Stocks that are great for retirement aren't necessarily good for someone who's trying to build wealth. Lest there be any doubt about this, AT&T (T -1.91%) and Verizon (VZ -0.79%) serve as textbook examples.
In many respects, retirement serves as a clear inflection point in one's investment objectives. Before retiring, the goal is to accumulate wealth. This is often done by favoring growth stocks and having dividends automatically reinvested into the underlying security. After retirement, by contrast, the purpose is to replace lost income by investing in dividend stocks, bonds, and other income-generating alternatives.
It's for this reason that AT&T and Verizon are so well suited for a retiree's portfolio. Beyond being two of the highest-yielding blue chips, they also sport exceptionally low betas, meaning they're less volatile than even the S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.30%). As Motley Fool contributor John Maxfield discusses in the following video, the net result is that these stocks are among the most popular for income-seeking retirees today.
