ROI

• Investors in stock hope for a return on investment composed of dividends or share-price appreciation. Dividends are usually paid out on a quarterly basis by companies with a mature market profile. Many investors look toward dividends as a form of income like interest payments are for bondholders. Look at your financial statement or contact the investor relations department for the company in order to know what the exact date and amount of the dividend payment will be.
  
  

Date of Record

• The board of directors, as representatives of the shareholder, must first declare a dividend for the stockholder. Once a company declares a dividend, it will set a date of record, which is the date the investor must be on the company's books as a shareholder. Investor relations for the company will send financial reports and proxy statements to this person as well.
  
  

Ex-Dividend Date

• Once the date of record is set, the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) sets the ex-dividend date. This date is usually set two business days before the date of record. If you bought the stock before the ex-dividend date, you get the dividend; however, if you purchase it after, the seller gets the dividend. These are standard rules associated with dividend payments, which are monitored by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
  
  

Example

• As an example, if the board of directors declares the dividend on Dec. 20 and sets a date of record for Jan. 10, the ex-dividend date is set two business days before this date on Jan. 8. The actual payment is usually made 30 days after the date of record. A broker, financial adviser or the investor relations department for the company can provide these dates for investors or prospective investors. You can also look this information up on your favorite investment research site.