Helm's largest holding -- about 3% of his portfolio -- is Abbott Labs, which he has owned since the fund's inception in August 2005. "Abbott, which yields about 2.5%, doesn't have a lot of pipeline risk or exposure to generic competition over the next three to five years," he says. Dividend growth has been a bit muted at 8% annually in the past five years, but Helm thinks the payout could rise 9% or 10%, near-term, due to the continued success of the company's flagship rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira. "Abbott might not yield as much as Pfizer or Merck or some other drug stocks, but it has less risk," Helm says.

Health-care, financial and industrial stocks dominate Helm's portfolio. Top holdings like Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) enjoyed big gains in 2007, producing returns for the fund that were almost two percentage points above the large-cap value category's for the year.

Health-care, financial and industrial stocks dominate Helm's portfolio. Top holdings like Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) enjoyed big gains in 2007, producing returns for the fund that were almost two percentage points above the large-cap value category's for the year.

Another favorite is aerospace giant General Dynamics , with a yield of 2.5% and earnings that could rise 20% this year, fueled by U.S. military spending and demand for corporate jets. "Regardless of who wins the presidential election, we don't see major cuts in GD's programs," Helm says.

Among the most generous increases, year to date, have been those from General Dynamics (GD), up 21%; McDonald's (MCD), up 33%; Procter & Gamble (PG), up 14%; Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA), up 20%, and Abbott Labs, up 11%. Cohen & Steers Dividend Value owns all of them.

Among the most generous increases, year to date, have been those from General Dynamics (GD), up 21%; McDonald's (MCD), up 33%; Procter & Gamble (PG), up 14%; Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA), up 20%, and Abbott Labs, up 11%. Cohen & Steers Dividend Value owns all of them.

Among the most generous increases, year to date, have been those from General Dynamics (GD), up 21%; McDonald's (MCD), up 33%; Procter & Gamble (PG), up 14%; Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA), up 20%, and Abbott Labs, up 11%. Cohen & Steers Dividend Value owns all of them.

In the financial sector, Helm steered clear of most of the banks that were hardest hit in this year's credit crunch. But he sees dividend opportunities in Wells Fargo (WFC), US Bancorp (USB) and insurer Aflac (AFL), which have raised their payouts by 10%, 6% and 17%, respectively.