Dividends are the easiest, and most direct pathway to participate in the record earnings in corporate America. It's easy to look at a company's quarterly payout of just a quarter and think to yourself: "What a crock! That's barely anything."
But when put in the right context, dividends can be the difference between average, and wealth-creating returns. That's especially true for long-term, buy-to-hold investors.
On top of that, dividends inject billions of dollars into the worldwide economy every year. Which companies pay out the most in dividends? Motley Fool contributor Brian Stoffel highlights three companies that, when combined, will be giving back more than $30 billion in 2014 alone.
In the following video, Brian tells us who these three dividend stalwarts are, and whether they're worth investigating.
