by Ian Cooper

If you’re looking for a solid investment that will protect your portfolio from excessive volatility and generate income, you may want to jump into real estate investment trusts, or REITs.

Some of the leading REITs provide exposure to offices, apartment buildings, warehouses, hospitals, shopping centers and hotels, or a combination of all. All while paying out high attractive yields.

Also, according to analysts at ICR, as noted by Forbes.com, REITs are expected to produce a total return of 9.5% this year. That being said, here are some of the top high-yielding stocks you may want to consider especially with rocky markets.

iShares Core US REIT ETF

With an expense ratio of 0.08%, the iShares Core US REIT ETF (USRT) yields 3.14%. It offers exposure to 133 holdings, including diversified REITs and other real estate holdings across multiple property sectors. Some of its top holdings include Prologis REIT, Welltower, Equinix REIT, Simon Property, Digital Realty Trust and Realty Income REIT.

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It also just paid a dividend of just over 42 cents on September 19. Before that, it paid a dividend of just over 37 cents on June 20.

Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF 

With a yield of about 8.14%, the Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF (KBWY) invests at least 90% of its total assets in the securities of small and mid-cap equity REITs that trade in the U.S. and carry respectable yields. Some of its top holdings include Global Net Lease, Service Properties Trust, Global Medical REIT, Gladstone Commercial, EPR Properties and Omega Healthcare to name a few.

It also has an expense ratio of 0.35% and just paid a monthly dividend of just over 12 cents on October 24. Before that, it paid a dividend of just over 12 cents on September 26.

First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund

We can also take a look at the First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund (FRI).

With an expense ratio of 0.49% and a yield of 3.43%, the FRI ETF seeks investment results similar to the S&P United States REIT Index. Some of the top FRI ETF holdings include Prologis, Welltower, Equinix, Simon Property, Realty Income, Public Storage, Digital Realty Trust and AvalonBay Communities to name just a few.

The FRI ETF just paid a quarterly dividend of just over 17 cents per share on September 30. Before that, it paid a dividend of just over 19 cents per share on June 30.