Real estate investment trusts (REITs) like W.P. Carey (NYSE: WPC) mainly attract dividend investors -- in this case, with the stock's generous 5% dividend yield. That's well above the S&P 500's 1.4% average yield and the 2.9% yield of the average REIT, using the Vanguard Real Estate Index ETF (NYSEMKT: VNQ) as a proxy.

But growth-minded investors shouldn't ignore high-yield REITs, which becomes very clear when you look at W.P. Carey's total return versus the broader market and the REIT sector. 

Here's a closer look at how much you'd have now if you invested in high-yield W.P. Carey a decade ago and why dividends are so important.

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Source Fool.com