Most people who are looking for millionaire-makers -- stocks that can dramatically change your financial trajectory -- seek speculative lottery tickets, like the stock tip your Uncle Jim bragged about at the dinner table during Christmas.
While lightning occasionally strikes, most millionaire-makers are boring but successful companies that grow earnings for decades, often sharing profits with shareholders via dividends.
The businesses behind these fabulous stocks aren't growing by leaps and bounds but will reliably grow between 6% and 10% in a year. Their decades of consistent growth and dividends add up to big returns.
Consumer products stocks can make you rich
Consumers make the economy go round. There are more than 8 billion people in the world. Do you want to strike it rich? Find companies that sell a product which people all over the world buy again and again.
Look for essential products -- things people will buy whether the economy is doing well or not. These are products that consumers pull out their wallets and purses for without even thinking about it. Find as many of these stocks as possible and stuff them into a diversified portfolio.
Buy a little at a time, and sit on your investment. It will take a while for that snowball to grow, but when it does, you'll be rewarded. Here are five magnificent millionaire-making consumer stocks with the goods to continue minting millionaires.
1. Coca-Cola
NYSE: KO
Key Data Points
Global beverage giant The Coca-Cola Company (KO +0.00%) sells hundreds of brands of soda, water, juice, tea, coffee, and more to virtually every country. The business has steadily grown since the brand-name soda was invented in the late 1800s. Over the past 50 years, a starting $10,000 investment will have turned into over $1 million had you done nothing but reinvest the dividends to buy more stock.
KO Total Return Price data by YCharts
The company has raised its dividend for 61 consecutive years, a streak that will likely continue thanks to a centuries-old recipe for success: population growth, price increases, and launching (or acquiring) new product brands. As long as people drink beverages, Coca-Cola should remain as relevant as it always has.
2. McDonald's
NYSE: MCD
Key Data Points
You can't tell America's story without acknowledging how McDonald's (MCD 2.80%) established fast food as a cultural staple and disrupted the restaurant business with its real-estate-centric franchising business model. There are more than 40,000 McDonald's locations worldwide today. The company doesn't own the vast majority of them. Instead, it leases the land to restaurant owners, generating reliable profits from the rent and royalties.
MCD Total Return Price data by YCharts
Decades of adding restaurants and raising the company's dividend for the past 48 years have made McDonald's a remarkable investment. Had you bought and held $10,000 in stock, it would have grown to over $11 million over its lifetime. As a symbol of Americana, there's no reason McDonald's can't keep serving up stellar investment returns for decades to come.
3. Procter & Gamble
NYSE: PG
Key Data Points
Look at the label on the soap in your bathroom, the toothpaste you brush with, or the shampoo you shower with every day. There's a solid chance you'll find Procter & Gamble (PG +0.25%) somewhere. The company's a conglomerate of household products, home to brands like Tide, Charmin, Gillette, Old Spice, Dawn, Cascade, Febreze, and many more. Consumers stash these household brand products and mindlessly replace them when they run out. Procter & Gamble has been doing this since 1837.
PG Total Return Price data by YCharts
Again, it took many decades, but Procter & Gamble has treated investors well. Investing $10,000 decades ago would have made you a millionaire today, growing to more than $1.2 million with dividends reinvested. Management has given shareholders 67 consecutive raises, and there's no reason to think it will stop. The formula of selling thousands of products to billions of people (while slowly raising the price) has proven very effective.
4. Hershey
NYSE: HSY
Key Data Points
Everyone loves a guilty pleasure like chocolate. That largely explains how The Hershey Company (HSY 0.60%) has turned a $10,000 investment into more than $4.6 million after decades of growth and dividends. Hershey is America's leading chocolate company, behind household favorites like Hershey's Chocolate Bar, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kat, Hershey's Kisses, and Twizzlers.
HSY Total Return Price data by YCharts
It's the youngest dividend stock on this list. The company has raised its payout for the past 14 years and counting. Chocolate and candy built Hershey's into the confectionary empire it is today. However, creativity in recent years could mean an even brighter future. The company has begun leaning into the salty snacks category, crossing sweets with savory to find new growth opportunities.
5. PepsiCo
NASDAQ: PEP
Key Data Points
If there are any companies to challenge Coca-Cola in the beverage space, arch-rival PepsiCo (PEP 1.07%) would be it. PepsiCo's history goes back almost as far as Coca-Cola's. However, PepsiCo has thrived as a dual threat. It boasts a variety of beverage and snack brands, including Pepsi, Gatorade, Lay's, Quaker Oats, Doritos, Lipton, and more.
PEP Total Return Price data by YCharts
Like the other four stocks on this list, simply buying, holding, and reinvesting dividends (51 years of dividend growth) has paid handsomely. An initial $10,000 investment will have grown to nearly $2.5 million over PepsiCo's lifetime as a public company. People will always eat and drink, so until they no longer enjoy the delicious products sprinkled throughout your typical neighborhood grocery store, PepsiCo isn't going anywhere.
