How to Maximize Your Retirement Portfolio with These Top-Ranked Dividend Stocks

Group 1 - Older Americans are more concerned about outliving their wealth than death itself, with retirees increasingly dipping into principal to cover expenses due to inadequate income from traditional retirement planning methods [1][2] - Traditional retirement income sources, such as bonds and Social Security, are becoming less reliable, with 10-year Treasury bond rates significantly lower than in the past, impacting income generation for retirees [2][3] - Social Security funds are projected to run out of money by 2035, adding to the insecurity felt by today's retirees regarding their financial future [3] Group 2 - Dividend-paying stocks are proposed as a viable alternative for generating steady income in retirement, particularly from low-risk, high-quality companies [4] - Suitable dividend stocks should have a history of steady and increasing dividends, with an average yield of 3% and positive annual dividend growth to help counter inflation [5] - First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) offers a dividend of $0.25 per share, with a yield of 4.24%, outperforming the Banks - Midwest industry's yield of 2.69% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.53%, along with an annualized dividend growth of 4.35% in the past year [6]