There is no one-size-fits-all strategy to build wealth on Wall Street. Nevertheless, buying and holding dividend stocks over long periods tends to be highly successful.

Approximately 10 years ago, the wealth management division of leading money-center bank JPMorgan Chase released a report comparing the 40-year annualized returns (1972-2012) of publicly traded companies that initiated and grew their payouts to public companies that didn't pay dividends. The results of this comparison were exactly as you would imagine: a complete drubbing by the dividend-paying companies.

The income stocks generated a 9.5% annualized return over four decades. Meanwhile, the non-payers produced a meager 1.6% annualized return over the same span. Though dividend stocks may be viewed as "boring" by some investors, they're historically profitable and time-tested. In short, they have the tools and intangibles needed to increase in value over time.

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Source Fool.com