Many sectors are experiencing high dividend yields, but many stocks cannot sustain their high yield and are unsuitable for the long term. Many investors who are close to retirement or would like a secondary source of income look to high yield dividend stocks. In the long term, these methods of income could be amazing wealth creators.

As we stated in a previous article, buying high yield stocks is a bit like buying apples. You need to inspect every single apple to make sure that there is no mold or bruising. If you are not diligent in its inspection, then you may end up stuck with a bad apple. When buying stocks especially ones with a high yield you need to inspect them with care. Stocks with the highest yield may not always be the best, as they may consist of unsustainable stocks that will not be able to keep their high dividend yield.

Don't get stuck with a bad apple. This is especially true when choosing investments for an income or retirement portfolio.

The best kinds of portfolios are the ones that you can forget about, and rely on growth in value and dividends over the long term. We chose the following stocks based on this criteria. First, the stock must be at least small-cap. Second, the company must have a history of dividend growth, and a sustainable yield exceeding 4. Third, the stock must have predicted growth upwards trends on the F. Please realize that some of these stocks are known for dividend growth and capital return, so investment growth could remain the same.

Finally, the company must have a proportional and reasonable risk vs. Royal Dutch Shell NYSE: The Southern Company NYSE: Goldman Sachs BDC NYSE: We calculated the risk values seen in the 'takeaway' section by taking an overall look at the stock.

Past return, future growth and analyst opinions went into the scoring. Some sectors are riskier then others, but all the listed stocks do have a proportional reward to the risk.

Telus Corp is the largest telecommunications company in Western Canada and the second largest in the country. The company provides clients with a full range of telecommunications products and services including data, Internet Protocol, voice and TELUS Mobility wireless services across Canada. As of Dec 31 , TU had a growing The company yields 5.

One of the best selling points of this stock is its long-term return. TU beats its industry by a lot in all data categories except for 3-Year Return.

For more short-term investors, YTD return is 8. Tellus' one year target is TU has seen rapid but not consecutive dividend growth from the early s. Tellus is a fairly valued Canadian telecom dividend stock with very good long-term growth history. These companies are involved in all phases of the petroleum industry from exploration to final processing and delivery. Its subsidiaries are engaged in the principal aspects of the oil and gas industry in over 80 countries, and are also engaged in bringing new oil and gas supplies on-stream from major field developments.

The company has a growing yield of 6. In one year the company has returned The company experienced some loss in value in the 3-year category 5. Looking at the dividend growth chart, we see a nice upwards trend of dividend growth.

This is an undervalued stock in the Gas and LNG industries with projected growth and an attractive dividend yield. Target sells a range of general merchandise and food.

Buy And Hold These +4% Yielders Forever | Seeking Alpha

The majority of TGT's general merchandise stores sell an edited food assortment, including perishables, dry grocery, dairy, and frozen items.

Target's digital channels include a range of general merchandise, including items found in the company's stores, along with a complementary assortment such as additional sizes and colors sold only online. The company yields a quick growing 4. Return for Target is not very good. In addition, sales have been sliding down. However, Target could be poised to be a good turnaround dividend stock. Despite its recent drop in value, effecting 's estimate, the company could see growth into Looking at Target solely from a dividend standpoint, it is outstanding.

In addition to this sustainable yield, it has a history of rapid dividend growth 49 consecutive years. Graphs, dividend yield could grow to 5.

Ask a Fool: How Can I Find Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever? -- The Motley Fool

Though Target is weak in returns, it is amazing in dividends. If the company can get its act together, investors could see massive returns.

Southern Energy acquires, develops, builds, owns and operates power production and delivery facilities and provides a broad range of energy-related services to utilities and industrial companies in selected countries around the world. Through its subsidiaries, Alabama Power Company, Georgia Power Company, Gulf Power Company and Mississippi Power Company, the company provides power and utilities to over four states. The company yields 4.

Being a utility stock, the company has good positive returns but no rapid growth. Utilities aren't known for short-term returns, but SO has positive values in all categories.

This stock is a long-term investment, with a consistent upwards trend since Its shares are expected to continue upwards growth into the next decade. Looking at the dividend history chart, The Southern Company has consistently raised dividends since , for 15 years at a fairly quick rate. The Southern Company is a fairly safe stock to buy and hold, has good returns and dividend growth. Goldman Sachs BDC is a specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. The company is a closed-end management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act.

They invest primarily in U. In many cases, Goldman Sachs BDC is the sole investor in the loan or security in its portfolio. The company has an 8. GSBD's IPO was in March , and after experiencing a post-IPO drop had a pretty stable return. As seen in the F. As the company grows so will the dividend, as seen in the Earning Yield Estimates chart. By , we could see a dividend yield of GSBD could be a good stock for capital return, and could see massive dividend growth.

Verizon Communications, formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, is one of the world's leading providers of high-growth communications services. The company is also expanding into fast-growing areas such as the Internet of Things and managed security.

The company currently yields a growing yield of 5. In the short-term, investors could be seeing an investment opportunity, and in the long term, the stock is good for buy and hold. One of the main selling points of Verizon is its dividend data. Verizon's dividend has grown by 4. For the future, acquisitions could fuel the company's future growth.

They acquired AOL in and Yahoo! Verizon is a mature telecom company that offers a great dividend. The company could see future growth due to recent and upcoming acquisitions. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it other than from Seeking Alpha. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

3 Stocks You Can Buy and Hold Forever -- The Motley Fool

Investors should not make a decision to go long in any of these stocks based simply off the article. Please do extra research and fully understand the risks before investing. REITs Dividend Ideas Dividend Strategy Dividend News Dividend Quick Picks Editor's Picks. Below we list 6 good, high yield stocks each with their own pros and cons. How We Screened The Stocks We chose the following stocks based on this criteria.

The following companies passed these standards: TU Royal Dutch Shell NYSE: TGT The Southern Company NYSE: SO Goldman Sachs BDC NYSE: TU Telus Corp is the largest telecommunications company in Western Canada and the second largest in the country. Want to share your opinion on this article? Disagree with this article? To report a factual error in this article, click here.

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