7 Consumer Staples Stocks You Can Buy and Hold Forever

Investing should be dynamic, but only up to a point. The foundation for every portfolio should include some stocks that are your “steady Eddie's." The ones you don't have to closely watch because you know they will provide you with a dependable total return in bull or bear markets.  

One sector where investors can find many of these stocks is the consumer staples sector. These are defined as the stocks of companies that manufacture products and services that are essential to our daily lives. This gives these companies two distinct advantages. The first is consistent demand and the second is pricing power.  

You may love Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock and its products and services. But an iPhone or Apple watch is not an essential item. Many consumers, even more affluent consumers, will cut back on these discretionary purchases in tough times. Contrast that with a company like The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) which makes products that consumers need, and use, every day.  

This isn't to say that Apple can't be a forever stock. But consumer staples titans like PG are the type of stocks that should also be part of the base of your portfolio. With that in mind, here are seven consumer staples stocks that you can buy today and hold for a lifetime. 

Click the "Continue to Slide #1" button to view the first company.