8 Great Dividend Stocks Yielding 8% or More

High-yield dividend stocks typically play a vital role for investors planning for retirement. However, like many things in life, there is no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to income plays.

Many of the highest-yielding dividend stocks are too good to be true. Their high yields simply reflect a higher risk profile and an unsustainable dividend that will be put on the chopping block in the future. For investors living off dividends in retirement, that's a disaster just waiting to happen.

As a result, conservative income investors would do well to steer clear of most stocks with dividend yields well above 6%.

Not every high-yield stock turns out to be a trap, however.

Today, we'll review eight dividend stocks that sport a dividend yield of at least 8%. These companies maintained their payouts during the financial crisis, and they appear poised to continue delivering generous dividends over at least the short- to medium-term.

To be clear, these are still "reach" candidates. They need to be approached with caution. Only more aggressive income investors who are