I try to find stocks with good dividends. As long as the company is strong, I am ok with a little up and down. This year I got into Energy sector and am up 29% on the year. Most of the companies have a dividend payout of 10% for the year. Every quarter I get a 2.5% bump. If it drops below what I paid per share I buy more (just my method). I work close with many Energy companies so I got a feel for who I am comfortable with. I try to read everything I can find on them. Stay up to date on all your investments.