Ask a Fool: What Are Some Great Stocks for My IRA?

The main idea with IRA investing is that you want stocks that will grow steadily over the years, so you can take advantage of the tax-free compounding power of retirement accounts. Stocks with a long history of dividend growth are a good place to start.

One excellent example is AT&T (NYSE: T). The telecom giant's shares aren't likely to skyrocket, but it does have a history of steady growth over the years, and excellent potential for revenue growth going forward, thanks to recent acquisitions and technological advances in mobile communications. In addition, the stock pays a 5.2% dividend yield, and the company has increased its payout for 32 consecutive years.

Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) is another one of my favorite retirement stocks. For starters, Wal-Mart is not only recession-resistant, but it actually tends to do better in tough times. In fact, during 2008 -- one of the worst years for the stock market in history -- Wal-Mart's business thrived and the stock gained 20%.

Source: Fool.com