General and Basic

It's always safest to invest in stocks that have had a resilient and aggressively positive performance for some years (in unison with that, also good to see dividend pay history that never takes a step back). Microsoft is one I always talk about, long term risk is never a serious thought on my mind with them.
A good shorter term investment (with long term potential) would be emerging sub-sector industries that will inevitably be necessary once the mainstream sector becomes more unsustainable. These would include the following:

-Efficient clean energy solutions
-Nature friendly waste disposal
-Effective fuel alternatives
-Logistics innovation

While these may be reasonable and very justifiable sub-sectors to invest in, more people have to be sincerely accepting of their importance to have the same unwavering confidence in them that I have in Microsoft or Lockheed Martin.

Also, with dividend stocks... research, research, research. then do some very basic math to see what's the highest earning potential.