Good news for long-term investors: corporate America paid a record amount in dividends last year, even as the S & P 500 approached a near-record high. That's good news because reinvested dividends are a critical part of long-term shareholder wealth. The bad news: another favorite way of indirectly returning cash to investors — share buybacks — were down big last year. A record year for dividends In 2023, companies in the S & P 500 paid out $588 billion in dividends, a new record. Dividend payouts: another record year (S & P 500 cash payout, billions) 2023: $588b 2022: $564b 2021: $511b 2020: $483b 2019: $485b Source: S & P Global…
