Ford Motor Company (F)

[BillyIdol]

I thought that the rule of thumb was to purchase stocks at least one day before the ex-divi or "must own by" date for it to settle or clear by the "on record date" which is actually 2 days beyond the ex-divi(must own by date). If that is the case, then latest purchase date would be by close on the 26th and not the 21st or 22nd.

I know this question typically comes up on this forum around ex-divi date time and it can be a bit confusing. One thing is for sure, the purchase has to clear by the "On Record" date which is rarely published but safely assumed to be 2 days beyond the published Ex-Divi date. Therefore, if it takes 3 days to clear, then the math says that one could safely buy the day before the Ex-Divi date and still have it clear in time.

Please let me know if I'm wrong on this.