For investors, dividends serve as a popular source of investment income. For the issuing company, they are a way to redistribute profits to shareholders as a way to thank them for their support and to encourage additional investment. Dividends also serve as an announcement of the company's success. Because dividends are issued from a company's retained earnings, only companies that are substantially profitable issue dividends with consistency. Dividends are often paid in cash, but they can also be issued in the form of additional shares. In either case, the amount each investor receives is dependent on their current ownership stakes. C-TRADE enables shareholders to receive their dividends through the C-TRADE platform. It has created avenues that make it easier for individual investors to easily access, re- invest or withdraw their dividends whether in foreign or local currency. Investors simply have to download the C-TRADE mobile App from Google Playstore or dial *727# on their mobile phone. Alternatively they can visit www.ctrade.co.zw to access a newly created C-TRADE account. Under ‘My Profile’ click PRE-CREATED ACCOUNT, enter Shareholder number (refer to your dividend advice slip) and complete all missing details as requested. Investors who have not created C-TREADE accounts cannot access this service. C-TRADE will activate the account, giving the investor access to their C-TRADE portfolio to view their dividend. To buy shares, enter the foreign currency amount you want to use and select ‘CONVERT’ to activate the process of conversion to ZWL currency. Once the conversion has been done through the bank, your ZWL wallets will be credited with the equivalent ZWL amounts and you will proceed to place an order. Alternatively, to withdraw your dividends from C-TRADE you will be required to convert to ZWL and withdraw the dividends through the C-TRADE normal withdrawal procedure. Currently the counter which is already active is Seed Co international and Old Mutual Zimbabwe Limited and C-TRADE will be adding more counters. The declaration of a dividend naturally encourages investors to purchase shares. Because investors know that they will receive a dividend if they purchase the stock before the ex-dividend date, they are willing to pay a premium. This causes the price of stock to increase in the days leading up to the ex-dividend date. In general, the increase is about equal to the amount of the dividend, but the actual price change is based on market activity and not determined by any governing entity. Investing in shares that pay dividends can be a good strategy, especially if an investor wants regular cash coming in reliably. Reliability is more important than a high payout. Dividends aren't guaranteed. A company that paid a huge amount of money last year but may not pay it again this year isn't necessarily worth owning. You still have to do your research. You still have to buy great companies, not just stocks that pay the highest dividends per share Even if the share price barely moves the whole year, investors stil