The allure of making massive capital gains from individual stocks is very appealing. In theory, you could pick a stock, and over time it could 10X your money. Sounds impressive, but it is actually tough to choose the next Amazon or Tesla.

It's much easier and safer to invest in big companies that have been paying dividends for 20+ years. These companies include McDonald's, Walmart, and Coka-Cola.

I know it's not fun to talk about your shares of Coka-Cola over the water cooler, but it is fun to talk about how they paid you $100 in dividends. That's something with which a capital gains investor cannot relate.

How you choose to invest your money is your prerogative, but think hard about your goals. Would you rather be enjoying dividends coming into your account passively or actively praying your stock continues to go up in price?