Getting Started: Your Step-by-Step Dividend Plan
How to Start Building Dividend Income
Getting Started: Your Step-by-Step Dividend Plan
Start Here: The MaxDividends Guide to Passive Income
At MaxDividends, our mission is simple
Helping & Supporting Everyone in Building a Growing Passive Income, Retiring Early, and Living Off Dividends.
We’re proud to say—we’re not just talking the talk. There are already dozens of people in our community living entirely off dividends today. And that number keeps growing every month.
Most of them started from scratch. Just like you. What got them there? Passive income. And more specifically—dividends that grow year after year.
That’s exactly what we focus on here: building rising passive income through dividend-paying companies that increase their payouts consistently and don’t cut. Many of these businesses have done it for decades.
— With respect to your wealth,
Max
Quick Intro
This guide is broken down into three steps. You can jump into any section—it’s designed to be flexible. But if you ask me (Max, founder of the world’s largest dividend investing community), I recommend going step by step:
Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3
✅ Step 1: The Concept & Strategy
This section gives you the full picture. We broke it down into two parts:
➤ Quick Version
A few bite-sized articles with everything you need to get the big idea fast:
➤ Deep Dive
Two full eBooks from Max—totally free. Inside, you’ll find the thinking, strategy, and investing philosophy that helped shape the entire MaxDividends platform and community.
I ❤️ Dividends: Why I Believe Dividend Investing Is the Best Strategy
How Effective is the MaxDividends Strategy for Building Growing
✅ Step 2: Your Plan
Before you build anything great, you need a plan. That starts by understanding your goals—your “why.”
If you’re here, reading this, odds are you're already interested in creating passive income and looking for a smart way to make that happen. So let’s do this together.
Max’s Comments - Here’s how I (Max) did it:
I wrote down all of our family’s monthly expenses on a sheet of paper. Then I added some “nice to have” expenses—things we don’t spend on now, but might in the future. Then I added 30% more, just to be safe.
That gave me my target. The number I’d need monthly from dividends to cover life and still enjoy it. For me, it was around $12,000–$14,000 a month. That became my first big goal.
Yours might be different. But the key is this: set a number. Know what you’re aiming for.
Once you’ve got that number, it's time to map out how to get there.
Use the MaxDividends Passive Income Calculator. This is our custom-built planning tool.
It helps you project your dividend income based on your goals, starting point, and strategy.
👉 Just enter your numbers—and play with different options until you find the right combo for you.
And if you’re stuck? Email Max directly: max@maxdividends.app or ask in the MaxDividends community chat. We’ve got your back.
✅ Step 3: Take Action
Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get started. Build your portfolio. Buy your first dividend stocks with MaxDividends.
Your app access details were sent to you in a separate email right after you upgraded to Premium.
Follow your plan with the MaxDividends App – the best dividend investing app on the planet. You’ve got two great options:
Mobile Version (App)
Web Version
Inside the app, you’ll find three tools to help you move forward:
🔹 1. Best Dividend Stocks Lists
We’ve pre-picked top dividend-paying companies—all in one place. Use these lists to choose the brands and businesses you trust. Stick to your plan, and over time, you’ll build a powerful portfolio you can be proud of.
🔹 2. MaxDividends Idea Assistant
Don’t know where to start? We’ve got an in-app idea engine that gives you custom portfolio ideas based on your strategy and budget.
Just tap the rocket icon → pick your focus → get personalized picks. You can grab them all or pick your favorites and try again later with new filters.
🔹 3. Portfolio Assistant – Your Income on Autopilot
This is our hands-free smart assistant. Set your strategy → input your investment amount → get a custom selection of stocks.
The assistant will then track your progress, suggest buys/sells, and guide you all the way to your goal.
Looking for More Dividend Power?
Follow Max’s Portfolio – Weekly Guidance
If you’d rather not overthink it, you can simply follow Max’s trades. Max invests every single week and shares all his trades publicly every Friday.
If this style works for you, just mirror his moves and build your portfolio the same way—one solid dividend stock at a time.
Ongoing Support – We’re With You
The heart of MaxDividends is helping you reach your dividend income goals. Max and the team are always here to help. Got questions? Need guidance?
Don’t hesitate to reach out. We’ll work with you to build your plan and keep you on track. Email Max directly anytime: max@maxdividends.app
Max’s Comments - Here’s how I personally do it:
I stick with the first option (Best Dividend Stocks Lists) —hand-picking companies from our top dividend stock lists. I manage two main stock portfolios:
Developed Markets Dividend Portfolio – This is my primary one. I’ve invested around $1.3 million into it, and it’s currently worth about $1.7 million. The dividend yield on capital is roughly 6%.
U.S. Dividend Portfolio – “$12,000 in 120 Months” – This is my public portfolio. I invest $3,000 into it every week and share all my trades every Friday. It’s built to demonstrate how consistent investing can generate $12,000 annually in dividend income within 10 years.
My Kids’ Portfolios – I manage three separate portfolios (one for each child), and I invest $300 quarterly into each. Here, I focus more on companies with strong capital growth potential.
All of these are long-term investments in financially solid, dividend-growing businesses.
How I Pick Stocks
I use the MaxDividends App with a few key filters:
15+ years of dividend increases
Financial Score of 90+ (ideally 95+)
MaxRatio score of 8+
5Y and TTM Payout Ratios under 70%
Fairly or undervalued vs peers
To make this even easier, we created two key sections in the app:
What’s Next?
Track your portfolio progress inside the MaxDividends app. You’ll see:
Current status
Passive income forecast
Timeline to your goal
How your plan is shaping up
Everything is right there—your full dividend journey at a glance.
Extra Fuel for Your Advanced Dividend Journey
Join the Community
And don’t go it alone. Our dividend investor community is packed with smart, helpful folks who are on the same path as you. Whether you’re just starting or already living off dividends—you’re in good company.
Ask questions, share wins, and celebrate your progress. And when you hit your income goal, we’ll celebrate that too.
🎉 Let us know you’re on the journey with MaxDividends!
And if you’ve got questions—Max is just an email away: max@maxdividends.app
Let’s get to work.
— The MaxDividends Team
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Love the explanation. Thanks!