It’s dividend time! — And time to let go: Money Talks

I’m doing what I said I would do.

If you’ve followed this series, you know I’ve spent more than a year inching toward consolidation.

Last month, I took the final step.

I sold Nike, Hershey and Starbucks — the last three dividend-paying companies in my taxable account.

A clean break. The end of an era.

Not because they failed me, but because the strategy did.

Nike , Hershey and Starbucks were my babies. They did exactly what they were supposed to do. They paid steady dividends, grew a little and gave me that reassuring sense of progress every quarter.

But unless I held thousands of shares and caught a rare breakout, the returns weren’t going to move the needle. The issue wasn’t the companies, it was the approach.

Owning individual dividend stocks gave me activity, not efficienc