Dividend investing is one of the best long-term investment opportunities out there, and it looks particularly alluring right now. “To just invest in growth stocks right now that don't pay a dividend, or don't pay a significant dividend, is no way to win at investing,” said Donald Schreiber, founder and chief executive of Wealth Builders Inc., which manages $400 million

The year-over-year comparison has dividend-investing wonks jumping for joy, and the picture is even rosier in the context of a sluggish outlook for both the economy and the financial markets.

“It's a very good time for dividend investing,” said Howard Silverblatt, a senior index analyst at Standard Financial Services LLC.

“Dividends can account for 60% to 70% of total return, and when you enter these slow economic periods, that dividend yield can make a big difference,” said Thomas Samuelson, chief investment officer of Advanced Equities Asset Management.

“It's a very good time to start looking at dividends again, and we're now seeing some nice opportunities in the U.S.,” said Kris Hermie, manager of the $1.1 billion ING Global Equity Dividend and Premium Opportunity Fund (IGD). Mr. Hermie, who manages the fund from The Hague, Netherlands, has a 36% weighting in U.S. stocks, making the United States and Europe the two largest allocations in the fund. “A year and a half ago, I had a huge underweight in the United States,” he said.