A natural gas meter. strickke Eventually, living off dividends is only viable so long as the underlying income stream of a portfolio possesses the following two traits: It is reliable. By that, I mean it can't be steady for a while, only to plunge from dividend suspensions/cuts in any given year. It is consistently growing enough to keep up with inflation. Even if a portfolio's passive income remains constant over the years, that's not enough by itself to sustain a viable retirement. Flat income year af ...