<prompt> Human: Ive got a nice stash of GE and a few other smaller stocks with dividends. Im thinking Im going to try and put 10-20 dollars of every paycheck to my trading account to purchase more. Is this a good idea? is there any tips people have so what Im doing will pay off well? Is there other things in the market I can buy with more security and less volatility?this whole concept is new to me and it really took me a while to realize long term stocks were how I wanted to go because I dont have enough to daytrade. Once I finally figured out these GE stocks I was holding onto were paying me I decided it might be a way to go. However I am still very unsure and afraid of buying something bad just because it has dividends.EDIT: Thank you everyone for all your advice I only just learned about stock dividends and got caught up in the idea without also considering the fees and taxes involved. Heres the current plan Im going to stick with.The idea now is to set up drip with the dividend stocks I currently own and when my current non dividend investments hit a certain point Ill sell them off and put that money into mutual funds. Keep paying in minor amounts as I can with my limited budget and either purchase more of the stocks with dividends I already got or go with more mutual funds.Thanks everyone in this topic. This has really turned me in the right direction.  <response>: I agree with the other skeptical comments on here. This strategy makes little sense, especially at your age. Taxes on dividends are significantly higher than taxes on capital gains taxed at your regular income level versus a flat 15 tax for capital gains in stocks youve owned for over 1 year, if memory serves. In the 30-40 years you have left until retirement, your wealth will grow significantly more if you invest with an eye to maximizing returns to capital capital gains, rather than focusing on maximizing yield dividends.It sounds to me as though your portfolio is not nearly as diversified as it should be to avoid unnecessary volatility and risk. You should consider investing in a broad-based index fund that focuses on capital appreciation stocks, rather than dividend stocks, particularly if these investments are not tax-sheltered. Minimizing taxes and beating inflation compromise the majority of the battle in successful long-term investing, and statistically speaking your current strategy will not be effective in accomplishing those two goals. You will also be eaten alive in trading fees. I would suggest checking out one of the following books on long-term buy and hold investing: 