Got $500? 2 REITs You Should Buy

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are wonderful income plays, but you want to invest in the best names. It's just safer to reduce your risk when you put money to work in an industry that makes generous use of leverage to buy hard-to-sell assets. But if history is any guide, Realty Income (NYSE: O) and National Retail Properties (NYSE: NNN) are the kinds of names you can buy and happily own for years to come.

Realty Income has trademarked the nickname "The Monthly Dividend Company." That speaks to the fact that it pays a monthly dividend, as well as the 97 consecutive quarterly dividend increases it has now amassed. It's a Dividend Aristocrat that has proven its reliability to dividend investors, so it can afford to make some bold claims.

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Source Fool.com