Compare Financial Products Side by Side

Pick up to three listings from the directory, then weigh them against each other on the attributes that decide the choice — fees, minimums, features, regulation and ratings.

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What you're comparing

You have 2 listings in the compare tray: Realty Income (O) (Net-lease retail REIT) and American Tower (AMT) (Cell-tower REIT). Below, each row shows the attribute, what it measures, and which listing leads when the value can be ranked numerically.

Top ratedRealty Income (O)

Net-lease retail REIT

American Tower (AMT)

Cell-tower REIT

Rating 4.7 (240) 4.5 (120)
Dividend yield
(higher is better)
Annual distribution as a percentage of price — drives the income case for owning a REIT.
~5.5%~3.0%
Sector
Property type (industrial, office, residential, data-center) — each has different cyclical sensitivity.
Net-lease retailTowers
Market cap
(higher is better)
Total equity value; larger REITs tend to have better debt access and lower bid-ask spreads.
$50B$95B
Payout
How often dividends are paid — monthly payers smooth income planning, quarterly is the norm.
MonthlyQuarterly
RegulationSECSEC
Pros
  • + Above-average dividend yield
  • + Real-estate exposure without direct ownership
  • + Liquid — trades like a stock
  • + Above-average dividend yield
  • + Real-estate exposure without direct ownership
  • + Liquid — trades like a stock
Cons
  • Dividends taxed as ordinary income
  • Interest-rate sensitive
  • Sector concentration
  • Dividends taxed as ordinary income
  • Interest-rate sensitive
  • Sector concentration
HeadquartersSan Diego, CA, United StatesBoston, MA, United States
Founded19691995
License
Experience levelIntermediateIntermediate
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Bottom line

Across the attributes that can be ranked numerically: Realty Income (O) leads on dividend yield (~5.5%); American Tower (AMT) leads on market cap ($95B). Use this as a starting point — your own situation (account type, deposit size, jurisdiction) decides which of those leads actually matters.

How to use this comparison

Side-by-side comparisons make trade-offs visible — but only if you compare on the dimensions that actually drive the decision. A 0.10% expense-ratio difference between two near-identical broad-market ETFs is real, but rarely the deciding factor for a $5,000 investment. A 5-year track record difference between two robo-advisors usually matters less than whether they support the account type you need.

Before you commit to one option, write down two or three deal-breakers. Maybe it's "must support a SEP IRA". Maybe it's "must have a no-fee checking account included". Filter against those first, then look at marginal differences.

Where possible, every numeric attribute in the table is sourced from the business's own disclosures or a regulator filing. We refresh claimed and verified listings on at least a quarterly cycle; unclaimed listings rely on our last editor review, and we mark the date so you can judge how recent the information is.

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