The Weight of Dividends

Both, ostensibly, offered a balm to the anxieties of those seeking income from the American enterprise. But their paths diverged, as all paths inevitably do. The Vanguard fund, a meticulous gardener, favored those companies that consistently bore fruit, nurturing a slow, deliberate growth. The iShares fund, however, preferred the immediate bounty, plucking the ripest, most readily available dividends, regardless of the long-term health of the tree. It was a choice between the promise of a future harvest and the satisfaction of an immediate feast, a decision that revealed more about the investor than the funds themselves.







