Many people dream about becoming financially independent (it's one of my top financial goals). There are many ways to turn that dream into a reality, and I've found investing in high-quality dividend stocks to be a proven wealth-creating strategy.

The average dividend stock has delivered a 9.2% annualized total return over the last 50 years. So if you invest $300 a month into dividend stocks, you would build a $1 million portfolio in about 30 years. You can grow your wealth even faster by investing more money or finding stocks that can deliver higher returns.

Companies that grow their dividends have historically produced even higher returns (10.2% annualized over the last 50 years). Realty Income (O 0.04%), Brookfield Infrastructure (BIPC 0.50%) (BIP 2.98%), and Enbridge (ENB 0.22%) stand out as some of the top wealth-building stocks for dividend growth. Steadily investing in this trio could help you become financially independent.

Building wealth through real estate

Realty Income is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns a large and growing portfolio of income-producing commercial properties, such as grocery stores, warehouses, and casinos. It leases these properties to companies that need physical spaces to operate their businesses. Long-term leases supply it with stable and growing rental income.

The REIT pays investors three-quarters of its steadily rising cash flow via a monthly dividend. It retains the rest to help buy more income-producing properties.

Realty Income believes it can acquire enough properties to grow its adjusted funds from operations (FFO) by around 4% to 5% per year. That rising income stream should enable it to continue increasing its dividend, which it has done in each of the last 107 consecutive quarters.

With a dividend yield recently over 6% and earnings growing at 4% to 5% annually, the REIT could generate annualized total returns between 10% and 11% over the long term.

Strong total return potential

Brookfield Infrastructure owns a portfolio of high-quality infrastructure, such as utilities, ports, pipeline systems, and data centers. The company earns predictable and growing income from these businesses, which are supported by long-term contracts and government-regulated rate structures.

The global infrastructure leader aims to pay 60% to 70% of its stable cash flow in dividends, while retaining the rest to help fund expansion.

Brookfield estimates that it can organically increase its FFO by 6% to 9% annually over the long term. Growth drivers include inflation-linked rate increases, volume growth as the global economy expands, and expansion projects.

The company also has an excellent track record of making accretive acquisitions. It believes future deals could give it the fuel to deliver double-digit growth in FFO per share.

That should allow Brookfield to continue increasing its payout. It's aiming to grow its dividend (which yields nearly 5%) by 5% to 9% annually. The company has raised it for 15 straight years, every year since it came public.

With earnings rising by double digits and a dividend yield approaching 5%, the company could produce total annualized returns in the mid-teen percentages.

Lots of fuel to grow value for investors

Enbridge has a vast energy infrastructure business. The Canadian company operates oil and gas pipelines, natural gas utilities, and renewable energy projects. These assets generate very stable cash flow backed by long-term contracts and government-regulated rates.

Like Brookfield, Enbridge targets 60% to 70% of its stable cash flow for investors via dividends and retains the remaining excess cash for expansion.

The company has billions of dollars of commercially secured expansion projects under construction that should come on line through 2028. That provides lots of visibility into the future, and it expects cash flow per share to rise by around 3% annually through 2026, and about 5% annually after that.

That growing cash flow should give it plenty of resources to continue increasing its dividend, which it has done every year for nearly three decades. Its payout currently yields more than 7%. With 3% growth in the near term and 5% over the medium term, Enbridge should deliver total annual returns between 10% and 12% in the coming years.

Great wealth-building dividend stocks

Realty Income, Brookfield Infrastructure, and Enbridge have excellent records of producing income for their shareholders over the long term. They routinely increase their dividends, which has historically helped create wealth-building total returns. With more of the same ahead, these dividend stocks could help you get on the path toward a financially independent future.