Warren Buffett and his company Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) need no introduction. Between 1965 and 2023, Berkshire's stock generated a total gain of 4,384,748%, or a compound annual gain of 19.

The late Senator Everett Dirksen once reportedly said, "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money." With that quote in mind, Warren Buffett's dividend income this year will be real money.

Buffett -- as well as his late great partner Charlie Munger -- would recommend avoiding leverage at all costs in your portfolio. Why? Because when the market turns (which it will inevitably do at times), the downside can wipe you out. The levered Nasdaq ETF went into a massive drawdown in 2022, and that was just one year of bad returns.