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Retirees need a few key things from their investment portfolios. First, retirement investing is all about income. That’s because in retirement, your passive income stream needs to exceed your living expenses to create a truly sustainable retirement.

In addition, safety and growth are important as well when choosing which securities to invest in for retirement.

This is why we often recommend high-yield stocks to income investors. The following 3 Dividend Champions are among the right retirement stocks for income investors.

New Jersey Resources (NJR)
 

New Jersey Resources provides natural gas and clean energy services, transportation, distribution, asset management and home services through its five main subsidiaries. The company owns both regulated and non-regulated operations.

NJR’s principal subsidiary, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), owns and operates natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure serving over half a million customers.

NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV) invests in and operates solar projects, to provide customers with low-carbon solutions.

NRJ Energy Services manages a portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets, as well as provides physical natural gas services to customers in North America.

New Jersey Resources was founded in 1952 and has paid a quarterly dividend since. The company has increased its annual dividend for 28 consecutive years.

New Jersey Resources reported third quarter 2025 results on August 4th, 2025, for the period ending June 30th, 2025. Consolidated net financial earnings (NFE) amounted to $6.2 million, compared to net financial loss of $(8.9) million in Q3 2024 and NFE per share of $0.06 compared to $(0.09) per share one year ago. Management narrowed its guidance for fiscal 2025, now seeing NFEPS in the range of $3.20 to $3.30 (from $3.15 to $3.30 at previous guidance).

NJR currently yields 4.1%.

Clorox Co. (CLX)
 

Clorox is a manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products, spanning a wide array of categories from charcoal to cleaning supplies to salad dressing.

More than 80% of its revenue comes from products that are #1 or #2 in their categories across the globe, helping Clorox produce more than $7 billion in annual revenue. The company also boasts an outstanding dividend increase streak of 48 consecutive years.

Clorox posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on July 31st, 2025, and results were quite good for the fourth quarter. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to $2.87, which was 66 cents ahead of estimates. Revenue was up 5.3% year-over-year to $2 billion, and beat estimates by $70 million.

The company noted it received a temporary benefit from retailer inventory build ahead of a shipping transition, as well as its divestiture of Better Health Vitamins. The management team noted it’s been transitioning to a more efficient inventory management system, which prompted retailers to front-run orders before the switch. As a result, Q2 results are not fully representative.

The management team also noted “continued rapidly shifting consumer behaviors and broader market volatility” as the outlook for fiscal 2026 looks murky to say the least. Sales are expected to be down 6% to 10% for fiscal 2026, while organic sales are expected to decline between 5% and 9%, including a 7% to 8% negative impact from the front-running by retailers.

CLX has increased its dividend for 48 consecutive years, and currently yields 4.3%.

Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT)
 

Federal Realty was founded in 1962. As a Real Estate Investment Trust, Federal Realty’s business model is to own and rent out real estate properties. It uses a significant portion of its rental income, as well as external financing, to acquire new properties.

On August 1, 2025, Federal Realty Investment Trust reported results for the second quarter. The company reported net income available to common shareholders of $88.7 million, or $1.06 per diluted share, compared with $72.4 million, or $0.88 per share, in the prior year period.

Funds from operations were $172.5 million, or $1.61 per diluted share, up from $1.59 per share in the second quarter of 2024, reflecting rent growth, higher occupancy, and contributions from redevelopment projects. Total revenue rose to $301.6 million from $288.9 million a year earlier, driven by contractual rent escalations and strong leasing spreads.

Same-property net operating income increased 3.6% year-over-year, with portfolio occupancy improving to 94.5% and comparable retail leasing spreads averaging 9.8% on new and renewal leases.

FRT has increased its dividend for 58 consecutive years, and currently yields 4.5%.

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