With just days to go in 2022, the market has experienced a hard reset. Stocks are down, sure, but much more than that has happened. The Fed has been aggressively raising interest rates, bringing the end to an era of zero-interest rate monetary policy. Suddenly, investing in profitable businesses that pay dividends is back in style.

But bear markets are not the only time to be excited about dividend-paying stocks. Rather, companies that spin off increasing amounts of cash every year to their shareholders are a tried-and-true way to beat the market over the long term. In that light, three Fool.com contributors showcase rising dividend payments, free-cash-flow growth, and stock buybacks as excellent signals for investors to seek out if they want to dive into dividend investing. Here's why.

Anders Bylund (Dividend growth): Predictable dividend growth for the long haul is a key ingredient in an income investor's tool belt. In fact, many dividend investors simply won't touch a stock that doesn't come with a long history of annual dividend increases.

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Source Fool.com