Author: Marc Lichtenfeld, Wealthy Retirement

While everyone has been writing off the company as dead, it has raised its dividend for 23 years in a row and has had a double-digit annual growth rate for the past three, five and 10 years. In addition, the company’s ample free cash flow and long track record of dividend raises suggests the dividend is pretty safe.

It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s magical. You check on your portfolio in the morning, and one of your stocks is up 25%, 40% or 60% — in ONE DAY! When a stock jumps that much in the opening minutes of trading, 9 times out of 10 it’s because the underlying company is getting acquired…

This REIT’s current dividend safety rating is already pretty solid, but it could get even better.

Some investors are intimidated by the idea of trying to find dividend growth stocks on their own or are nervous about the risks of investing in just a few. They would rather invest in an ETF that pays dividends. So which is better: individual dividend-paying stocks or dividend-paying ETFs? Let’s take a look…