The bear market of 2022 is taking a toll not just on investment returns, but also on investors' mindsets. Even those who favor growth stocks are turning to stocks paying dividends this year as they search for a way to fight the downturn.

However, the smartest investors know that dividend payments aren't a cure-all for market declines. Even highly profitable companies that exhibit lower volatility aren't immune from this vicious bear. Rather, high-quality dividend stocks are a fantastic way to start building a passive income-generating portfolio of assets. With that in mind, three Fool.com contributors think Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN), American Tower (NYSE: AMT), and Visa (NYSE: V) are worth a look right now.

Billy Duberstein (Texas Instruments): While the iShares Semiconductor ETF is down a huge 39% so far this year, blue chip dividend stock Texas Instruments is only down 14.6% on the year. That puts it ahead of most tech companies as well as the S&P 500 index. Even after TI management gave lackluster guidance on a recent third-quarter earnings call, the stock did not go down much and is still 9.3% above its 52-week lows, perhaps reflecting investors believing the bottom is in.

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Source Fool.com