Investing directly in the stock market is a risky thing, and it can be quite scary for the individual investor, indeed. In my quest to DIY, I am on the hunt for returns (higher than inflation) while mitigating risk as much as possible. That may sound like an oxymoron, granted; I am investing directly in individual stocks! To compensate for that, I am looking towards dividend paying stocks. Preferably, even dividend growth stocks.
The difference between the two approaches is a stock continually paying the same amount of dividend over a long historical period of time vs a stock also continually paying a dividend over a long historical period of time, yet that dividend amount rising along the way (growth).
Keeping up on the strongly recommended reading on the vast topic of stock investing, I ran across this very interesting and chuck full of content article on SeekingAlpha. A personal experience story and affirmation why a dividend investment strategy may be the strategy for the DIY investor over the long run. The embedded links in above article just adds to the learning opportunity!
Enjoy!