There’s a certain beauty in simplicity—especially when it comes to investing. While Wall Street loves chasing fads, memes, SPACs, and every speculative flavor of the month, seasoned investors know that true wealth is built on a foundation of patience, discipline, and high-quality businesses. And if you’re like me—someone who wants to sleep well at night and get paid while doing it—then dividend stocks aren’t just a strategy; they’re a way of life.
But not just any dividend stocks. We’re not here to scrape the bottom of the barrel chasing 15% yields from companies teetering on insolvency. We’re here to talk about fortress-like businesses that are built to last. Companies with economic moats, pricing power, bulletproof balance sheets, and a track record of sharing the wealth with shareholders—reliably and consistently.
Today, I want to share two of my favorite dividend stocks that I believe will thrive over the next decade. These aren’t just income plays; they’re long-term wealth-building machines.
1. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): The Healthcare Giant With Dividend Royalty
Sector: Healthcare
Dividend Yield: ~3.2%
Dividend Aristocrat: Yes – 62 consecutive years of dividend increases
Market Cap: ~$370 billion
Why JNJ Is Built To Last
Johnson & Johnson isn’t just a household name; it’s a textbook example of a company that does everything right. For over 130 years, J&J has been at the forefront of medical innovation, consumer health, and pharmaceutical breakthroughs. While the company recently spun off its consumer health segment (now called Kenvue), the remaining J&J is more focused and arguably more potent than ever.
Its three main pillars—pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and innovation—generate enormous free cash flow, fuel R&D, and drive long-term growth. And guess what? People don’t stop needing medication or surgeries during recessions. That’s the kind of resilience that makes JNJ a cornerstone in my dividend portfolio.
The Moat is Real
Johnson & Johnson has one of the widest moats in healthcare. It’s not just the patents and brand equity—it’s the trust. When doctors prescribe your drugs, and hospitals rely on your devices, you don’t just have market share. You have mind share. And that’s something competitors can’t easily copy.
The company also has a fortress balance sheet with a AAA credit rating—higher than the U.S. government. That gives JNJ a lower cost of capital and flexibility in downturns to continue investing in growth and paying dividends.
Dividend Royalty
JNJ has raised its dividend for 62 straight years. That’s not a typo. This company was increasing its payout when JFK was president. And they’re not just token hikes. Over the past decade, JNJ’s dividend has grown at a compound annual rate of around 6%.
That’s the kind of consistency you want when planning for retirement or aiming to live off dividends.
What Could Go Wrong?
No investment is risk-free. JNJ has faced legal challenges over opioid litigation and talcum powder lawsuits. But the company has historically been able to weather legal storms thanks to its diversified business and financial strength.
Additionally, with the spinoff of Kenvue, JNJ is becoming more of a pure-play healthcare company—which may actually make it more attractive to long-term investors looking for exposure to drug development and surgical tech.
Bottom Line
If I had to pick one stock to hold through the next recession, JNJ would be on the shortlist. It’s boring in the best possible way—predictable, stable, and relentlessly profitable. Whether you’re 30 or 70, JNJ is a stock that can anchor your portfolio and pay you handsomely along the way.
2. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP): The Dividend Beast You Probably Overlooked
Sector: Infrastructure
Dividend Yield: ~5.3%
Dividend Growth Target: 5–9% annually
Market Cap: ~$17 billion
Structure: Master Limited Partnership (MLP) / Corporate (BIPC option for 1099 investors)
Why BIP Is Built To Last
When most people think of dividend stocks, they picture utilities, banks, or the odd REIT. But few think about infrastructure. That’s a mistake—because infrastructure is the backbone of modern life. And Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is one of the best ways to own it.
BIP owns and operates essential infrastructure assets around the globe: ports, toll roads, data centers, natural gas pipelines, transmission lines, water utilities—you name it. These aren’t flashy tech plays. They’re mission-critical assets that generate stable, inflation-linked cash flows. In other words, the holy grail of dividend investing.
Resilient, Diversified, and Global
BIP has built a geographically diverse empire of infrastructure across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. That diversification gives it insulation from localized economic turbulence and regulatory risk.
Better yet, over 90% of BIP’s cash flows are either regulated or under long-term contracts—many of which are indexed to inflation. That means as costs rise, so do revenues. In a world worried about inflationary pressures, that’s exactly what I want in my portfolio.
Growth + Income = Compounding Magic
Brookfield has a unique approach to value creation. It buys undervalued or distressed infrastructure assets, improves operations, and either holds them for the long term or sells them at a premium to redeploy capital. This private equity-like strategy—combined with a long investment horizon—enables BIP to grow its cash flow per share at mid-to-high single-digit rates.
They target 5–9% annual dividend growth, and they’ve hit or exceeded that for over a decade. Pair that with a current yield of over 5%, and you’re looking at potentially double-digit total returns from a very unsexy (read: reliable) corner of the market.
Don’t Want a K-1? No Problem.
BIP is structured as an MLP, which usually means a K-1 tax form. But Brookfield, in its infinite investor-friendly wisdom, offers a corporate twin: BIPC (Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation). BIPC pays the same dividend, is tied to the same assets, but issues a regular 1099 form instead.
You can pick the one that suits your tax situation. Either way, you get the same rock-solid infrastructure income stream.
What Could Go Wrong?
Infrastructure is capital-intensive. That means BIP is sensitive to interest rates and needs access to credit markets. However, their investment-grade rating and diversified debt structure mitigate a lot of this concern.
Also, as a global company, BIP is exposed to currency fluctuations and foreign regulatory environments. But diversification is also a hedge—troubles in one region usually don’t sink the ship.
Bottom Line
If you want income that can weather recessions, wars, pandemics, and interest rate whiplash, look no further than BIP. It’s a dividend powerhouse hiding in plain sight, and I believe it will become a household name among income investors in the years to come.
Why These 2 Stocks Work So Well Together
You might be wondering—why not just buy a high-yield ETF and call it a day? Because not all dividend stocks are created equal. JNJ and BIP represent two complementary pillars of a durable income strategy:
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JNJ gives you exposure to a defensive sector (healthcare) with decades of dividend growth, financial strength, and recession resistance.
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BIP provides higher current income, inflation protection, and exposure to infrastructure megatrends like digital connectivity and global urbanization.
Together, they offer balance—growth and income, stability and upside, domestic and international exposure. That’s what makes them my favorite duo for the next decade.
The Case for Long-Term Thinking
Let’s be honest—most people aren’t investing; they’re gambling. They jump in and out of positions, follow hype cycles, and panic at every market dip. That’s why they underperform the very index funds they mock.
The antidote is long-term thinking.
When you buy quality businesses like JNJ and BIP and let them compound over time, something magical happens. Dividends grow. Your income snowballs. You stop caring about day-to-day market noise and start focusing on building real wealth.
These companies won’t 10x in a week. But they might 3x over a decade while paying you increasing dividends every year. That’s the slow, steady, and sane way to retire rich.
Final Thoughts: Built To Last
If I had to hold just a few stocks for the next 10 years, JNJ and BIP would make the cut. They’re built to last through recessions, interest rate spikes, political drama, pandemics, and whatever other crises the 2030s throw at us.
That’s not to say you should bet your entire portfolio on them. Diversification still matters. But if you’re building a core dividend portfolio to generate reliable income, grow your wealth, and sleep soundly at night, these two belong in your starting lineup.
In a world addicted to the next big thing, there’s something radical about investing in companies that simply work—year in and year out. That’s what makes JNJ and BIP my dividend MVPs.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have dividends to reinvest.
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