What is an ex-dividend date, and can you profit from it?

You will hear terms such as ‘ex-dividend’ and ‘ex-dividend date’ quite frequently in the course of investing in ASX dividend shares. Shares will periodically be described as ‘going ex-dividend’, or perhaps blamed for a price drop using this excuse. So what is meant by this term, and what does it mean for your investing. Perhaps more importantly, is this fabled date something you can use to your advantage as an ASX dividend investor?

An ex no one wants to break up with

Let’s start from the start. A dividend is a payment that a company makes to its shareholders. In Australia, this is normally carried out every six months, although some companies pause or defer dividends for various reasons.

But how long do you have to…