Top Dividend ETFs – Get Cash for Life

Top Dividend ETFs – Get Cash for Life

Cash for life from dividend ETFs? Is that possible?

Very possible friends! Read on to learn how and why.

Why Dividends?

In a couple of words: cash flow.

I would argue nothing makes investors consider dividend ETFs more than cash flow. Or, maybe like rock-bottom interest rates. When it comes to interest rates, well, they are very low. They are predicted to remain low. I personally don’t think they are going to go up anytime soon…

But you don’t need to take my word for it on interest rates. 

You can heed the caution from a highly respected actuary about the massive demographic shifts now fully underway. Author and actuary Fred Vettese has been quoted as saying:

“Low interest rates and low inflation are here to stay.”

How are you going to battle low rates and higher inflation??

With low rates and likely higher inflation over time, for my generation (GenX) and likely the next generation of investors, you must consider going with one or more of the following to fund your retirement thanks to low interest rates triggered by Boomer demographic shifts:

  1. Save more; invest in a higher % of equities.
  2. Work longer.
  3. Spend less.
  4. Any combination of #1, #2 or #3 above.

You can find a couple of great books from Fred, and my reviews about them, via the links below:

Get your Essential Retirement Guide here.

The Essential Retirement Guide

Find out how you can generate Retirement Income for Life in this post.

Are there optimal ways to draw down assets?

I believe so.

Back to Vettese, over the years, he has put himself on record saying two or more of these methods below will help you fight longevity risk AND promote a structured approach to asset decumulation:

  1. Invest in passively managed funds to lower your investment costs and fees over time – keeping more of money working for you (versus in the hands of greedy advisors).
  2. Defer your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) later in life – something I wrote about here.
  3. Use some (not all), maybe between 25-50% or so of your RRIF assets to purchase a non-indexed annuity. Read up about how to manage your RRIF in this post here.
  4. Make adjustments to your spending habits. In “good markets”, spend more. In “bad times”, spend less. That means you need to consider from Variable Percentage Withdrawals (VPWs).
  5. Consider Fred’s “nuclear” option of using a reverse mortgage, later in life. (I personally wouldn’t do that but to each their own!)

Portfolio drawdown orders to consider

Depending on when you plan to retire or semi-retire like I might, the tax consequences involved, and much more, you can probably appreciate the drawdown order could be very different between retirees.

Here are some key ideas/sequences to consider:

1. Non-registered (N), RRSPs (R), TFSAs (T) (NRT)

This sequence might work well if you have built up a modest taxable account value by your 50s or 60s and you might have higher income needs and wants in retirement. To fight longevity risk, you can exhaust your non-registered account first, allowing tax-deferred money (RRSP) and tax-free investments (TFSA) to grow and compound away. “NRT” might work well to fight longevity risk, may apply to those retirees with any workplace pensions to draw from, and help those investors who wish to defer Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and/or Old Age Security (OAS) benefits until a maximum age. 

More reading: When to take your CPP benefit

2. Non-registered (N), TFSAs (T), RRSPs (R) (NTR)

Also in this sequence, you can consider tapping your taxable account first but reverse the order between TFSAs and RRSPs – keeping RRSP assets “until the end”. The benefit of this approach is you have some long-term income splitting opportunities, while money continues to compound tax-deferred. (If you are the recipient of a pension and are 65 or older, you may split income from your RRSP, RRIF, life annuity, and other qualifying payments.) The challenge however for some retirees is by keeping RRSP/RRIF assets preserved well into their 70s and 80s, these seniors could be subject to OAS clawbacks depending on their income level. Recall OAS is an inflation-protected government benefit that few retirees want clawed back! More on that in bit!

More reading:

RRSP withdrawal strategies before age 71.

What is OAS and how to avoid OAS clawback?

Of course beyond these sequential orders there can be a myriad of drawdown tactics that can be used to balance short-term and long-term tax efficiency needs, optimize retirement income, let alone fulfill any wealth transfer desires:

  • RRSPs (R), Non-registered (N), then TFSAs (RNT) – usually done to minimize taxation and to minimize OAS clawbacks given very healthy portfolio values. 
  • Blended withdrawals – some blends of NRT, NTR, or RNT. 
  • Custom withdrawals – based on tax bracket management in the “go-go” retirement years vs. “slow-go” years which includes some strategic RRSP withdrawals when minimal other income streams are in play.
  • And more and more….

The punchline is: you will need dependable income from your portfolio to retire unless you want to work. 

What on earth are you going to do?  

Get Cash for Life

Inspired by the following past emails from readers (adapted for the site post below), I think you can earn cash for life from a simple 3-fund dividend-oriented ETF portfolio. That is one way to earn income from your portoflio. 

 

Hi Mark,

I thought I saw you write recently about various ETFs but I was unfamiliar with one of them – which made me pause and think, geez, that’s a great idea!

I believe it was a U.S.-listed dividend ETF that invests in U.S. dividend aristocrats (NOBL?) Do you remember that ETF? Do you think that ETF is a good for my RRSP? 

The reason I ask is I recently sold a U.S. dividend stalwart and I’m thinking it would be much easier to get solid income from a U.S dividend ETF without the individual stock risk.

Thanks very much!

 

Hi Mark,

Love your site and how you are chronicling your journey to financial independence. Loved your six phases to financial independence – FI post!

In doing more thinking about how I need income from my portfolio to live from, I’m wondering if there is a dividend portfolio you’d recommend? Should I consider investing in some dividend ETFs for cash flow? Thoughts?

I hope you post my questions!

 

I will 🙂

I just love these types of questions. Why? Because these astute readers are wondering about low-cost ETFs, dividend-income ETFs and portfolio simplification – all things I’m very passionate about for my own portfolio too.

Why dividend ETFs?

While the broad market indexed ETFs are indeed great, a dividend ETF can offer investors something a bit different: income today and growth over time. 

As you well know companies use dividends to pass on their profits directly to shareholders. They certainly don’t have to but many companies do – instead of buying back shares, just focusing on capital gains, paying down any debt, reinvesting profits back into the business or even still, seeking out mergers and acquisitions.

These are important concepts to understand since dividends are just one (important) part of an investors’ total return. Just because a company pays a dividend doesn’t necessarily make it superior – although the income is great. Therefore, the desired goal for many dividend ETFs on the marketplace, and investors that invest in them, is to deliver meaningful income when investing in dividend-paying common stocks, preferred stocks, or real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Overall, dividend ETFs may be considered for risk-averse investors who are looking for income from their portfolio – since dividend ETFs may or may not keep up with any indexed fund returns over time. So, investors approaching retirement or investors now into retirement may decide they don’t need market-like returns. Instead, they are more focused on the meaningful, largely stable income that can be delivered from their portfolio.

This makes dividend ETFs appealing to many investors, including for a portion of any portfolio, when investors don’t want to deal with any stock selection but desire income. Many well-constructed dividend ETFs will save you the time and effort you would otherwise spend on researching individual stocks. Instead of doing that work, you have built-in diversification via the dividend ETF.

So, the punchline is: if you are seeking primarily income from your portfolio and some growth over time then dividend ETFs can be a great consideration.

Ultimately, because total return matters, most investors have a slight bias to broad market indexed ETFs.

I happen to own some broad market ETFs myself. You can read about some of my favourites here.

My ETFs

Dividend ETFs can be beneficial for these key reasons:

  1. You don’t want to build your own ETF per se of stocks. So, you can obtain dividend stock diversity without taking on individual dividend stock risk.
  2. Although distributions might not grow as fast as the dividend increases from the individual stocks themselves, you can expect the ETF distributions to grow with time. That is the hope of course. 
  3. You should be able to obtain your diversification and income needs via low fees. This way, you are not padding the pockets of any financial advisors to manage your money. 
  4. There are tax-advantages in taxable accounts thanks to our Canadian dividend tax credit, based on *Canadian fund construction only.

*This the tax treatment of Canadian dividend paying stocks (and ETFs too)!

Of course, any investor could technically create their own dividend income stream by timing the sale of their stock shares. 

Best dividend ETFs for income

Let’s get into it!

1. Canadian Dividend ETFs

Here are some of my Canadian favourites:

  1. Horizons Active CDN Dividend ETF (HAL)
  2. iShares S&P/TSX Composite High Dividend Index ETF (XEI)
  3. iShares Canada Select Dividend Index ETF (XDV)
  4. BMO Canada Dividend ETF (ZDV)
  5. iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index Fund (CDZ)
  6. Vanguard Canada FTSE Canadian High Dividend Yield Index ETF (VDY)
  7. iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF (XIU)
ETF Symbol MER # of holdings 5-Year Return 10-Year Return
HAL 0.67% Not readily available 9.29% 8.97%
XEI 0.22% 75 8.14% 7.14%
XDV 0.55% 29 10.19% 8.35%
ZDV 0.39% 51 8.36% N/A
CDZ 0.66% 86 9.24% 8.31%
VDY 0.21% 39 10.17% N/A
XIU 0.18% 60 10.93% 8.52%

Returns as posted as of end of August 31, 2021

Best Canadian Dividend ETF for income?

If I absolutely HAD to pick one, I’d go with XIU.

(Disclosure:  I used to own XIU until I built my own Canadian dividend ETF).

I would own XIU because you get the top-60 stocks in Canada, the bluest-blue-chippers by market capitalization in Canada, steady distribution income, rising distributions over time and low-cost. Your cash for life would be spending roughly 3% yield from XIU without any need to touch the capital – until you want to. 

2. U.S. Dividend ETFs

Here are some of the best U.S.-listed Dividend ETFs to own:

  1. Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM)
  2. Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG)
  3. iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO)
  4. iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV)
  5. Schwab U.S Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD)
  6. State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD)
  7. ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL)

All information below is current at the time of this post – quick comparison format:

ETF Symbol MER # of holdings 5-Year Return 10-Year Return
VYM 0.06% 412 10.93% 13.35%
VIG 0.06% 247 15.04% 14.49%
DGRO 0.08% 389 15.40% n/a
HDV 0.08% 75 6.83% 10.42%
SCHD 0.06% 102 16.36% n/a
SPYD 0.07% 79 7.88% n/a
NOBL 0.35% 65 13.69% n/a

Should you wish to avoid any Canadian-dollar to U.S.-dollar currency conversions work with Norbert’s Gambit, there are also some Canadian-listed U.S. Dividend ETFs to consider:

  1. iShares US Dividend Growers Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) (CUD)
  2. Vanguard U.S. Dividend Appreciation Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) (VGH)
  3. BMO US Dividend ETF (ZDY)

Using VYM, just as an example from the ones above, your cash for life thanks to owning VYM would be about 3% yield from the ETF distributions. 

3. International Dividend ETFs

Here are some of the best U.S.-listed, international dividend ETFs to own:

  1. Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF (VYMI)
  2. Vanguard International Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIGI)
  3. iShares International Select Dividend ETF (IDV)
  4. State Street SPDR S&P International Dividend ETF (DWX)

Using VYMI, just as an example from the ones above, your cash for life thanks to owning VYMI would be spending close to 4% from the ETF distributions alone.

Hypothetical dividend ETF income portfolio

Assuming you worked hard, saved well, and had $500,000 in your retirement nest egg to approach semi-retirement or full-on retirement with, you should be able to earn (and spend) at least $16,500 as cash for life from your portfolioif you just spend the ETF distributions alone.Top dividend ETFs - XIU VYM VYMI

Of course, a few things to mention:

  1. This 40% Canadian + 30% U.S. + 30% international split is just an example. You may want to consider lowering your Canadian bias and owning more U.S. assets as an example.
  2. I believe any responsible investor (who doesn’t want to leave a huge legacy) should strategically sell dividend ETF units over time since by owning such ETFs above, you should also expect to achieve some portfolio growth. Your responsible draw down plan will include incorporating any asset decumulation approaches Vettese recommends above and more.
  3. Finally, you might want to consider with any heavy equity approach (i.e., over 70% or 80% in retirement) the use of a cash wedge. 

The Cash Wedge – Managing market volatility

Top Dividend ETFs – Get Cash for Life summary

History continues to tell us that dividend-paying companies have historically outperformed their non-dividend paying rivals. Will history prove to be the norm going forward? Time will tell!

I do know that, as an investor, owning my basket of Canadian and U.S. dividend stocks directly (along with my low-cost ETFs) helps me stick to an investing plan I believe in.

I you are not comfortable with individual stock selection, but desire income from your portfolio, then dividend ETFs can be an option for you. With up to three dividend ETFs that cover companies, countries and continents around the world, you can generate passive income from your portfolio – an opportunity to live off dividends or distributions to some degree – with less individual stock risk for a very low fee. 

What are your plans to earn income from your portfolio during retirement? Have you considered dividend ETFs like these for your portfolio? Let me know!

Further Reading:

How to generate retirement income.

Spend more or retire earlier in this bulletproof retirement plan.

How I built my own dividend income portfolio.

My name is Mark Seed - the founder, editor and owner of My Own Advisor. As my own DIY financial advisor, I'm looking to start semi-retirement soon, sooner than most. Find out how, what I did, and what you can learn to tailor your own financial independence path. Join the newsletter read by thousands each day, always FREE.

54 Responses to "Top Dividend ETFs – Get Cash for Life"

  1. Are there any all-in-one ETFs that you like? Can you mention 2 or 3 that would be worth researching? Do you see any potential problems with these types of ETFs?

    Reply
  2. Hi Mark,

    Interesting post as usual. I’ve filled my RRSP and TFSA using growth ETF’s, VGRO and some other individual ETF’s to diversify across sectors and geographies.

    I’m lucky enough to have some spare money left, and as I’m not as disciplined as you regarding dividend stock picking I decided to go dividend ETF’s rather than individual stocks. I only went US/CAN for the moment (VYM and XIC) to see how dividend investing stacks up.

    I have no defined benefit pension waiting for me at retirement so I need to save, save, SAVE!

    Reply
    1. VGRO is a great all-in-one fund Chris. Well done!
      VYM (for USD income) and XIC (more of a Canadian growth fund) are two, good, low-cost options from my favourites list for sure. I owned VYM in particular for many years until I used a bit to buy BlackRock (BLK) and moved the rest into VTI for even more lazy-investing.
      https://www.myownadvisor.ca/lessons-learned-in-diversification/

      The pandemic market calamity from spring 2020 taught me a valuable lesson in more diversified assets away from Canada.

      I think if you can continue to max out your RRSP (US stuff) and TFSA (CDN stuff) you should be more than fine to say the least after 20-30 years of saving. Great work.
      Mark

      Reply
  3. Hi Mark,

    Great info as usual. Any thoughts when VRIF might be a good option. Sounds like a safe bet with 4% return but not to much growth. My in-laws are what they say real estate rich cash poor. They also live a pretty frugal lifestyle.
    At 80 years old and no TFSA invested. Was thinking VRIF was pretty safe bet with little risk. I know you can’t give advice, look forward to your comments.

    Reply
    1. Ya, I think VRIF has some benefits and potentially as an income-play I could have included it in this list as an honourable mention. If you look at VRIF, while delivering 4% yield/return, to your point there is barely no growth this year. What, VRIF has returned just shy of <3% this year to date?

      Compare that with XIU or others in my list.
      XIU year to date is up 22%. Like, almost x10 as much as much as VRIF.
      I know the fund I would rather have. 🙂
      Mark

      Reply
    1. I see a LOT of folks moving in that direction Bindu – they start with ETFs or dividend ETFs – and then move to individual stocks. I still believe many of these ETFs would work very well for income-investors but I can appreciate the passion that goes with individual stocks! 🙂

      Reply
  4. I think Phizer is a secure stock…my 2 cents.

    I looked at IYH and thought it was a bit on the high side. Its 230 ish and american health care which I dont know too well. I would like to buy it around $180 which more than likely wont happen.

    I am looking for stocks that had a long good history and fell off the cliff so to speak and still have not bounced back enough but their good history (charts) indicate they will get pulled back up. Still bargain hunting.

    Reply
    1. Yes, always on the lookout myself for stocks but can’t afford to buy anything until Jan. 1, 2021 TFSA contribution room opens up. Saving up now!

      Reply
  5. Harvest healthcare seems an odd stock. Its a scratch, thanks!

    I looked into US healthcare ETFs and found XPH and PJP to be at more decent levels right now of the ones I looked at. I also like Phizer.

    Reply
    1. I own PFE (Pfizer) for what it’s worth and I DRIP that stock x1 share per quarter. Very bullish on U.S. healthcare long-term since I figure people always need it and/or want it. Have you looked into IYH an iShares ETF?

      Reply
  6. I wanted to add parmaceutical and health care stocks but because I dont know the companys at all I looked at ETFs. They all seem on the high side now but I did find a canadian ETF – HHL (Harvest healthcare) which also pays 9% divident.

    Does anyone have confidence in this stock.

    Spyros

    Reply
    1. Hi Spyros,

      HHL is an interesting beast. I actually think their distribution is sustainable however I don’t think it will be raised much over time.

      Also, it’s important to understand how their distribution operates.

      For 2020:

      13% foreign income
      23% return of capital
      64% capital gains

      There are no eligible dividends here, and in a taxable account the return of capital can be a pain in the behind.

      I think there could be a place for HHL in a retiree’s portfolio during decumulation. I myself will consider it, but care needs to be taken in terms of tax consequences and understanding the potential for limited increases in the distribution.

      Reply
  7. Very interesting articles Mark.

    I’d like to highligh what I consider the weak point of using stock-picking instead of ETFs to implement a DGI strategy.

    When do you sell your stocks? because if you never sell, and the stock cuts its dividend, you wont receive any income.

    However, if you sell the stock after a dividend cut, probably you will be selling it at a very bad price (even losing capital from your initial price).

    I’d like to know what is your strategy to sell one of your DGI stocks.

    Best,

    David

    Reply
    1. Thanks David.

      One of the unfortunate risks that comes with a DGI strategy (that I fully understand) is that some stocks might cut dividends now and then. When it comes to stocks that have cut their dividends, such as IPL and SU in my portfolio, I remain invested. The reasons for this are two-fold for me:

      1. I’m in my asset accumulation years and so even a dividend cut, while not fun, is actually a good sign long-term that management cares about where the cash is going. I do receive income from IPL and SU still since while dividends are cut they are not fully suspended. I am DRIPping at least one share of each stock still at very cheap prices.

      2. I believe in these companies and I really don’t see either IPL or SU bankrupt. This means while things are very bad, right now, these companies will come back eventually since our economy is likely to rely on some form of oil and gas energy for the next 25-50 years. That investing timeline is just fine by me.

      Unless my thinking about a company has completely changed, I don’t sell my stocks even after a dividend cut. I remain invested and if anything I look to buy new stocks or more low-cost ETFs over time to diversify my portfolio. That’s my plan!

      How are you doing during all this market mess?
      Mark

      Reply
  8. What do you think of a portfolio consisting of XDIV, XDU, and XDG? Would that be diversified enough? I’m looking for a mix of steady dividend growth with some income while not resorting to picking individual stocks and these seem to fit the bill.

    Reply
    1. Those are some great funds.

      Individual stock picking has risks for sure. Love the low MER on CDN XDIV.

      XDU is great for avoiding CDN <> USD conversion costs as a low-cost U.S. dividend ETF. I own half of the top-10 in that fund outright so I feel like I own a proxy of that ETF already but if you don’t want to stomach individual stock risk, well, that’s a very good one to consider as well.

      XDG I don’t own either but that’s a good product for international payers. This fund is fairly new and it owns a number of U.S. stocks so I would be a bit biased just to own XDIV or XIU + XDU or a U.S-listed ETF in my RRSP.

      If you want international exposure you could just go with another dividend ETF vs. XDG.

      You might be interested in this post that revealed some other options as well Kevin.
      https://www.myownadvisor.ca/top-dividend-etfs/

      Happy investing but overall, good options for sure Kevin.
      Mark

      Reply
  9. Hi Mark,
    Thanks for all of your great info and recommendations over the years. I’m 76, good health, have a modest DB pension, my wife has none. My tax bracket is 20.5%. We both have about 100K in our individual RRIFs and approx. 30k+ contribution room in our TFSAs which also consist solely of equities and all are DRIPs. I’ve read varying opinions on my question: Under what conditions would you recommend withdraw/transfer more than min. from our RRIFs into our TFSAs and work towards eliminating our RRIFs? Thanks, George.

    Reply
    1. Thanks for reading George. I can’t offer direct advice for a number of reasons but I can tell you that most retirees I’ve talked to try and “smooth out” taxes as much as possible. That means, they take what they can from their RRSP/RRIF each year to remain in the same (as low as) tax bracket as possible and strive to convert as much RRSP/RRIF tax liability $$$ to tax-free (TFSA) or tax-efficient (non-registered) $$$ where they can.

      Maybe try this age related calculator see what income you want and see if it will push you into the next bracket (or not)!
      https://www.kccu.ca/calculators/rrif-payment-calculator

      Stay well,
      Mark

      Reply
  10. Hi Mark
    Any opinion on VGG, U.S. Dividend Appreciation Index ETF? It seem I can hold in in my RRSP in Canadian currency but not hedged to Can currency without having any currency conversion or a wack of US Dollers.

    Also how about XDIV, iShares Core MSCI Canadian Quality Dividend Index ETF ? I know you have created your own basket, what do you think of their basket? – perhaps too much financials.

    Reply
    1. Let me do some digging and reply in a future Weekend Reading Brad.

      The short answer is…you can own VGG (a CDN-listed ETF) that essentially is VIG in your CDN $$. This way, as you say, no worries about having a bundle of USD $$ to buy VIG. If you look at the history, VIG is a stud. VGG should have comparable albeit with lower returns due to higher MER and withholding taxes.

      XDIV, a good fund I think at a modest cost for those that do not wish to create their own dividend ETF per se like I have and own most of those top-10 or top-15 stocks the fund owns directly.

      No worries about re-balancing either Brad! Smart stuff.

      Reply
  11. Hello,
    I have a large defined benefits pension and annually do not have much room to contribute in my RRSP. My RRSP is 10% of my total portfolio. The rest is my maxed out TFSA and non-registered. Excluding RRSP where is the next best place for high US or International Dividend payers?
    Thanks for your awesome content!!
    Steve

    Reply
    1. “Excluding RRSP where is the next best place for high US or International Dividend payers?”

      Hummm, probably LIRA if you have one. Otherwise, TFSA even with 15% withholding tax. That is likely less than your non-reg. tax rate no?

      Well done Steve 🙂
      Mark

      Reply
  12. I owned global dividend ETF’s beginning in 2007 and right through the financial crisis. I didn’t enjoy the ride, so by 2010 I switched the RRSP’s and then TFSA’s to all index funds/ETF’s where they have been since.

    Reply
    1. Ya, I’m torn. The yield seems good for VYMI and a few others (since I intend to live off dividends in the early 5-10 years of semi-retirement) but I’m really not too sure. We’ll see. I’ll post some updates when I do!

      Are you a “hybrid investor” like myself Taggart?
      Mark

      Reply
    1. Hi Paul – you might want to reconsider putting VDY in a TFSA as the withheld US tax (15%) will not be a factor – VDY would be better in a RRSP/RRIF (no withheld tax ) or a non-registered account (get you a foreign tax credit for the withheld tax).

      Reply
            1. I recall Cut The Crap Investing is a big fan of VDY. Since it’s made up of mostly CDN banks and CDN pipelines, I figure I would just own those directly (and I do). Nice to be able to skim what the big funds own and save on fees 🙂

              How is your investing coming along?

              Reply
    1. I think it’s a good product May but I didn’t put it in my list for these reasons:
      1. I think going with U.S. listed ETFs offer a lower cost.
      2. I think the withholding taxes on ZDI will be modest – best to avoid where you can.
      3. 103 holdings are not very many if you are striving for international diversification – although I’m a terrible example since I don’t own any international-focused ETFs beyond U.S. at this time.
      4. Performance has been OK but certainly not stellar when comparing to S&P 500 or VTI or VYM or VIG, etc.

      Again, I don’t own it but there might be better products to consider.

      Just being honest 🙂 Don’t let that opinion change your approach!
      Mark

      Reply
  13. Great article as usual!
    I’m a rather new retiree (2 yrs) and as many others I didn’t know how to go about income and decumulation being a new DIY investor. You helped me tremendously with your extensive info and case studies.

    I did purchase a couple ETFs which happened to be in your list above. I have since reverted to owning Canadian all stars and US Aristocrat shares directly as I didn’t like the variable up and down dividend payments of the ETFs. This is a personal choice and I realize that I’m exposing myself to the risk of less diversification.

    Having said that, I started a small direct investing account for my daughter with an ETF since variable dividend payments don’t matter, she doesn’t need them, they’re reinvested.

    So ETFs are great investment vehicles, still great during retirement for income, unless you don’t like the income ups and down like me.

    Reply
    1. Awesome Mary.

      I’m not sure if you saw this in my post, but I’ve given up on owning CDN ETFs at this time since I have essentially built my own dividend ETF:
      https://www.myownadvisor.ca/have-you-considered-unbundling-your-canadian-etf-for-income/

      That said, I think owning some of the CDN + U.S. + International ETFs are excellent considerations for folks that do not wish to engage in individual stock selection risk.

      With ETFs, you absolutely get “the good” with “the bad” stocks. Very challenging to know what ones will come out on top!

      Smart call on the reinvested distributions from ETFs. Money that makes money can make more money.
      Mark

      Reply
      1. I did, I should have said ‘like you I built my own Canadian dividend ETF’. Yes stocks selection is demanding and could be nerves racking at times (and you can make mistakes..) Got help on ‘prudent’ stocks selection with precious info on your site and a couple books like Henry Maw’s practical book.

        My point was that the ETFs distributions varie up and down, and I agree with you, they’re still excellent investments.

        Reply
        1. Oh very much so Mary. ETF distributions are hardly a straight line up but they should be expected to go up over time, and usually do. You certainly don’t get the same distribution increases as you might with some dividend paying stocks, which is why I’m a hybrid investor – I love my dividends for income and growing income and I like my ETFs for distributions and slow capital gains.

          Sounds like you have a good plan in place – glad any perspectives on the site helped 🙂
          Mark

          Reply

Post Comment