Here Are My Top 3 High-Yield Stocks to Buy Now

Realty Income (O) is presented as a conservative, investment‑grade REIT income play—owning 15,000+ primarily single‑tenant net‑lease properties across the U.S. and Europe, with 30 consecutive years of annual dividend increases and a near‑10‑year‑high yield of ~5.5%. Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) is framed as a 4.4%‑yield turnaround: a century‑plus dividend payer that is exiting higher‑risk Latin American markets to refocus on Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, paused its payout in 2024 but resumed increases in 2025 as operations restructure and results improve. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) is offered as a low‑cost (0.06%) core dividend solution that selects the top 100 stocks with 10+ years of rising dividends using quality metrics, yielding ~3.8%, and can be used as a diversified foundation or complemented by high‑conviction names like O and BNS.

Analysis

Realty Income (O) is positioned as a conservative, income-focused REIT that owns over 15,000 primarily single-tenant net-lease properties across the U.S. and Europe, with a 30-year streak of annual dividend increases and a yield near a 10-year high at ~5.5%. The portfolio’s retail tilt is complemented by industrial and one-off assets and an investment-grade balance sheet, which the article cites as the basis for steady, lower-volatility dividend growth despite limited upside from management’s deliberate operating posture.

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) is framed as a turnaround with a 4.4% yield and an uninterrupted dividend history since 1833; management has exited higher-risk Latin American markets and refocused on Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. The dividend was held in 2024 to support restructuring and resumed increases in 2025, shares have rallied recently, and the yield sits toward the low end of its 10-year range versus a ~2.4% average large-bank yield, implying potential valuation catch-up if operational improvements continue.

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) is presented as a low-cost (0.06%) core solution yielding ~3.8% that only holds stocks with 10+ consecutive dividend increases and scores companies on cash flow-to-debt, ROE, yield and five-year dividend growth; it excludes REITs and is market-cap weighted to the top 100 qualifiers. The author discloses positions in O, BNS and SCHD and The Motley Fool’s recommendations bias their coverage, so investors should factor that when interpreting the bullish framing.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Consider using SCHD as a low-cost core dividend sleeve given its 0.06% expense ratio, quality screen, and 3.8% yield, rather than building a fully active dividend portfolio
• Allocate to Realty Income for conservative, income-oriented exposure given its investment-grade balance sheet, 30-year dividend growth streak and ~5.5% yield, but limit position size relative to total equity exposure because of retail concentration and modest growth upside
• Consider a tactical, conditional allocation to Bank of Nova Scotia as a higher-yield turnaround play given the 4.4% yield and resumed dividend increases, but wait for consistent evidence of improving results and execution on the regional refocus before adding material weight
• Factor in the author and outlet disclosures (positions and recommendations) and conduct independent due diligence on occupancy trends for O and execution metrics for BNS before increasing exposure