Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks

Well, once again we enter the summer months with the market roiling with volatility and fears of a sovereign debt catastrophe. The red-hot financial sector has crashed back to earth, tech stocks are rotating out of favor and defense is the new offense.

Many conservative, long-term investors know the most stable stocks on Wall Street tend to be big blue chips with massive brand recognition and a hefty dividend yield. While there are a lot of sexy names getting press right now — like Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and its massive IPO on May 18 — there is nothing wrong with a slow trickle of income and a stable blue-chip company that will ride out any rough going this summer.

It’s the classic tortoise vs. the hare scenario. You can flail around banking on sector rotation or a rebound in gold or the next high-growth small-cap stock that will deliver big gains before flaming out — or, you can steadily grow your retirement funds in tortoise-like blue chips that plod along slowly and safely retreat into their shell when times are tough.

If you’re looking for a “tenbagger” or overhyped penny stocks, this list is not for you. But if you believe income is important and that slow and steady wins the race, here are the top 10 dividend stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, ranked by yield: (more)