie.
62 reviews3 followers
September 4, 2025
Some advice may already not apply the same as it did when this was written, but it’s still the first financial advice book that has made sense to me. I think it could be super helpful for long term investors especially. I really like the conversational style and it was a pretty easy listen. I’ve ordered a physical book so that I can go back through and highlight some specific information. I’m hopeful to get better insight and apply this advice over time. Definitely recommend giving it a try.
Profile Image for Investorkilden.
2 reviews1 follower
June 18, 2018
I recommend this book to people not familiar with dividend investing. It starts of explaining different topics relevant to dividend investing, and he makes the case of how it has worked in the past. What it missed is how to pick those companies who can sustain a longterm increase in dividends, which was what i was looking for.
Profile Image for Grzegorz Górzyński.
6 reviews3 followers
October 28, 2021
(Czytałem polską wersję - Zbij fortunę na dywidendach - ale nie ma jej na Goodreads, więc opiniuję tu).

Dobre podsumowanie dot. dywidend, jednak głównie dla Amerykanów (ew. dla osób inwestujących na rynku amerykańskim). Pomimu mocnego biasu ku rynkowi zza oceanu (nie bez przyczyny - fantastyczne tradycje dywidendowe), inwestor z Polski również w tej książce może znaleźć coś dla siebie.
Profile Image for Adam Lawrence.
9 reviews1 follower
October 17, 2021
Awesome book and a life changing concept. Some find investing too confusing and others are chasing the next Amazon or Netflix. This is the smart way to invest. You can reach retirement and life off the dividends without having to touch the principal.
Profile Image for Sjors.
321 reviews9 followers
September 28, 2023
How to get rich with dividends? Hmmmm, let me make some assumptions… There are stocks that increase value by an average 7.48% per year over the next 10 years. Some of these stocks pay out, say, 5% dividend in year 1 and will increase their dividend pay-out by, say, 8% year on year. To make sure these stocks are healthy dividend payers, let’s ensure that the dividend pay-out ratio is not above 75% of free cashflow. Oh also let’s ignore inflation. Then, oh boy!, an original investment of $10,000 turns into $20,572 PLUS $12,922 dividends received over the period! Oh boy oh boy! That’s well over 3x your original investment! And imagine if we had reinvested the dividends along the way!

Yeah, sure thing, old boy. In the same vein, I might as well assume I bought 1,000 bitcoin at $1 - then after ten years I would’ve had, oh boy oh boy!, 45 MILLION dollars! Oh boy!

I am not saying that there is no merit in dividend investing, in fact, I think it is a very smart move. But this very very chatty book (so many asides! so many home-truths!) with a system at its core that relies on assumptions very similar (cough) to the ones made above is strangely non-compelling. Proven system, forsooth!

I do not recommend this book, even if it’s a comfortable read.
13 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2024
I love the strategy behind this book. However, I don't think the downside of investing in dividends was brought up enough. If you want to get "rich with dividends" knowing the pitfalls is just as important as knowing the advantages.

Taxes SUCK when it comes to dividends...
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