With short-term interest rates still sitting at near 0%, more and more investors have begun to seek out companies paying a reasonable dividend yield. But as many have pointed out, including myself, it’s not just about the yield. The consistency and growth rate of the dividend are of utmost importance as well. With that in mind, let’s take a look at two solid companies with low debt, dividend yields above 4%, and a strong five year dividend growth rate above 8%.

The continued volatility in European bond markets is not surprising. Many of us predicted that the euro was doomed as soon as members of the euro zone pushed their public debt above 100% of GDP. Now their behavior is coming home to roost as markets are sending bond yields ever higher.

There are so many strategies for investors that are tossed around these days that it’s easy to forget one of the most important ideas: Those who are younger should be taking more risk in their retirement portfolios than those who are approaching retirement. There are a few reasons for this. First, those of us who won’t retire for another 25 years simple won’t need the money in our retirement accounts any time soon. So the day to day gyrations in the markets have much less impact on our levels of stress and our decision making. Second, because younger folks are much less concerned about day to day movements in their retirement portfolios, they are much less likely to panic and move in and out of the market. And lastly, it has been proven again and again that given enough time, higher risk means higher returns. The key phrase here is “given enough time”.

It is not always easy to turn down the enticing dividend yield of a company that is paying a yield of 5% while instead opting for a yield of below 3% in the hopes that eventually your returns and yield on cost will at least break even. It’s also not obvious how long it might take for the lower yielding stock to catch up with the higher dividend yielding stock. To help answer this question I looked at two companies that offer these different alternatives: Verizon (VZ) and Wal-Mart (WMT).

It is never too early to start thinking about how you might prepare for your retirement years. Unfortunately, many people don’t really sit down and go through any sort of analysis until they’re in their 50s or even later. For those who would like to plan ahead, there are multiple ways to help set yourself up for a secure retirement later. There are also traps that many fall into: Here are three of them to avoid.