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The U.S. Federal Reserve increased its key interest rate a total of 11 times between March 2022 and July 2023. And while the central bank hasn't made additional increases lately – and some think it may even move toward cuts soon – the bottom line is that the current rate environment makes fixed-income instruments much more attractive than most dividend stocks.Consider that the average yield of a stock in the S&P 500 index of the largest U.S. companies is just 1.7% at present, while 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds provide 4.7%...

Increasingly, Americans are concerned with making sure their money is aligned with their moral principles. According to KPMG, 37% of American consumers consider environmental sustainability when making a purchase, and 33% also consider social responsibility when buying something.When it comes to investing, the percentages are even more dramatic. One study from 2022 estimated that nearly 9 out of every 10 investors cared about deploying socially responsible strategies as they plan for retirement. Those numbers are on the rise year after year, too, as proof this trend isn't going away. Socially...