Ex-dividend date

[danshirley]

Several posters have been questioning the meaning of the ex-dividend date. I must admit this used to puzzle me a bit also and I had to get accustomed to the meaning thereof.
The IRS says the ex-dividend date is: "the first date following the declaration of a dividend on which the buyer of a stock is not entitled to receive the next dividend payment."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-dividend_date
Note the relationship between the record date and the ex-dividend date. If you are going to do dividends you need to know this info very clearly... or you're not going to get your dividends.

[Driftr]

So if I want to buy a stock on the last day possible in order to get the most recent dividend I need to own it at the close the day before the Ex-Div date?

[danshirley]

So if I want to buy a stock on the last day possible in order to get the most recent dividend I need to own it at the close the day before the Ex-Div date

just to reiterate