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Improve Your Retirement Income with These 3 Top-Ranked Dividend Stocks
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Here's an eye-opening statistic: older Americans are more afraid of running out of money than of death itself.
And older Americans have legitimate reasons for this worry, even if they have dutifully saved for their golden years. That's because the traditional ways people manage retirement may no longer provide enough income to meet expenses - and with people generally living longer, the principal retirement savings is exhausted far too early in the retirement period.
Your parents' retirement investing plan won't cut it 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.
How can you avoid dipping into your principal when the investments you counted on in retirement aren't producing income? You can only cut your expenses so far, and the only other option is to find a different investment vehicle to generate income.
Invest in Dividend Stocks
As a replacement for low yielding Treasury bonds (and other bond options), we believe dividend-paying stocks from high quality companies offer low risk and stable, predictable income investors in retirement seek.
Look for stocks that have paid steady, increasing dividends for years (or decades), and have not cut their dividends even during recessions.
Going beyond those familiar names, you can find excellent dividend-paying stocks by following a few guidelines. Look for companies that pay a dividend yield of around 3%, with positive annual dividend growth. The growth rate is key to help combat the effects of inflation.
Here are three dividend-paying stocks retirees should consider for their nest egg portfolio.
Fidelity National Information Services (FIS - Free Report) is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.36 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.11%. This compares to the Financial Transaction Services industry's yield of 0% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.59%. The company's annualized dividend growth in the past year was 10.64%. Check Fidelity National Information Services (FIS - Free Report) dividend history here>>>
Banco Itau (ITUB - Free Report) is paying out a dividend of $0.2 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 5.61% compared to the Banks - Foreign industry's yield of 3.74% and the S&P 500's yield. The annualized dividend growth of the company was 4.56% over the past year. Check Banco Itau (ITUB - Free Report) dividend history here>>>
Currently paying a dividend of $0.25 per share, Park Hotels & Resorts (PK - Free Report) has a dividend yield of 22.29%. This is compared to the REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry's yield of 4.71% and the S&P 500's current yield. Annualized dividend growth for the company in the past year was 272%. Check Park Hotels & Resorts (PK - Free Report) dividend history here>>>
But aren't stocks generally more risky than bonds?
It is true that stocks, as an asset class, carry more risk than bonds, but high-quality dividend stocks not only have the ability to produce income growth over time but more importantly, can also reduce your overall portfolio volatility relative to the broader stock market.
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.
If you're interested in investing in dividends, but are thinking about mutual funds or ETFs rather than stocks, beware of fees. Mutual funds and specialized ETFs may carry high fees, which could lower the overall gains you earn from dividends, undercutting your dividend income strategy. Be sure to look for funds with low fees if you decide on this approach.
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.
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Improve Your Retirement Income with These 3 Top-Ranked Dividend Stocks
Here's an eye-opening statistic: older Americans are more afraid of running out of money than of death itself.
And older Americans have legitimate reasons for this worry, even if they have dutifully saved for their golden years. That's because the traditional ways people manage retirement may no longer provide enough income to meet expenses - and with people generally living longer, the principal retirement savings is exhausted far too early in the retirement period.
Your parents' retirement investing plan won't cut it 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.
How can you avoid dipping into your principal when the investments you counted on in retirement aren't producing income? You can only cut your expenses so far, and the only other option is to find a different investment vehicle to generate income.
Invest in Dividend Stocks
As a replacement for low yielding Treasury bonds (and other bond options), we believe dividend-paying stocks from high quality companies offer low risk and stable, predictable income investors in retirement seek.
Look for stocks that have paid steady, increasing dividends for years (or decades), and have not cut their dividends even during recessions.
Going beyond those familiar names, you can find excellent dividend-paying stocks by following a few guidelines. Look for companies that pay a dividend yield of around 3%, with positive annual dividend growth. The growth rate is key to help combat the effects of inflation.
Here are three dividend-paying stocks retirees should consider for their nest egg portfolio.
Fidelity National Information Services (FIS - Free Report) is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.36 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.11%. This compares to the Financial Transaction Services industry's yield of 0% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.59%. The company's annualized dividend growth in the past year was 10.64%. Check Fidelity National Information Services (FIS - Free Report) dividend history here>>>
Banco Itau (ITUB - Free Report) is paying out a dividend of $0.2 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 5.61% compared to the Banks - Foreign industry's yield of 3.74% and the S&P 500's yield. The annualized dividend growth of the company was 4.56% over the past year. Check Banco Itau (ITUB - Free Report) dividend history here>>>
Currently paying a dividend of $0.25 per share, Park Hotels & Resorts (PK - Free Report) has a dividend yield of 22.29%. This is compared to the REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry's yield of 4.71% and the S&P 500's current yield. Annualized dividend growth for the company in the past year was 272%. Check Park Hotels & Resorts (PK - Free Report) dividend history here>>>
But aren't stocks generally more risky than bonds?
It is true that stocks, as an asset class, carry more risk than bonds, but high-quality dividend stocks not only have the ability to produce income growth over time but more importantly, can also reduce your overall portfolio volatility relative to the broader stock market.
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.
If you're interested in investing in dividends, but are thinking about mutual funds or ETFs rather than stocks, beware of fees. Mutual funds and specialized ETFs may carry high fees, which could lower the overall gains you earn from dividends, undercutting your dividend income strategy. Be sure to look for funds with low fees if you decide on this approach.
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.