Revealed: The new generation of investment trust 'dividend heroes'

As more established 'dividend heroes', including the giant Foreign & Colonial and Witan investment trusts, report rising dividends for more than 40 consecutive years, the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has identified the up-and-coming funds to watch in this area.

The trade body has released a list of investment trusts that have delivered between 10-20 years of consecutive dividend increases, with the Edinburgh Investment and Murray International trusts the latest to join the chart (see below). These 18 trusts combined with the existing 19 'dividend heroes' (those that have at least 20 years of consecutive rises) means 12% of AIC member investment companies have a decade or longer record of increasing their dividend every year. Four of the trusts in the 'next generation' list sit in the UK Equity Income sector, including Ciaran Mallon's Invesco...