The S&P 500's Dividend Yield Is the Lowest It's Been in Over 2 Decades. Here's Where You Can Lock in Much Higher Yields.

The S&P 500 has gained an impressive 35% over the past year. Because of that, its dividend yield has fallen from 1.7% a year ago to around 1.2% these days. That's its lowest level in more than 20 years. It's also well below its peak of more than 4% toward the end of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. To put that into a more tangible context, a $10,000 investment made in the S&P 500 right now would only produce about $120 of dividend income over the next year. That compares to the $170 or so that would be colle ...