Looking for fat dividends? Then consider these 3 investments

Dividends are a great way to generate passive income and are a sensible part of any portfolio. The magic of dividend stocks is that they offer two possible ways to generate income. First, you have the dividends themselves, which are an indicator of a financially strong company that can return value to its shareholders. The second avenue is the potential for the value of the company's stock to grow over time.

Let's look at three dividend-focused investments that have provided strong returns over time.

Verizon $VZ

In a necessary industry, with high barriers to entry, Verizon represents an attractive dividend investment with a yield of 6.4%. Even with slower growth, Verizon has enough free cash flow to continue paying its current dividend.

This communications company has had relatively static earnings over the past five years, but it still delivers solid profits. The wireless and broadband parts of the business are growing, while Verizon's central business faces slow or no growth.

Overall,…