I’m 10 days late posting this update as I’ve had a sore foot and I’ve been getting around like a bear with a sore foot! I see where the term comes from now as I’ve been angry, irritable and ready to bite off heads! But all is well and it’s now time for this bear to get back on the horse.
Last year my goal for the ETF dividend portfolio was $20,000. I achieved that goal and finished the year at $21,832! So for 2025 I have decided to set the goal of $50,000. It’s ambitious but I think it’s achievable if the market gives me some help. If it’s a down year then there’s no chance of achieving it as I probably won’t be contributing more than $30,000 to the fund.
I’m also working on the goal of $2,000 in dividends in 12 months so I can’t just race out and buy all high growth/low dividend stocks to achieve my $50,000 goal. Total dividends paid out in 2024 were $725.85 so I basically have to triple them this year.
ETF Dividend Payments in January
January was the highest month for dividends so far as it included most of the quarterly payers and all of the monthly payers. The only stock that didn’t pay out was my new position in SCHD and that’s a very small percentage of the portfolio at the moment.
JPEQ paid out $30.80, FEPI paid $41.27, QQQI gave me $12.61, IVV came in with $11.65, GEAR with $28.58, VGS with $12.90, VHY with $47.66 and NDQ with a massive 25 cents which is a total of $185.42 for the month of January.
I’m happy that it’s above the $100 mark and I’m really keen to push through the $200 mark and beyond. I really do want the ETF portfolio to make a meaningful contribution to my monthly income. But like I said, first big goal is $2,000 per year and then we can think more about $2,000 per month.
The rolling 6 month, monthly dividend payment was $87.20 last month It has grown by about $5 per month with $96.38. I would love to see the average above $100 in February.
The ETF Dividend Portfolio for January
This month the ETF dividend portfolio has increased to $22,802, up from $21,821 in December which is an increase of about $981. New contributions were much lower at $430 which means that there was a $551 increase in the value of the portfolio. It’s always nice when Mr. Market helps with the heavy lifting.
I didn’t do any new buys, rather I just added small amounts to JPEQ and NDQ.
The plan was to add at least 5 shares of SCHD every month this year but I just didn’t have the funds to do it in January.
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 ETF portfolio looks like this month… (This is a screenshot taken on the 7th of February. I’m posting late this month)
See the ETF Dividend Portfolio from December.
What to Expect in February
New contributions will probably be similar to January as I’ve had some unexpected bills come up. So hopefully Mr. Market helps out in February and I can get the value of the ETF portfolio above $23,000. I like it to go up by about $1,000 every month.
Has your freedom making machine started the year running? What’s your 6 month rolling monthly dividend average for your ETFs? (total dividends paid over the last 6 months, divided by 6 equals your average).
Total ETF + REIT + Managed Funds Portfolio for January
Portfolio value inside the Vanguard website: $6,090 up from $5,962
Betashares ETF portfolio: $8,722 up from $7,976
US & ASX listed ETFs held in brokerage accounts: $???? up from $7,874
Total Index Funds portfolio value (VHY, VGS, GEAR, JPEQ, FEPI, QQQI, SCHD, NDQ and IVV): $22,802 up from $21,821
Most recent dividend payment (January): $185.42 up from $91.51 in December (Monthly and quarterly dividends from IVV, NDQ, GEAR, VGS, VHY, JPEQ, FEPI, and QQQI)
6 Month Dividends Monthly Average: $96.38 up from $87.20
Dividends paid in 2025 so far: $185.42
Dividends paid in 2024: $725.85
All dividends paid in 2023: $102.68
All ETF dividend payments since starting the ETF portfolio: $1,061.69
ETF Dividends Goal 1: $2,000+ per year.
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