For ffree and other purposes, the rare gems are those financial assets that pay consistent annual payouts while maintaining liquid value, as defined in my 2 stringent criteria .

• liquid value … unrealistic for rEstate
• maintaining value … not too volatile  not losing value due to unsustainable dividend payout, as happened in many Allianz fund

So far only 2 asset classes come close towards this high bar : 1) rental properties in U.S., SEAsia.. 2) dividend stocks. A number 3 might be HY/PE

— regular blue-chip …… Among the stable, non-tech blue-chip stocks, the vast majority pay dividends below 4%.
If you buy relatively low, then a dividend aristocrat would reward you with growing DYOC.

Many U.S. stock brokers support fractional sell, so you may argue that an investor in my mindset should consider total return rather than dividend yield. I hesitate. Consider a fast-riser stock. Unlikely a dividend-aristocrat company, fast risers are managed for stock price growth, not consistent high dividend ! Its business model, its competitive landscape probably doesn’t support consistent high dividend.

— mufu … I don’t know any mutual funds that meet my criteria 🙁 They can pay max 5% dividend after annual fees. Anything higher tends to erode NAV. Their payout ratio exceeds 100%, well above the 60% threshold for safe-dividend stocks.
— SG condo … won’t pay even 3% 🙁