Reach for Stock Yield, and You Might Just Get Bitten.

The article discusses the hazards of pursuing higher yields by forsaking bonds in favor of dividend-paying stocks. In 2008 a group of 52 stocks that have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years fell a collective 21.6%. Even though bond yields may be only between 2% and 4%, that may not be a bad return in an environment where inflation is nearly zero.