Regardless of what other factors you consider as part of your investing system there are a few good metrics for everyone to keep in mind when considering buying dividend-paying stocks for income. The first is to simply look at the dividend itself: How long has the stock been paying a dividend? Has it ever been cut? How often has it been raised? Companies that can pay or even better increase their dividends quarter after quarter and year after year are more likely to continue doing so in the future. One easy way to find these stocks is to look ...