I know that I add the portfolio total to the header and present it like it is the central focus (I have started including the dividends too this month) but the only reason for me investing in anything anywhere is the INCOME! Owning $50,000 worth of a particular stock doesn’t make me happy, it’s the income from that stock and the freedom that it creates. Dividends and passive income in general is where happiness is: freedom and choices.
Anyone trying to tell you that financial freedom doesn’t make you happy was either dropped on their head as a baby or they have no imagination. It’s like trying to tell you that freedom and choices are bad for you while imprisonment and slavery are good for you. It’s stupid and insulting.
So next time someone tells you that money is evil, please tell them that you are sorry that they were dropped on their head as a baby as it has done them untold damage. Have sympathy for them as they’re special, just don’t ever lend them a dollar.
ETF Dividend Payments in July
As I was expecting, July was a high as we had all of the ETFs paying out dividends. January and July are the only two months of the year when all of the holdings distribute income. The other two good months are April and October when the quarterly payers send out our freedom units. All the other months are when the monthly payers pay and I would like to increase those months to more than $100.
For the first time since starting this ETF portfolio last year in September 2023 we have broken the one hundred dollar mark with a total of $130.30 paid out for the month!
JPEQ paid out $15.52, FEPI paid $12.71 and QQQI gave me $4.80 for the month which is a total of $33.03 for the three monthly ETFs. We also had GEAR pay out $6.61, IVV $7.73, VGS with $34.90, and lastly VHY paid us $48.03. Bringing the total dividends paid in July 2024 to an impressive $130.30.
For the first seven months of 2024 the ETF portfolio has earned me about $332 in dividends compared with $102 from the whole of 2023. Averaged out over seven months that’s about $47 per month which is definitely turning into something substantial. Obviously not enough to live off but it’ll definitely help to speed up the snowball effect as it’s all reinvested back into the portfolio.
The ETF Dividend Portfolio for July
This month the ETF dividend portfolio has increased to $14,614, up from $13,866 in June which is an increase of about $748. New contributions accounted for $598 of that increase and ETF gains accounted for the other $150.
Just as a note, the ticker symbols ending in .AX are Australian listed ETFs and those without them are US listed ETFs. The US listed prices and average cost per share are in US dollars but everything else like market value and total dividend income are in Australian dollars.
Here’s what the portfolio looks like this month…
See the ETF Dividend Portfolio from June.
What to Expect in August
It’s already a few days into August and we have definitely hit a little bit of turbulence. Markets globally have generally lost a few percent and there’s more talk of recession in the US, so hopefully things settle down and we end up flat or up a little for the month.
I’ll continue to add to the higher yielding ETFs and might even add a new position. There’s about fifteen ETFs in my eventual portfolio and I’m currently holding seven of them. The reason I don’t hold the other eight or so positions is simply because the portfolio is so small. My current largest positions sit at about $3000 and I would like to increase that number quite a bit.
If I do buy a new ETF in August it’ll probably be SCHD, SPYI or Realty Income.
How is your freedom making machine going this year? Does the turbulence scare you out of positions or do you buy the dips?
Total ETF + Managed Funds Portfolio for July
Portfolio value inside the Vanguard website: $5,134 up from $5,072
Betashares ETF portfolio: $5,236 up from $4,788
US & ASX listed ETFs held in brokerage accounts: $4,242 up from $4,004
Total Index Funds portfolio value (VHY, VGS, GEAR, JPEQ, FEPI, QQQI and IVV): $14,614 up from $13,866
Most recent dividend payment (July): $130.30 up from $29.64 in June (Monthly and quarterly dividends from JPEQ, FEPI, QQQI, VHY, VGS, IVV, and GEAR)
Dividends paid in 2024 so far: $332.98
All dividends paid in 2023: $102.68
All ETF dividend payments since buying $483.62
ETF Dividends Goal: $2,000+ per year.
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