"Last March, we featured some counterintuitive advice to buy REITs; that basket of stocks has since doubled in value," notes income specialist Roger Conrad.

The contributing editor to Personal Finance explains, "And while our favorite REITs may not be as cheap as they were 18 months ago, they do offer generous payouts that won't be affected if the Bush tax cuts sunset.

"Not only did our favorite REITs pass the toughest stress test in decades, but they also operate in attractive localities and are flush with cash thanks to recovering equity values and attractive borrowing rates.

"My prescription for a cautious yield-seeking investor? Health care REITs. This group of 12 trusts has returned a solid +15% but still carries an average yield of 5.4%," says Carla Pasternak.

The income specialist and editor of High Yield Investing explains, "Of this group, two REITs offer the most appealing valuations: Senior Housing Properties (SNH) and Health Care REIT (HCN).

"I still see fresh opportunities in this market, such as Vodafone (VOD), the world's leading mobile telecommunications company," says Mark Skousen.

The editor of High-Income Alert explains, "The company has a significant presence in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It currently has more than 350 million customers.

"The company operates under a number of brand names. In the United States, the group markets its products through Verizon Wireless.

"Justified or not, in recent years few industries have managed to scare away investors like financial firms have; nevertheless, we believe investors can cash in on AllianceBernstein (AB), a high-yielding asset management firm uniquely lucrative business structure," says Jonas Elmerraji.

The editor of Rhino Stock Report explains, "While investors continue to treat financial stocks with equal reluctance, some financial firms are better on better footing than others.

"One example is the asset managers. Asset management firms, the companies that professionally manage mutual funds, private accounts, and the like, took their knocks in the latest financial crisis.

"Transportation stocks are a traditional harbinger of future economic growth. After all, physical goods must be shipped for customers to take delivery," says Mark Skousen.

The editor of High Income Alert explains, "We turn to this sector for our latest featured recommendation: Overseas Shipping Group (OSG).

This is a company that has survived and prospered during multiple shipping cycles. Its balanced portfolio of vessel types and charter mix optimizes annual revenue. And that revenue topped $1 billion during the last 12 months.

"Investing in conservative stocks to build or rebuild the core of your portfolio makes sense right now; investors should buy companies that have a long history of steady earnings and dividend growth, through good times and tough times," says J. Royden Ward.

The editor of the specialty newsletter, Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter, explains, "The obvious benefit of adhering to a disciplined system of value investing like ours is that you build long-term profits and, ideally, financial independence.

"National Grid (NGG) is Britain's largest utility, and is also a major player in the Northeast U.S. as the result of its 2007 acquisition of Keyspan," says Gerald Appel, an advisor and technician who is best known for developing the well-known MACD indicator.

The editor of Systems & Forecasts explains, "Much of its business is in regulated markets, offering stability in sales and profits. The company more than earns its current dividend, and is expected to continue to do so.

"National Grid issued new shares this year to fund capital expenditures. This diluted future earnings, and contributed to this year's 26% sell-off in the stock.

"New products are the life-blood of any pharmaceutical company. Unfortunately, blockbuster drug breakthroughs have been fairly rare in recent years, lowering valuations for pharmaceutical stocks," says Chuck Carlson.

The editor of The DRIP Investor, which focuses on dividend reinvestment strategies, explains, "The good news is that the lone drug stock in the Editor's Portfolio, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), has had a spate of good news recently on the drug-development front.

"The company recently announced that a mid-stage trial of an experimental arthritis drug had met its goal, supporting further development of the drug.

"Despite economic and stock market uncertainty, two of our dividend-paying energy-related stocks keep on rising; we re remain bullish on the outlooks for Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) and Enerplus Resources (ERF)," says Mark Skousen.

The editor of Forecasts & Strategies explains, "First, Enterprise Products, our Houston-based pipeline company, has been bucking the downward trend and hitting new highs: .

"Our latest "Bargain Stock of the Month" feature is NextEra Energy (NEE), which changed its name in June from the FPL Group," notes Vita Nelson, who notes that the company changed its name to "better reflect the company's scale as one of the largest and cleanest energy providers in the nation."

The editor of MoneyPaper's Direct Investing exlains, "Its regulated utility, Florida Power & Light, provides electricity to 4.4 million customers. Its unregulated unit sells power across the United States.

"Over a third of this unit's operation sources electric power using windmills, many of which are located in high-wind areas, such as the Texas panhandle.

"Our primary purpose is to assist investors in growing their capital and income base from which to derive cash for their current and future needs," says blue chip stock specialist Kelley Wright.

The editor of Investment Quality Trends explains, "To that end we believe that high-quality stocks purchased at historically low-price-to-high-yield offers the best potential for downside protection and upside appreciation.

"The Timely Ten list of stocks is our reasoned expectation based on our methodology and experience for what we believe will perform best over the next five years.

"Capstead Mortgage (CMO) borrows for the short term at low cost -- rolling loans among a handful of big banks -- while lending money for the long term at a higher rate," says Andy Obermueller.

The editor of Government-Driven Investing -- which finds stocks positioned to benefit from changes in government policies and regulations -- explains, "Capstead, organized as a real-estate investment trust, keeps the spread for its troubles, and pays out 95% of its net earnings to shareholders. The result is a good defensive stock to help protect your portfolio.

"One of the things the government did to make sure that the housing market didn't crater even more than it had was to step in and guarantee certain mortgages. If the borrower defaulted, Uncle Sam would step in, like a co-signer, and make good on the loan.

"If you're a retiree or otherwise focused on income, dig into the holdings that make up our Incredible Dividend Machine; this portfolio is designed to home in on champion dividend payers," says Richard Band.

The editor of Profitable Investing explains, "We're looking for the highest yields available, consistent with safety. Three that currently stand out are Merck (MRK), AT&T (T) and Pinnacle West (PNW).

"I know the promise of 17% interest – safely – is ridiculous. You should be skeptical when you see interest rates that high," cautions Steve Sjuggerud, an advisor know for his value-oriented and contrarian investment positions.

The editor of Daily Wealth explains, "But I assure you, what I'll share with you today is real and very safe ... all thanks to government foolishness. Below, we review Hatteras Financial (HTS). The company has a simple business. It only invests in these 100% government-guaranteed mortgage packages.

"The U.S. government backstopping the majority of American home mortgages. The government guarantees bankers and investors won't be at risk. It does this by buying mortgages from banks. It's a dumb deal for the government, but a brilliant deal for the banks and investors. And it means we can collect 17% interest, safely.

"Fear is back and it can be seen in the internals. So what is one to do? What we always do: identify quality, establish value, and take advantage of opportunity when it presents itself," suggests Kelley Wright.

The editor of Investment Quality Trends -- an advisory service that assesses blue chip stocks by analyzing their historic dividend yield levels -- adds, "While all ships go out with the tide, value is eventually rewarded. Remember, we are in this for the long haul.

"Our current Timely Ten -- featured below -- is our reasoned expectation based on our methodology and experience for what we believe will perform best over the next five years. Do we believe that all 10 will go up simultaneously or immediately? Of course not.