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Improve Your Retirement Income with These 3 Top-Ranked Dividend Stocks

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Believe it or not, seniors fear running out of cash more than they fear dying.

And unfortunately, even retirees who have built a nest egg have good reason to be concerned - with the traditional approaches to retirement planning, income may no longer cover expenses. That means retirees are dipping into principal to make ends meet, setting up a race against time between dwindling investment balances and longer lifespans.

Retirement investing approaches of the past don't work today.

For example, 10-year Treasury bonds in the late 1990s offered a yield of around 6.50%, which translated to an income source you could count on. However, today's yield is much lower and probably not a viable return option to fund typical retirements.

That means if you had $1 million in 10-year Treasuries, the difference in yield between 1999 and today is more than $1 million.

And lower bond yields aren't the only potential problem seniors are facing. Today's retirees aren't feeling as secure as they once did about Social Security, either. Benefit checks will still be coming for the foreseeable future, but based on current estimates, Social Security funds will run out of money in 2035.

So what can retirees do? You could dramatically reduce your expenses, and go out on a limb hoping your Social Security benefits don't diminish. On the other hand, you could opt for an alternative investment that gives a steady, higher-rate income stream to supplant lessening bond yields.

Invest in Dividend Stocks

Dividend-paying stocks from low-risk, high-quality companies are a smart way to generate steady and reliable attractive income streams to replace low risk, low yielding Treasury and bond options.

Look for stocks that have paid steady, increasing dividends for years (or decades), and have not cut their dividends even during recessions.

One way to identify suitable candidates is to look for stocks with an average dividend yield of 3%, and positive average annual dividend growth. Many stocks increase dividends over time, helping to offset the effects of inflation.

Here are three dividend-paying stocks retirees should consider for their nest egg portfolio.

Amgen (AMGN - Free Report) is currently shelling out a dividend of $2.13 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.02%. This compares to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry's yield of 0% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.63%. The company's annualized dividend growth in the past year was 10.23%. Check Amgen (AMGN - Free Report) dividend history here>>>

First Community Bancshares (FCBC - Free Report) is paying out a dividend of $0.29 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.58% compared to the Banks - Southeast industry's yield of 2.17% and the S&P 500's yield. The annualized dividend growth of the company was 7.41% over the past year. Check First Community Bancshares (FCBC - Free Report) dividend history here>>>

Currently paying a dividend of $1.57 per share, Global Partners LP (GLP - Free Report) has a dividend yield of 6.86%. This is compared to the Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing - Master Limited Partnerships industry's yield of 6% and the S&P 500's current yield. Annualized dividend growth for the company in the past year was 8.7%. Check Global Partners LP (GLP - Free Report) dividend history here>>>

But aren't stocks generally more risky than bonds?

Yes, that's true. As a broad category, bonds carry less risk than stocks. However, the stocks we are talking about - dividend -paying stocks from high-quality companies - can generate income over time and also mitigate the overall volatility of your portfolio compared to the stock market as a whole.

An upside to adding dividend stocks to your retirement portfolio: they can help lessen the effects of inflation, since many dividend-paying companies (especially blue chip stocks) generally increase their dividends over time.

Thinking about dividend-focused mutual funds or ETFs? Watch out for fees.

You may be thinking, "I like this dividend strategy, but instead of investing in individual stocks, I'm going to find a dividend-focused mutual fund or ETF." This approach can make sense, but be aware that some mutual funds and specialized ETFs carry high fees, which may reduce your dividend gains or income, and defeat the goal of this dividend investment approach. If you do wish to invest in a fund, do your research to find the best-quality dividend funds with the lowest fees.

Bottom Line

Whether you select high-quality, low-fee funds or stocks, seeking the steady income of dividend-paying equities can potentially offer you a path to a better and more stress-free retirement.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Amgen Inc. (AMGN) - free report >>

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (FCBC) - free report >>

Global Partners LP (GLP) - free report >>

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