A fairly broad index of companies that have increased their dividends The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index ETF (NYSEMKT: VIG) attempts to track the NASDAQ US Select Dividend Achievers Index. So between the industry reputation and the corporate structure benefit, is there any wonder why the Vanguard Real Estate Index ETF (NYSEMKT: VNQ) makes this list? In addition, since real estate is often considered a reasonable inflation hedge, the opportunity is there for dividends to increase over time, helping preserve the purchasing power of those cash flows.