Fact checked by Peter Gratton Some aristocrats actually like sharing the wealth. In fact, dividend aristocrats share more and more every year. A dividend aristocrat is an S&P 500 company that has increased its dividend annually for at least 25 years,

It takes money to make money. However, you don't need a lot to get started. Many top-notch dividend stocks have share prices below $100 right now. That's worth noting, given the powerful returns that dividend stocks have produced over the long term.

Steven Cress talks to Kim Khan about his top dividend stocks for the year. Diversification and strong fundamentals are key strategies for investors. Top picks include NewLake Capital Partners, John Wiley & Sons, Clorox, CareTrust REIT, Northrop Grumman, and Philip Morris.

Many stocks don't offer particularly high yields. The stocks in the S&P 500, for instance, average a yield of just 1.3%. That's not a terribly exciting rate of return on dividends for income investors.

Buying dividend growth strategies right now could be just the insurance an investor needs against headwinds in the technology sector. Click here for a detailed review.

Here are some of the S&P 500’s fastest-growing dividends over the last five and ten years. Best S&P 500 stocks for 5-year dividend growth. The stocks with the best five-year gro