How crashing dividend stocks can boost your chances of retiring early

Buying undervalued dividend stocks could enable you to generate high returns in a subsequent market recovery that improves your chances of retiring early.

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Buying dividend stocks in the current economic climate may not appear to be a worthwhile move for many investors. They may feel that further stock market declines are ahead. And the value of their portfolio could come under severe pressure.

However, over the long run, many dividend stocks that have recently crashed could deliver strong recoveries. As such, it may be worth buying a selection of them now while they offer good value for money. This strategy could improve your financial outlook. Indeed, it can help to bring your retirement date a step closer.

Value for money

Buying stocks while they offer good value for money has been a highly successful investment strategy in the past. Following it at the present time could prove to be a shrewd move. That’s because a number of high-quality dividend stocks appear to be trading on valuations lower than their historic averages.

Certainly, a challenging economic outlook could cause their prices to move even lower in the short run. But, the past performance of the stock market shows they’re unlikely to remain at depressed prices over the long run. In fact, the stock market has always recovered from its various bear markets to move to higher price levels than those achieved in its previous bull market.

Therefore, purchasing high-quality companies that have the potential to pay growing dividends could lead to a substantial retirement nest egg in the coming years.

Relative appeal

Demand for dividend stocks may not be especially high at present among income investors. Significant risks are facing the world economy that may disrupt operating environments across a wide range of industries.

However, over time, the popularity of dividend stocks could increase significantly. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to generate a worthwhile income return from other mainstream assets, such as cash and bonds. Policymakers are likely to maintain a supportive monetary policy stance even as the economy recovers through policies such as low interest rates. So demand for income-paying stocks could increase.

This may help to push the prices of dividend stocks higher in the coming years. The end result could be a larger retirement nest egg that makes it easier for you to generate a generous passive income in older age.

Focusing on quality dividend stocks

At the present time, many industries are experiencing significant change. This may persist over the next few years, as consumer habits are potentially altered by the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic.

Therefore, diversifying across a range of dividend stocks could be a logical move. It will enable you to reduce your overall risk at a time when it’s unclear exactly which sectors will deliver strong performances in the long run.

This strategy could also boost your returns and provide a more resilient passive income that helps you to achieve retirement status earlier than expected.

RISK WARNING: should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice. The Motley Fool believes in building wealth through long-term investing and so we do not promote or encourage high-risk activities including day trading, CFDs, spread betting, cryptocurrencies, and forex. Where we promote an affiliate partner’s brokerage products, these are focused on the trading of readily releasable securities.

Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

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