As 2022 showed, investing on Wall Street isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Although the stock market tends to reward patient investors, getting from point A to point B isn't a straight line. Stock market corrections, crashes, and bear markets are normal parts of the investing cycle.

One of the smartest ways to hedge against these inevitable downturns and set yourself up for long-term wealth creation is to buy dividend stocks. Publicly traded companies paying a recurring dividend are typically profitable and time tested. Further, income stocks have a history of long-term outperformance when compared to companies that don't offer a dividend.

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Source Fool.com