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Dividend Investing Ideas Center

Over 200 Securities Yielding 5% or More

Generating a meaningful stream of current income is a top priority for any dividend investor. Whether you’re retired, nearing retirement, or just starting out, a juicy dividend yield can make a great complement to your portfolio – just remember to look under the hood and steer clear of dividend value traps.

For those yield-starved investors out there, below we have compiled a list of high-yielding securities of all types, including:

  • U.S. Large Cap Stocks
  • U.S. Mid Cap Stocks
  • U.S. Small Cap Stocks
  • U.S. Micro Cap Stocks
  • Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
  • Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs)
  • American Depository Receipts (ADRs)
  • Exchange-Traded Products (ETFs and ETNs)

Please note this list is limited to DARS-rated securities that boasted an annualized dividend yield above 5% as of 1/13/2015. To see a list of all dividend-paying securities, please visit the Dividend.com Screener.

U.S. Large Cap Stocks

This includes domestic equities with a market capitalization above $10 billion:

U.S. Mid Cap Stocks

This includes domestic equities with a market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion:

U.S. Small Cap Stocks

This includes domestic equities with a market capitalization between $300 million and $2 billion:

U.S. Micro Cap Stocks

This includes domestic equities with a market capitalization below $300 million:

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

This includes special types of corporations that are federally obligated to invest only in real estate; more importantly, as long as REITs pay out at least 90% of their earnings in the form of dividends, the companies are not required to pay income taxes.

To learn more, please refer to The Definitive Guide To REITs.

Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs)

This includes limited partnerships that trade like normal stocks; because of their special tax designation, MLPs pass the tax burden on to their shareholders, but they are also required to pay the vast majority of their earnings out to their partners.

To learn more, please refer to Everything Dividend Investors Need To Know About MLPs.

American Depository Receipts (ADRs)

This includes foreign dividend stocks that are based outside of the U.S., but have shares that trade on U.S. exchanges:

Exchange-Traded Products (ETFs and ETNs)

This includes dividend-paying funds that trade like regular stocks:

The Bottom Line


High-yielding securities are lucrative for obvious reasons; however, what’s not so obvious is separating the “great bargains” from the “dividend traps” out there. Our Best Dividend Stocks list takes much of this guesswork out of the equation and this list can serve as a great starting point for those looking to hone in on fundamentally-sound, dividend paying stocks with attractive growth potential.