Whether you have $400 to invest or $400,000, you'd be smart to consider plunking those dollars in some healthy and growing dividend-paying stocks. Why dividend payers? Well, they can appreciate in value just like other good stocks, but while doing so, they'll kick out cash to you regularly -- cash that can be used to support you in retirement or to buy additional shares of stock. And on top of that, healthy and growing dividend payers typically increase their payouts over time, too.

Here's the kicker: Dividend payers tend to perform better than non-payers, too! Check out the table below, adapted from a Hartford Funds report:

Dividend-Paying Status

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Source Fool.com