3 Top Dividend Stocks to Buy in October

The stock market is up modestly heading into the final quarter of the year. Looking at just the 4% gain through September, you might guess 2020 was a normal period for investors, rather than one marked by an over 30% crash and a subsequent 40% rally. It has been anything but a normal investing year.

One reason to like dividend stocks is that they help protect against that kind of volatility by providing a steady stream of income that you can direct toward automatic share purchases or to cash.

Hopefully we won't see stock indexes move again like they have over the last seven pandemic-influenced months. But owning some shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), and Home Depot (NYSE: HD) might still help keep your portfolio stable, and growing, through uncertain economic times.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com