I began seriously investing for dividend income around 2007 when my business at the time was literally falling off a cliff, as most of the world was starting too as well, when my need for another income stream became more apparent. I have always known the benefits of dividends from my very first stock purchase back in 1988 but wasn't yet sold on the concept of tying up my money indefinitely purely for a dividend income stream. It was around that time that I learned about Dividend Aristocrats and Dividend Champions when it all just made sense. I could literally see the effects of compounding dividends from these select companies and thought a nice diversified portfolio could provide me with a decent to excellent income stream decades down the road.