The 3 Best Dividend Stocks for Beginner Investors

Dividend investing can add significantly to returns over a lifetime, so beginner investors are right to want to own some dividend-paying stocks in their portfolios. However, knowing which dividend-paying stock is the right one to buy may be daunting, so we've asked our top Motley Fool contributors to weigh in with some of their favorite dividend stock picks. Plenty of stocks offer enticing dividend yields, but have businesses that are floundering, and because of that, it makes more sense to focus on the health of a company first and the dividend yield second.

Using that approach, one of my favorite dividend-paying stocks is Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). With about $100 billion in cash on the books, Microsoft boasts one of the best balance sheets out there. For investors that are looking for their first dividend stock in the energy & materials space, Exxonmobil (NYSE:XOM) is a great place to start. Its vertically integrated business model helps to offset the cyclical nature of the oil and gas industry. A rock-solid dividend powerhouse such as Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) could be a smart choice for those giving their first steps in dividend investing. The company owns 21 different brands making over $1 billion each in global annual revenue.

Source: Motley Fool

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