Every investor's dream is to make enough passive income to achieve financial independence. One excellent source of passive income is dividend-paying stocks.

Not any dividend stock will do. The best dividend stocks have sound businesses and a good history of managing their money. Companies with a long history of dividend increases have a proven track record and are an excellent place to look.

Dividend Kings are companies that have raised dividends for 50 consecutive years. To say they have been battle-tested is an understatement. For a company to be a Dividend King, it has had to traverse seven recessions in the U.S. since 1972. If you have $2,000 to invest and are looking to build passive income, here are the four top dividend stocks you should consider buying today.

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Source Fool.com