"3M the Dividend Aristocrat" - why I dislike Div Stocks (Patreon)

BREAKING NEWS - 3M Tentatively Agrees to $5.5B Over Military Earplugs

Hey team

For more than 15 mths, I've been consistently urged by the community to investigate 3M. This company holds special favor in the eyes of a prominent YouTuber, whom we'll refer to as "G". G seems to favor 3M due to its robust foundational strengths and its involvement in various burgeoning sectors like the metaverse and electric vehicles.

I've never been fond of 3M, mainly because I only have a preference for growth / disruption companies. Additionally, if a company is paying dividends, it often indicates that they are unable to achieve a more favorable return by reinvesting in their own business.

Well, breaking news -  3M Tentatively Agrees to $5.5B Over Military Earplugs:

• Over 300,000 lawsuits pertain to defective military earplugs sold to the U.S. military.
• The defects spanned 12 years, contributing to the litigation's prolonged impact on the company.
• New settlements estimated liability ranged from 8 billion (Barclays' estimate) to 9.5 billion USD.
• A tentative settlement aims to resolve over 300,000 cases, about half the expected amount.
• 3M faced losses in 10 of 16 trials and paid significant sums, such as 77.5 million to a veteran.
• The company concurrently grapples with other major litigations, including "forever chemicals" with potential 2-3 times higher liability and a 12.5 billion USD cleanup effort for tainted drinking water.
• Three M, known for duct tape and Post-it notes, previously attempted strategic bankruptcy for earplug litigation, which was denied by a federal judge. 

Needless to say - there is a lesson here.... 

1) avoid dividend stocks

2) avoid companies in heavy duty non frivolous litigation

I express my sincere apologies to all veterans and individuals who have experienced injuries as a consequence of this situation.