The mortgage. The car payment. The power bill. The cell phone bill. Your regular dividend check. : While almost every one of your obligations comes once a month across all 12 months of the year, most stocks or funds you can invest in will pay you just four times a year. If you’re still working, you’re probably thinking “no big deal.” That’s true—your job pays you once or twice a month, so who cares when you collect dividends? You’re not touching your 401(k) or IRA now anyway. But retirees know the struggle.