Last week at a visit to an art gallery one of the attractions was a number of paintings of waterfalls. It was not surprising artists paint waterfalls, the moving water, the fall of the water, the misty atmosphere and the change in landscape are all points of interest. Most of us have our favourite waterfalls be the national in scope or somewhere in the hills near our homes or favourite vacation areas. At the art gallery, I was able to pick out a waterfall which I had visited in the past – Niagara Falls which many people do and seeing it is easily done. One of the reasons it is easy is the approach to Niagara is from top of the falls – only by boat do you see the bottom.  Depending on how you approach – the river rapids are seen from both above and below the falls; the water is moving swiftly; and the falls take up a great deal of space. Some of the other waterfalls in the paintings seemed to be approached from the bottom for there are few roads at the top.

Linking to dividend producing stocks, our perspective is what this column is about. If the painting was from the bottom looking to the top, it may not have been recognized. We all bring biases, whether we admit it or not, this can be very good but it should not limit us to one perspective or approach to investing. Capitalize on both capital gains and income.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.