The economy doesn't always go up; recessions occur when the economy contracts, which can have real-world consequences for consumers, businesses, and the stock market. Despite recession talk ramping up in the media, nobody knows when the next recession will happen or how severe it will be. Investors can prepare their portfolios by looking for stocks with a proven long-term growth history.

Dividend stocks are great for this. Companies that have raised their dividends for the past 25 consecutive years have done well enough to continue paying shareholders more despite recessions following the dot-com bubble, the financial crisis, and the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only high-quality companies with durable competitive advantages, prudent management teams, and healthy fundamentals can pull that off.

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Source Fool.com