There's a lot to love about dividend-paying stocks. For one thing, they not only generate regular payouts of cash, but healthy, growing dividend-paying stocks also tend to have stock prices that appreciate over time. Better still, they tend to increase their payouts every year or two as well. And when the economy temporarily heads south, as it occasionally does, most dividend payers will still keep paying you.

Stick with solid dividend-paying stocks for many years, and your portfolio can grow powerfully. They're great for producing income for retirees, but also great for generating cash that can be invested in younger people's portfolios. Here are three dividend payers to consider.

Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) is a terrific stock for beginning investors to consider -- because, unlike, say, biotechnology or high-tech companies, the business is relatively easy to understand. (It can serve experienced investors well, too, of course.) It sells coffee, and it has been able to grow not only by opening more locations, but also by widening its offerings, to include foods, sugary confections, and more. (Indeed, the first Starbucks didn't sell brewed coffee at all -- just coffee beans, tea, and spices, in bulk.)

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Source Fool.com