3 Dividend Investing Tips That Could Earn You Thousands

Stock dividends are excellent tools to have in your investment income arsenal. Simply owning an index fund that mimics the S&P 500, for example, would deliver 2% today at a time when most savings accounts yield less than 0.4%.

There are even higher yields available if you want to go beyond that broadly diversified strategy and select individual dividend-paying stocks. Several members of the S&P 500 pay above 4%, and a few pay 6% or more.

That strategy exposes you to greater risks, though, so it's best to keep a few general tips in mind as you put together your income-focused portfolio.

Source: Fool.com