Dividend stocks are appealing for a lot of reasons. For most investors, the first reason is that they provide a steady source of income at a higher rate than is typically available from savings instruments and bonds.

They're also typically regarded as reliable and less volatile than growth stocks and, despite their relative staidness, they can be strong long-term performers, providing both income and share growth.

That's because it takes a successful business to provide a consistent, ideally growing, source of passive income year after year. If that appeals to you, Realty Income (NYSE: O) may be the best dividend stock you can find.

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Source Fool.com