complete, utter confusion about royal dutch shell's dividend

[Joey Batz]

Can someone make sense of Royal Dutch Shell's new dividend policy?

http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/i...ement.html

This IS new, right? I can't even tell what someone who buys RDS-B in the US would be getting in future dividends. And they keep talking about "interim" dividends. What do they mean by that? They have the new SCRIP program where you can elect to receive cash or shares as your dividends. Why is the current dividend payment an "interim" one.

I'm way too confused for this.

[rapidacid]

I don't own RDS.B so not sure if it's new, but it reads to me like US owners of the ADR ( RDS.B ) will keep getting $0.94 a quarter

http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/rds-b/dividend-history

[Robandcindy2]

http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/i...olicy.html

Beginning with its first quarter interim dividend for 2015, RDS provides eligible shareholders with a choice to receive dividends in cash or in shares via a Scrip Dividend Programme.

Find out more about the Scrip Dividend Programme
When setting the dividend, the Board of Directors looks at a range of factors, including the macro environment, the current balance sheet and future investment plans. In addition, we may choose to return cash to shareholders through share buybacks, subject to the capital requirements of Shell. It is our intention that dividends will be declared and paid quarterly.

Dividends are declared in US dollars and we announce the euro and sterling equivalent amounts at a later date.

Dividends declared on Class A shares are paid by default in Euros, although holders of Class A shares are able to elect to receive dividends in sterling.

Dividends declared on Class B shares are paid by default in sterling, although holders of Class B shares are able to elect to receive dividends in Euros.

Dividends declared on ADSs are paid in US dollars.

Please refer to the dividend timetable for dates relevant to Shell’s dividend.

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I own RDS.B in my Vanguard IRA. I receive a dividend and Vanguard reinvests that dividend in shares (fractional shares I believe is the correct term). This just occurred on 3/20/15

(I may be wrong but the Scrip Programme almost sounds like a DRIP...)