The beauty of investing in superannuation is its long-term nature and this means investment periods can easily eclipse most investors' view on what the long term really is.
For example, a 35-year-old looking to buy shares and sell them to 'lock in a profit' could be selling themselves short in periods of anywhere from 12 months to 3-4 years (depending on the stock purchased and the price paid).
The age a 35-year-old can legally access his or her super though is 60 so there's still another 25 years in which a young person can turn their SMSF into a compounding machine.
Here at the Fool we unashamedly promote stock ownership for the very long term, as long as the chosen stock's business model continues to remain robust and performs in accordance with shareholder expectations.
Today, whether you're aged 35, 55, or older, here are what I think are three outstanding businesses paying fully-franked and growing dividends that I think each SMSF should own for a decade or more.
Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV)
This specialty retail fashion holding company owns the Just Jeans, Peter Alexander and Smiggle brands, and has been sold off quite aggressively since August with its share price falling approximately 21%.
This is a cyclical company given the retail markets it's exposed to, but if you genuinely want to hold a well-financed business with a clean balance sheet, good growth prospects and paying a fully-franked and growing dividend, you can't beat buying shares in this business at today's price with a view to holding for the next 10 years at least.
The current dividend yield is 3.8% and the dividend is expected to grow by double digits throughout 2016-17 and 2017-18.
1300 Smiles Limited (ASX: ONT)
1300 Smiles is an owner/operator of full-service dental facilities throughout Queensland, and in pockets of NSW and SA.
Similarly to Premier Investments this company is ungeared, and is growing methodically under the leadership of Dr Daryl Holmes, with plans to eventually become a profitable national dentistry brand.
You'll have to be patient though. Dr Holmes will only expand when it makes sense for shareholders, and given he's the largest shareholder of the business himself, you shouldn't expect to see any rash decision making. This approach to growing the business should be welcoming news to shareholders knowing that their capital is being managed prudently and for the long term.
There are no forecasts for this stock's dividend and earnings, but the current yield is a fully-franked 2.9% which has grown at a 14.2% compound annual growth rate over the last 10 years. Dr Holmes also writes extensively in his letters to shareholders on the importance of dividends to the owners of the company and as such I have a lot of faith 1300 Smiles would be a suitable choice for most SMSF portfolios.
Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC)
A global hospital holding company with 212 hospitals and day surgery facilities across Australia, SE Asia and Europe, Ramsay's financial history both as a business and as a stock has been excellent over the last two decades.
Although the current yield of 1.8% looks tiny, this is a company with demographic tailwinds behind it. As populations age, so then does demand for hospital and medical care which has seen Ramsay's dividends rise from 7.4 cents per share in 1998-99 to 107.5 cents for the 2015-16 financial year.
Despite its overseas operations, the dividends are still fully-franked, and with the first half 2016-17 dividend up 19% on the prior corresponding period, you'll be buying shares in this business for its growth profile.
This is definitely a stock for the SMSF bottom draw.
Foolish takeaway
If you own a SMSF and you're in the accumulation phase, you can give your chosen stocks the luxury of time to do their thing.
And if you're an already-retired trustee, you still need to ensure your capital and dividend income is growing at a decent clip.
Along with the 5 things every SMSF must do in 2017 (which you can discover by clicking on the link below), your SMSF also can't afford to miss the benefits of being invested in well-chosen businesses such as these that pay out decent income.
