Want Decades of Passive Income? 3 Stocks to Buy Now
"Passive income" sounds nice, doesn't it? You simply invest your money and the cash rolls in. Of course, nothing is that simple when it comes to finances, but there is a lot to be said for income earned regularly with minimal effort.
There are many stocks that have long-term records of steady, predictable dividend payments. The field narrows somewhat when you push the past-performance window back by decades, and then further narrow it to those that have kept up with or even outpaced the greater market -- and that you can reasonably expect to do the same for decades to come.
Three to consider are Altria Group (NYSE: MO), Realty Income (NYSE: O), and the Fidelity 500 Index Fund (NASDAQMUTFUND: FXAIX). The chart below shows how much these three stocks have generated in total returns and how much they've increased their dividends since 1988, when the Fidelity index fund was introduced.
Source Fool.com