Get Rich with Dividends

Reviewed by Diario de un Inversor · UpdatedJune 13, 2026

Our review

Get Rich with Dividends by Marc Lichtenfeld presents a structured system for building a portfolio of growing dividend stocks in the US market. The book's central proposal is what the author calls the «10-11-12 system»: companies that deliver at least 10% total annual return, grow their dividend by at least 11% annually, and offer an initial yield of at least 4%. Lichtenfeld combines fundamental analysis — balance sheet quality, dividend coverage, payment history — with concrete selection criteria and lists of companies that have demonstrated decades of consecutive dividend growth. The book is clear, structured, and reasonably practical, though its applicability outside the United States is limited given that the company universe it studies is almost exclusively North American. The most substantive critique is that the 10% return target is a historical aspiration rather than a guaranteeable outcome, and the book could be more explicit in communicating that distinction. It is a solid reference for English-speaking readers interested in the dividend strategy from a systematic perspective.

Key takeaways

• Companies with a long history of consecutive dividend increases demonstrate a business strength that is difficult to fabricate.
• A low but steadily growing dividend generates more long-term value than a high initial yield that stagnates.
• Free cash flow dividend coverage is the most important filter before any stock selection decision.
• Systematic reinvestment of dividends into shares of the same companies meaningfully accelerates the compounding process.

Fact

Published in 2012, the book references the S&P 500's Dividend Aristocrats index, which groups companies with at least 25 consecutive years of dividend increases.