Dividend investing is one of the most reliable ways to generate passive income from your portfolio. But how much of that income you actually keep depends heavily on one factor — taxes — and specifically whether your dividends qualify for the preferential tax treatment the IRS calls "qualified" status.
Depending on your income level, you may owe nothing on your qualified dividends. But even at high-income levels, the taxes will almost always be lower than what you pay on most other investments.
