IF YOU'RE INVESTED IN THE FUTURE OF THE STOCK MARKET, THIS IS YOUR WAKE-UP CALL. DIVIDENDS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. THEY'RE PART OF THE SOLUTION. Forget the Great Recession. According to fund manager and author Daniel Peris, the real threat to investment returns from stocks is the Great Retreat--a 30-year drop in the dividend payout ratio of the leading corporations in the United States that has rendered the U.S. stock market a grand casino rather than a business investment platform. Peris believes that profit distributions--the dividends of publicly traded corporations--are the greatest indicators of a business's success. Investors and company executives should focus on them. This is The Dividend Imperative, a bold new vision for anyone interested in having a stronger, broader, and healthier stock market for everyone. If you're a personal investor this book will show you how to identify and invest incompanies that value shareholders by rewarding them with ample, growing dividends. If you're a portfolio manager this book will help you shift your focus from near-term earnings to long-term dividends--even if it goes against conventional wisdom. If you re a business leader this book will show you how to restore trust and confidence in the corporate world, the stock market, and the future of investing. This is no get-rich-quick scheme or one-size-fits-all money guide. It is a realistic, tightly reasoned approach to dividend investing that could have far-reaching effects on Main Street and Wall Street alike. Using real-world case studies and analytic models, Peris shows investors and companies that concentrating on dividend generation and growth can lead to mutually rewarding results. You'll learn why stocks go up when dividends go up--and what it means to a company's bottom line. You'll discover practical financial tools for assessing the value of higher dividend payouts and determining the value of a dividend growth trajectory. Even if your direct stock market experience has been disappointing or your mutual funds have performed poorly in recent years, refocusing your efforts on dividend strategies can provide just the vision you need to achieve long-term success with your investments. This is what business is all about. This is how investors and companies can share profi ts, build trust, and create opportunities for the future. This is The Dividend Imperative. You've seen the markets swing from bubble to scandal and back again. You ve watched the divide between Wall Street and Main Street grow larger each year. You've wished there was a strategic approach to investing that strengthened portfolios, benefited companies, and bolstered the economy as well. The answer, according to business investor Daniel Peris, is simple. You need to focus on dividends. Investors need to demand bigger dividends, and U.S. corporations need to pay out more of their profits as dividends. This is THE DIVIDEND IMPERATIVE--a powerful new call to action for investors and corporate leaders by the acclaimed author of The Strategic Dividend Investor. "[Peris's] ideas about aligning interests through higher dividend payments may be counter to current Wall Street wisdom, but savvy investors should trust Peris to guide them toward a strategy that focuses on generating strong long-term returns." -- JOHN EADE, President, Argus Research "Peris makes a compelling case that investors and companies need to focus more on dividends, which have accounted for the lion s share of stock market returns." -- JOHN HEINZL, Toronto's The Globe and Mail "If you re a shareholder, and not a near-term 'shareseller,' you deserve a better deal. Most companies can afford to pay higher dividends. Here's why they should. Investors who like cash should cheer for Peris." -- JEFFREY KOSNETT, editor of Kiplinger's Investing for Income "The book is a rallying cry for long-term investors to regain their rightful position using a simple but very powerful tool that they have at their disposal--demand for increased dividends." -- WILLIAM LYONS, CFO, CONSOL Energy