Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.Eastman Chemical in FocusBased in Kingsport, Eastman Chemical (EMN) is in the Basic Materials sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 24.62%. The specialty chemicals maker is currently shelling out a dividend of $0.69 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.21%. This compares to the Chemical - Diversified industry's yield of 1.12% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.28%.Taking a look at the company's dividend growth, its current annualized dividend of $2.76 is up 3.4% from last year. In the past five-year period, Eastman Chemical has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 8.98%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Eastman Chemical's current payout ratio is 44%, meaning it paid out 44% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.Looking at this fiscal year, EMN expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 is $8.68 per share, with earnings expected to increase 41.14% from the year ago period.Bottom LineInvestors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, EMN presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Eastman Chemical Company (EMN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research