Over the past few years there have been unprecedented swings in the major indexes, scaring some investors out of the markets altogether. What people don't realize is that successful investing is a matter of continuous performance, not instantaneous performance. That's why we like dividend-paying stocks . Over time, dividends and reinvestment can account for 85%-90% of total stock market returns. In some cases, the dividends are so steady and increase so much that you actually make more in dividends than you paid to buy the stocks that produce them. But before you go hunting for the best dividend-paying stocks, let's set some ground rules for evaluating which ones are most valuable. First, a good cutoff is a stock with 3% yield or more, and a payout ratio less than 60%. Any higher payout ratio would indicate that the company cannot sustain the dividends, manage debt and grow at the same time. Second, look for companies that have price/earnings ratios of less than 25 and a solid history of paying dividends. This establishes a solid benchmark for dividend stocks and their fundamentals. Sometimes a dividend stock can look great because it has a 10% yield, but you have to look at the other numbers to decide if it's a worthy investment. With that said here are some of the best dividend-paying stocks out there right now. To continue reading, please click here...