Here's an eye-opening statistic: older Americans are more afraid of running out of money than of death itself.
And retirees have good reason to be worried about making their assets last. People are living longer, so that money has to cover a longer period. Making matters worse, income generated using tried-and-true retirement planning approaches may not cover expenses these days. That means seniors must dip into principal to meet living expenses.
In today's economic environment, traditional income investments are not working.
For example, 10-year Treasury bonds in the late 1990s offered a yield of around 6.50%, which translated to an income source you could count on. However, today's yield is much lower and probably not a viable return option to fund typical retirements.
That means if you had $1 million in 10-year Treasuries, the difference in yield between 1999 and today is more than $1 million.
Today's retirees are getting hit hard by reduced bond yields - and the Social Security picture isn't too rosy either. Right now and for the near future, Social Security benefits are still being paid, but it has been estimated that the Social Security funds will be depleted as soon as 2035.
How can you avoid dipping into your principal when the investments you counted on in retirement aren't producing income? You can only cut your expenses so far, and the only other option is to find a different investment vehicle to generate income.
Invest in Dividend Stocks
We feel that these dividend-paying equities - as long as they are from high-quality, low-risk issuers - can give retirement investors a smart option to replace low-yielding Treasury bonds (or other bonds).
Look for stocks that have paid steady, increasing dividends for years (or decades), and have not cut their dividends even during recessions.
One way to identify suitable candidates is to look for stocks with an average dividend yield of 3%, and positive average annual dividend growth. Many stocks increase dividends over time, helping to offset the effects of inflation.
Here are three dividend-paying stocks retirees should consider for their nest egg portfolio.
First Financial Corp. (THFF)
is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.51 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.61%. This compares to the Banks - Midwest industry's yield of 2.69% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.53%. The company's annualized dividend growth in the past year was 13.33%. Check First Financial Corp. dividend history here>>>
TowneBank (TOWN)
is paying out a dividend of $0.27 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.01% compared to the Banks - Southeast industry's yield of 2.18% and the S&P 500's yield. The annualized dividend growth of the company was 8% over the past year. Check TowneBank dividend history here>>>
Currently paying a dividend of $0.5 per share,
Tyson Foods (TSN)
has a dividend yield of 3.59%. This is compared to the Food - Meat Products industry's yield of 0% and the S&P 500's current yield. Annualized dividend growth for the company in the past year was 2.04%. Check Tyson Foods dividend history here>>>
But aren't stocks generally more risky than bonds?
The fact is that stocks, as an asset class, carry more risk than bonds. To counterbalance this, invest in superior quality dividend stocks that not only can grow over time but more significantly, can also decrease your overall portfolio volatility with respect to the broader stock market.
An advantage of owning dividend stocks for your retirement nest egg is that numerous companies, particularly blue chip stocks, raise their dividends over time, helping alleviate the impact of inflation on your potential retirement income.
Thinking about dividend-focused mutual funds or ETFs? Watch out for fees.
If you prefer investing in funds or ETFs compared to individual stocks, you can still pursue a dividend income strategy. However, it's important to know the fees charged by each fund or ETF, which can ultimately reduce your dividend income, working against your strategy. Do your homework and make sure you know the fees charged by any fund before you invest.
Bottom Line
Whether you select high-quality, low-fee funds or stocks, seeking the steady income of dividend-paying equities can potentially offer you a path to a better and more stress-free retirement.
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First Financial Corporation Indiana (THFF): Free Stock Analysis Report Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN): Free Stock Analysis Report Towne Bank (TOWN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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