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Image source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
A lot of people emphasise the importance of maintaining regular income streams when they retire. One way to do that \u2013 and to plan for it \u2013 is to build a retirement portfolio that contains a diversified mixture of high-quality dividend shares.<\/p>\n
Dividends are never assured to last, which is one reason diversification is important. But buying a mixture of the right blue-chip shares can often provide an impressive long-term flow of dividends.<\/p>\n
Here are five UK dividend shares I think an investor should eye for their retirement portfolio. Even someone in their twenties or thirties can already be planning financially for their retirement.<\/p>\n
Proven long-term businesses<\/p>\n
To begin, here are some companies that ought to benefit from long-term consumer demand.<\/p>\n
One (Reckitt Benckiser) makes consumer goods like Dettol, while the other (J Sainsbury) sells such products.<\/p>\n
I do not see these as exciting high-growth businesses. But I think each ought to benefit from ongoing demand for life\u2019s everyday essentials. Reckitt yields 3.5% and Sainsbury 3.9%.<\/p>\n
One risk I see for Reckitt is ongoing litigation threats related to its infant nutrition business. Sainsbury\u2019s competitive environment is challenging and ongoing price competition could eat into profits.<\/p>\n
Dividend growers<\/p>\n
Next are some high-yield shares<\/a> with impressive track records of dividend growth.<\/p>\n British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS<\/a>) has grown its dividend per share annually for decades<\/a>. It currently yields 5.8%.<\/p>\n The reason British American has been able to pay steadily rising dividends is because it generates so much spare cash from making and selling cigarettes.<\/p>\n That could change. After all, the company\u2019s cigarette sales volumes are falling as part of ongoing declines in cigarette usage. If that continues it may threaten the dividend.<\/p>\n But for now at least, the business continues to throw off lots of spare cash for the company. It has also been growing its non-cigarette business. That might help it keep generating sizeable free cash flows.<\/p>\n Another FTSE 100 firm that has grown its dividend annually in recent years, albeit not for anything like as long as British American, is asset manager M&G (LSE: MNG<\/a>).<\/p>\n