Among the many strategies that can make investors handsomely richer, buying dividends stocks tends to be one of the most successful. Companies that pay a regular dividend often have transparent long-term outlooks, have proven their ability to navigate economic weakness, and, most importantly, are almost always profitable on a recurring basis.

To build on the above, dividend stocks are clear winners in the return department, when put head-to-head against nonpayers.

According to a study published in 2013 by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, a division of America's largest bank by assets, JPMorgan Chase, publicly traded companies that had initiated and grown their payouts between 1972 and 2012 generated a healthy annualized return of 9.5%. Meanwhile, publicly traded companies that didn't offer a payout produced an annualized return of only 1.6% over the same 40 years.

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Source Fool.com