Over the past few years, income-seeking investors have had to look harder and take on more risk to find a big yield. Unfortunately, a lot of people have fallen for yield traps -- that is, buying a stock simply based on a high yield that the underlying company can’t afford.
The end result? Not getting the payout you expected and holding a stock that you may end up selling at a loss so you can reinvest the money in something that actually pays you. Insult and injury.
But all high-yield stocks aren’t traps waiting on unsuspecting investors to spring them. There are plenty of high-quality companies with above-average dividend payouts that generate more than enough cash to keep the checks coming. Here are nine in particular that should be on investors' watch lists.
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