If you’ve read my columns on Forbes and Contrarian Outlook , you know my heart belongs to dividend-growth stocks. The reason is simple: dividend growers outperform every other kind of stock there is. But don’t just take my word for it. Study after study backs that up, including an exhaustive one by Ned Davis & Associates that zeroed in on the 43-year period from January 1972 through December 2014. Here’s what they found: It’s tough to argue with those numbers—especially over a period spanning nearly half a century! But as I wrote last week , you can’t just run out and buy an exchange-traded fund like the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG). VIG is a long-time investor favorite, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. ... Read more