Another way to get a diversified income-producing portfolio is to buy one of the exchange-traded funds specializing in dividend income.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Those funds that invest on the basis of dividend income have also suffered badly.

ECONOMIST: Looking for growth stocks when there is not much growth

Many large U.K. pension funds depend on regular income from BP's dividend because in 2009 it made up 14% of total shareholder payouts on London's FTSE 100 index.

WSJ: BP Takes Heat From Two Sides on Dividend