Easter and March are done and done. I had the goal of $11,000+ for the ETF portfolio this month and I’m happy to say that I achieved it. Increasing the value of the portfolio by at least $1,000 has been my goal since I started buying ETFs last year and I think I’ve mostly achieved this so far.
Most of the increases are obviously new funds added but the market has also helped out by generally moving up and to the right.
I didn’t buy into any new ETFs this month and more importantly I didn’t sell any. Because ETFs are fairly new to me I think I was still working out what they were and how I intend to use them. So I was buying and trying whatever flavor I thought would taste good that month, which is the opposite of why I decided to start this ETF portfolio.
The reason I started with ETFs was to buy a few and just grow them without thinking too much about them. Just add money, collect dividends, and repeat.
The plan was and still is to eventually make ETFs the core of my entire stock portfolio. My main focus is and has always been individual stocks but at some point in the future I may tire of keeping up with 20 individual companies and just sell them to move the money to ETFs where I really don’t have to do much research.
For now though I just want to steadily increase the value of my ETF portfolio and learn as much as I can about investing in ETFs. So when the time comes (if it ever does come ) when I no longer want to follow the market I’ll be ready with exchange traded funds.
ETF Dividend Payments in March
March would normally be zero with my ETFs from Vanguard, Betashares and iShares but now that I have bought a monthly paying ETF I have earned the whopping total of $9.39! It sounds like I’m mocking such a paltry sum but I’m actually really happy with it!
I plan to add to my JPEQ position as I want to be making at least $100 per month from my ETF portfolio. JPEQ on the Australian stock exchange (ASX) is actually the US listed JEPQ JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF. It’s a covered call option ETF that uses the Nasdaq 100 and pays out monthly. I may also add JP Morgan’s sister ETF JEPI which also uses a covered call option strategy to produce a monthly income but it uses the S&P 500 index.
The ETF Dividend Portfolio for March
At $11,169 the ETF dividend portfolio has increased in value by about $954 on last month which is about an 8.5% increase. That’s mostly from new contributions of course but markets have generally moved up. Here’s what the portfolio looks like with JPEQ moving up the list…
See the ETF Dividend Portfolio from February.
What to Expect in March
Definitely no selling again as I’m happy with the five ETFs that I have (ASX listed VHY, VGS, GEAR, JPEQ and IVV).
I may buy another high income covered call ETF though. I’m leaning towards one that follows the S&P 500 like JEPI or SPYI. It should be about total return but I really want to increase the dividend payments on this ETF portfolio. So an ETF that follows the S&P500 like IVV from iShares might give me a higher overall return but it pays a 1 or 2 percent dividend yield.
A covered call option strategy may miss out on some of the increases in price but it’s also paying up to 10 percent in dividends each year. I want my ETFs to lean more towards income as my individual stocks portfolio is more growth focused.
So I’ll continue to invest in the S&P500 with IVV but I also want income from options with the likes of JEPI.
How much has your portfolio increased by this year?
Oh, and obviously nothing I ever say on this blog is a recommendation. I’m simply sharing what I’m doing. Don’t listen to anyone on the internet. Not even the so-called professionals. Actually, especially the professionals, don’t listen to anything they say! You go do you. Research and become your own expert. Set yourself free as soon as possible as the financial experts will only teach you how to retire at 70 or 80 or whatever the new and improved retirement age is these days.
Total ETF + Managed Funds Portfolio for March
Portfolio value inside the Vanguard website: $4,417 up from $4,117
Betashares ETF portfolio: $3,779 up from $3,233
ASX listed ETFs held in brokerage account: $2,943 up from $2,856
Total Index Funds portfolio value (VHY, VGS, GEAR, JPEQ and IVV): $11,169 up from $10,215
Most recent dividend payment (March): $9.39 down from $71.38 in January (Just the monthly dividends from JPEQ)
Dividends paid in 2024 so far: $80.77
All dividends paid in 2023: $102.68
All ETF dividend payments since buying $231.41
ETF Dividends Goal: $2,000+ per year.
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