Suppose you want to focus on generating a stream of passive income you can rely on. While you could invest in Treasury bonds or rental property, one of the simplest ways to collect income today is by investing in dividend stocks.

Dividend stocks can be excellent income producers and tend to be higher-quality companies with more robust businesses. For example, Hartford Funds and Ned Davis Research did a study and found that Dividend payers outperformed an equal-weighted S 500 index over the last five decades. Companies that grew their dividends performed even better with less volatility.

If you're looking to generate reliable long-term passive income, consider these three stocks with a long history of growing their dividend payouts.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com