Seven stocks that pay for themselves

(MarketWatch) — Wouldn’t it be great if you could pick stocks for free and still reap the rewards if they do well?

Unless you have a rich benefactor doling out play money or you count your paper trades as “profits,” that’s just a pipe dream for most of us.

But dividend-stock investors can get the next best thing via high-yield plays with reliable paydays. These companies can literally pay for themselves in a decade or so — and then the value of the shares is 100% profit when you cash out.

Not every dividend stock pays for itself in a reasonable time, of course. Companies that slash payouts or keep yields at 1% or so could take a lifetime to shell out the dividends to offset your initial investment. But a select group of stocks have “paid” for themselves in less than 15 years of disbursements. That’s certainly long term, but considering that many of these picks also have seen share prices jump dramatically, that 100% return on investment is nothing to sniff at. Read about the best dividend stocks to grow your nest egg.

Here are seven high-yield dividend stocks that have paid for themselves in less than 15 years, using real dividends and real share prices from the third quarter of 1995 to the present day: (more)