Dividend Stocks

As recently as 12 years ago, Silicon Valley's tech firms were notorious for being stingy with their dividend payouts. They could always be counted on to plow every last cent of profit back into growth or research or even buybacks, rather than paying their "partners," the shareholders.

Tech was an exciting sector, but income-hungry investors felt their money was treated better elsewhere. Remember, in the 1990s, yield was not the rare, endangered species it is in 2016.

But in 2016, tech has become an economy unto itself. What's more, where U.S. corporations are buried under nearly $30 trillion in debt, my five favorite American tech companies are flush, holding more than $504 billion in cold, hard cash between them. That's 30% of Corporate America's entire hoard.

With profit margins across this "convergence economy" topping a cushy 17.5%, tech is paying well across the board and treating shareholders like the partners they are. The mere median tech payout is well over 2.5%.

Tech is the new home of low-risk income on the markets, and there are nearly 100 dividend payers to choose from among the cream of the crop.