What are the best buys among dividend-paying issues? In his Dividend Detective newsletter, Harry Domash focuses on for income-generating ideas for long-term investors.

Here, the advisor reviews some of his latest buys among master limited partnerships, preferreds and yield-oriented closed-end funds.

"Among energy partnerships, we're adding two new picks to the portfolio with a buy rating. First, NuStar Energy (NYSE: NS), currently yielding 8.4%, operates crude oil and refined product pipelines and associated facilities.

"NuStar recently acquired asphalt refining and terminal facilities, a business that's expected to boom once the government supported highway construction projects kick in.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says they're too important to just let them go.

You never want to buck the financials. I have said over and over again that the group is too important to make let go. Can we really envision a world without Citigroup (NYSE: C) (Cramer's Take) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) (Cramer's Take) common stock? Can we envision a world where PNC (NYSE: PNC) (Cramer's Take) and Bank of New York (NYSE: BK) (Cramer's Take) and State Street (NYSE: STT) (Cramer's Take) are no more? A world where Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) (Cramer's Take) and JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) (Cramer's Take) don't make it?

It's funny when you put it that way, because we know that if those stocks weren't in the S&P 500, if we just took them out, we would be feeling like we should be buying, buying, and buying judging from the very nice pullbacks we have had to above the lows of October and November now that we are oversold.

Tons of charts, from Forest Labs (NYSE: FRX) (Cramer's Take) to AT&T (NYSE: T) (Cramer's Take), from Disney (NYSE: DIS) (Cramer's Take) to Eaton (NYSE: ETN) (Cramer's Take), all sorts of charts from all sorts of industries, charts like Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) (Cramer's Take) and BP (NYSE: BP) (Cramer's Take) and Nucor (NYSE: NUE) (Cramer's Take), if they hold here, will embolden people to come in. As will IBM (NYSE: IBM) (Cramer's Take) on Wednesday.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Sovereign Bancorp (NYSE: SOV) to Buy from Hold on their belief Sovereign will merge with Banco Santander (NYSE: STD) according to the terms on their October 13 agreement.
  
• Jefferies upgraded Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) to Hold from Underperform on valuation as they believe the capital infusion from Leonard Green limits downside risk. The company's target was raised to $11 from $9.50.
  
• Banc of America upgraded Max Capital (NASDAQ: MXGL) to Buy from Neutral on valuation, the company's strategic changes to lower earnings volatility and their belief it is well positioned to benefit from an improved P&C marketplace.
• Qimonda (NYSE: QI) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Cowen.
  
• Health Net (NYSE: HNT) was raised to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.
  
• Parkway Properties (NYSE: PKY) was lifted to Market Perform from Underperform at Wachovia.

Analyst downgrades:

NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE: NS) is a publicly traded limited partnership, based in San Antonio, operating 9,063 miles of pipeline, 85 terminal facilities, four crude oil storage tank facilities and two asphalt refineries. The terminals offer pilotage, tug assistance and other ship services. The firm is one of the largest asphalt refiners and independent liquids terminal operators in the United States. It also operates facilities in the Netherlands Antilles, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. BP plc (NYSE: BP) is a major competitor

NuStar pleased investors late last month, when it announced that strong asphalt revenues were expected to generate Q3 earnings of at least $2.25 per share. The Street was looking for $1.55. The CEO noted that tight supply conditions were resulting in a significant increase in the margins for asphalt and intermediate products.