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 that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the 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.Great Southern Bancorp in FocusGreat Southern Bancorp (GSBC) is headquartered in Springfield, and is in the Finance sector. The stock has seen a price change of -2.8% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.4 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.78%. In comparison, the Financial - Savings and Loan industry's yield is 2.83%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.78%.Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.60 is up 14.3% from last year. In the past five-year period, Great Southern Bancorp has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 7.27%. Any future dividend growth will depend on both earnings growth and the company's payout ratio; a payout ratio is the proportion of a firm's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Right now, Great Southern Bancorp's payout ratio is 30%, which means it paid out 30% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.Earnings growth looks solid for GSBC for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 is $5.97 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 9.34%.Bottom LineInvestors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. 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 have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, GSBC is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold). Special Report: The Top 5 IPOs for Your Portfolio Today, you have a chance to get in on the ground floor of one of the best investment opportunities of the year. As the world continues to benefit from an ever-evolving internet, a handful of innovative tech companies are on the brink of reaping immense rewards - and you can put yourself in a position to cash in. One is set to disrupt the online communication industry. Brilliantly designed for creating online communities, this stock is poised to explode when made public. With the strength of our economy and record amounts of cash flooding into IPOs, you don’t want to miss this opportunity.>>See Zacks’ Hottest IPOs NowWant 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 Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research