From Lagging to Leading: When Success Gets Complicated

Dividend Growth: The Quiet Engine of Wealth Dividend growth investing sounds simple, but doing it well for decades is not. That’s why we wrote Dividend Growth: The Quiet Engine of Wealth—a practical guide to building a framework you can stick with when things get uncomfortable. You can get a free copy here. Plus, join our market newsletter for more on dividend growth investing. ________ After a year of lagging the S&P 500, dividend investors are finally playing catch-up. Income is growing. Prices are rising. Total returns are improving.But success brings a new challenge: what happens when valuations rise, yields fall, and future returns get harder to find?In this episode, Greg explores the hidden downside of success in dividend growth investing. With dividend stocks outperforming early in 2026 and capital rotating out of growth and AI, he explains why rising prices create a new challenge: redeploying capital without sacrificing long-term returns. He revisits income growth vs. total return, explains why cash flow acts as the anchor in volatile markets, and walks through why sometimes the best move is to do nothing. He also contrasts chasing yield with sustainable compounding, including why shifting into Treasuries for higher income can miss the bigger picture.The second half of the episode moves into real portfolio examples—showing what “sell,” “hold,” and “buy” look like in practice:Why Emerson Electric ($EMR) no longer fits the modelWhat Clorox’s ($CLX) acquisition strategy could mean for dividend growthHow Hershey ($HSY) shows patience through commodity cyclesWhy Accenture ($ACN) represents a redeployment opportunityLong-term success isn’t about chasing what’s working today. It’s about discipline, letting income compound, and trusting that if cash flow grows, prices follow.Topics Covered: [00:11] Introduction [03:45] Income growth vs. total return investing [07:24] Why dividend income is the anchor [09:52] Valuation risk and redeployment challenges [10:22] Buffett, patience, and portfolio discipline [11:38] Treasuries vs. dividend stocks: yield vs. growth [13:03] Cash flow as the North Star [15:26] Emerson Electric ($EMR): selling a winner [20:03] Clorox ($CLX): acquisition risk and dividend sustainability [27:40] Hershey ($HSY): commodity cycles and patience [32:03] Accenture ($ACN): dividend growth opportunity [35:11] Redeploying capital in rising markets [36:07] Final takeaway: consistency and long-term compounding  Send us Fan Mail________ Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. This episode is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice.________ RESOURCES:Schedule a meeting with us: Financial Planning & Portfolio Management Getting into the weeds: DCM Investment Reports & ModelsIf you enjoy the show, we'd greatly appreciate it if you subscribe and leave a reviewFollow us on:Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | X