Compound interest is when interest previously earned is added to the principle and is considered when calculating future interest – i.e. earning interest on interest. So, what’s more powerful than compound interest? Compound dividends! Compound dividends are like compound interest on steroids.

In 1985 took my first job as a staff accountant with a $21,000 annual salary. Now I am over the same department that I was hired into and entry level staff accountants earn $56,500 per year. That equates to a 4.2% annual increase. Just as employees expect an annual raise, so do dividend investors.