There are lots of ways to invest $1,000 these days. You could take a flyer on the latest cryptocurrency or hyped AI growth stock. Those bets could turn your investment into a lot more money, or they could lose some or all of your investment.

A lower-risk option is to invest that cash into an income-generating investment like dividend stocks. While you can still lose money investing in dividend stocks, they've historically been a solid investment. Over the last 50 years, the average dividend stock in the S 500 has delivered a 9.2% annualized total return (more than double the 4.3% return of non-payers), according to data from Hartford Funds and Ned Davis Research. At that rate, you could double your money in eight years, with the dividend income contributing significantly to the higher return.

There are lots of good dividend stocks to choose from. Vici Properties (NYSE: VICI), (NYSE: VZ), and Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) stand out for their ability to pay high-yielding and steadily rising dividends, making them ideal passive income investments.

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Source Fool.com