It's common knowledge that investing now, at whatever stage you're at in life, gives you the best opportunity to grow your money for the future. Even if you're retired, you can still gain from your investments -- and one of the best ways to do that is through passive income. Reliable dividend stocks that steadily increase payouts and offer competitive yields can help set you up for life, whether you're investing for the future or need passive income right now. (NASDAQ: SBUX) and Realty Income (NYSE: O) are two top choices.

Starbucks has been a market-beating stock for years. It's the largest coffee shop chain in the world, and has its sights set on being the largest fast-food restaurant chain in the world. It hit 37,000 global stores in 2023, but is planning on reaching 55,000 by 2030, which would well surpass McDonalds' 40,000 stores.

Despite major declines at the beginning of the pandemic, Starbucks roared back with double-digit sales increases. Sales were up 12% year over year in the 2023 fiscal third quarter (ended July 2), powered by a 10% rise in comparable sales. Earnings per share (EPS) were $0.99, or 25% higher than last year.

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Source Fool.com