The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that currently investors can earn decent yields of more than 4 per cent from high-interest savings accounts, government bonds and guaranteed investment certificates. The Globe's guest columnist Arjun Deiva writes in the Number Cruncher column that while these yields are appealing on the surface, the annual inflation rate came in at 4.4 per cent in April, outpacing the returns on most of these instruments. Conventional equities offer higher potential upside, but come with higher risk. Canadian dividend payers can offer investors seeking to overcome inflation the best of both worlds -- the stability of consistent dividend payouts as well as the price upside that comes with equities. Mr. Deiva looked for dividend growers that have the potential to increase payouts in the future. He only looked at Canadian exchanges and companies with a payout ratio of less than 50 per cent. His picks had to have five years of consecutive annual dividend increases and a five-year annualized dividend growth rate greater than 5 per cent. Some of his recommended picks are Toronto-Dominion Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Western Bank and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.