Hunting for the next big thing is an exciting investment strategy that usually doesn't work out. Luckily, there's a more reliable way to build wealth through the stock market.

If you're more interested in accumulating wealth than impressing folks with prescient stock market picks, consider these dividend-paying stocks. They probably won't deliver dramatic overnight gains, but there's a good chance they'll outperform over time. 

Companies that commit to distributing a portion of their profits behave a little differently, and the end result is higher rates of return for investors. From 1973 through 2021, stocks in the benchmark S&P 500 index that initiated or grew their dividend payouts returned 10.7% annually on average. Over the same time frame, non-dividend payers delivered a measly 4.8% average annual return, according to research from Hartford Funds and Ned Davis.

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Source Fool.com