One Year in the Books! With our first year officially behind us, take a look back and breakdown the numbers. Dividend Income: - 422 payments received - Total collected: $58,823.79 - Average payment: $139.39 Option Premium Income: - 278 transactions - Total collected: $20,767.20 - Average premium: $74.70 Total income collected: $79,590.99 While I'm incredibly pleased with the results, there were a few outliers that significantly boosted our overall income. In October 2025, we collected nearly $9,000 in dividends, and in December 2025, we generated over $5,000 in option premiums. These were exceptional months, but I don't anticipate seeing numbers of that magnitude on a regular basis. Based on our monthly averages from 2026, we are currently on pace to generate approximately $68,395 in annual income. Although it's lower than the year 1 total, it's a good representation of what the portfolio can produce. And as we continue to contribute to our positions, I expect that income to grow steadily over time. One aspect that I haven't placed much emphasis on yet is taxes. My philosophy is fairly simple, paying taxes on money I've made means at least I made some money. This is not to say taxes are not important, but it's currently just not my primary focus. As we get approach end of the year, I do plan to harvest losses to offset some of our income. One position I'm considering exiting is ULTY. While the distributions are attractive but the decline in share price has been substantial. I still have some time to evaluate the position and decide on the best course of action. Overall I'm happy with the performance of the portfolio in the first year. Here's to an even better year two!read more
If you could only own 5 ETFs forever, these are hard to beat 👇 $VOO - Core market exposure $SCHD - Dividend growth $DIVO - Dividends + covered calls $GPIQ - Nasdaq growth + monthly income $OVL - S&P growth + 10% yield Growth, income & cashflow all in one 💰📈 What would your 5 be? 🤔read more
$JEPQ vs $QQQI 🥊 Yield 11.2% vs 14.4% Total return +96% vs +65% Expense ratio 0.35% vs 0.68% Launched May 2022 vs Jan 2024 Both pay monthly 💵 Which side are you on?read more
Unpopular opinion 👇 You don't have to choose between growth and income anymore $GPIQ : +105% total return AND a 9.9% yield $OVL : +208% total return AND a 10.5% yield The "income ETFs can't grow" crowd is getting quieter every year 📈 Agree or disagree?! 🤔read more
Like most others my age, I started investing without a clue as to what I was getting myself into. I was a classic "yield-chaser", big number (high yield) makes number go bigger, ooga booga! Good luck trying to explain to my formerly simple mind what NAV erosion is, all quiet on the frontal lobe there. As my portfolio has grown, I've made a conscious effort to future proof my investments while still hovering in my allowed risk range. I do still invest mostly in dividend paying stocks, after all. Average yield around 11%, and steadily maintaining that rate. Last year I gave myself the go ahead to usher in THE GREAT RE-BALANCING. Most of my dividends, at this point, came from yield trap ETFs, ULTY and MSTY to name a couple. As a naive new investor, watching these positions outperform my Canadian Financial ETFs, I wondered to myself why more people weren't leveraging this "strategy". Then, thanks almost entirely to the blossom community, I realized the error of my ways. Learning how dividends actually work changed my perspective. There's no magical money making machine... Unless you're insider trading from within the Government. The dividend is taken out of the share price on the ex-dividend date, lowering the value of the share by the dividend amount. If the company can't recover from that dip in value, your investment will slowly shrink. This simple math was the catalyst for my decision to re-balance my portfolio. I started slowly selling off my more high risk positions, realizing the loss. Most of these shares were held in my TFSA, so there were no tax ramifications for my actions. I lost a couple grand, and that red number bothered me. But zooming out, the number wasn't entirely accurate, not nearly as bad as first perceived. These positions had been paying out high distributions, which was all being reinvested in safer ETFs, like XEQT, VDY, or BANK. So yes, I lost money, but these high-yield ETFs were being used to fund positions that I still hold today. It's interesting looking back at my 2025 dividend allocations, and comparing it to 2026 so far. I'll easily surpass last year's distributions with my safer choices. If anything, this has been a lesson in patience, I've learnt to slow down and avoid the "get rich quick" trap. It's nice seeing green for a change on the NAV side. Below are my 2025 versus 2026 allocation charts so far: ULTY and MSTY went from 40% of my income to under 10% (they're completely phased out, that number won't go up). I still have the rest of October, November, and December to surpass my 2025 total. If you have a similar story, please let me know. I love reading how the blossom community has solved their problems. Until next time. Chad out.read more
How much you need invested to make $1,000/month in dividends 💵 $SCHD → $400,000 $JEPI → $150,000 $SPYI → $98,800 $QQQI → $83,300 $TDAQ → $68,200 $NVII → $40,000 Based on current yields Which one would you pick? 👇read more
Yield vs total return since inception 📊 A higher yield does not always mean more money $GPIQ 9.9% yield | +105% total return $XQQI 20.2% yield | +21% total return Which matters more to you, yield or total return? 👇
Due to the REITpocalypse, $ADC stock is -5.00% on a total return basis over the past 1Y, but… They just raised the dividend 1.5%, which is a month over month increase and a 3.4% increase over the annualized dividend amount of $3.144 per common share from the fourth quarter of 2025. Oh, and our PADI increased $12.39. Eventually treasury yields will go🔻and REITs will go🔺… Currently, REITs are 4% of our investment portfolio and are held for income + diversification. Do you own any REITs during this challenging cycle? Source: https://investors.agreerealty.com/press-releases/press-releases-details/2026/Agree-Realty-Declares-Increased-Monthly-Common-Dividend-f56192d14/default.aspxread more
Many traders lose because they focus on how much they can make instead of whether the setup is actually there. Professional traders ask: ✅ Is the setup valid? ✅ Does it fit my plan? ✅ Is the risk defined? ✅ Is the reward worth the risk? Struggling traders ask: ❌ How much can I make? ❌ What if it runs without me? ❌ Should I double my size? The market doesn't pay us for wanting money. The market pays us for following a process. If you focus on the money, you'll force trades. If you focus on the setup, the money can take care of itself. What's one rule in your trading plan that has saved you from a bad trade? 👇 Share your thoughts below.read more
Well, last week I said my portfolio murdered the S & P 500; I suppose you could call this a revenge killing. Hurricane (pronounced ee-sah-ee-ahs. Spanish and Hebrew don't have a "long i" sound) did a number on my county this week so my update is a little late. But, since the S & P 500 kicked my butt this week, I thought it was very important to make sure this update gets out for the sake of transparency. Semiconductors and memory stocks were selling off this week. In fact, I was down every single day this week (lol). My bullish thesis on semiconductors and AI remains. These sectors are the most profitable in the stock market and there is nowhere else I'd rather be for ultra high yielding products right now. This week, $VGTX released and I bought it on the first day it was out despite the fact I was about to be hit by a hurricane later that day. I love VGT so I am excited to add $VGTX to my portfolio! Will I have a better week next week? Hell if I know! I'm not in the business of predicting the market. I just go where I see the large profits. Truth be told, I'd love to get into the finance sector, but it is not time yet, and, when I do, I will rely on products that are less aggressive in their income strategies. Current holdings: $CHPY$GPTY$DRMY$YRAM$VGTX read more
Good morning everyone, I hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. Today no suprise, I bought more Enbridge (it’s on a massive discount). I’m looking to expand my dividend portfolio. My biggest positions are in $ENB and $POW I a big believer is both and will continue to DCA until I retire. I also have a decent chunk in $T which I’m continuing to follow from a far. I would like to find my next big dividend stock to invest in that fits my portfolio. I have done a lot of research and have a few ideas. Was wondering if anyone had any dividends they loved and stand by. Let me know what you think!!!
One trading rule could have prevented most of your losses. Not a new indicator. Not a new strategy. Just this: 👉 If it's not in my plan, I don't take the trade. The easiest money you'll ever make is the money you don't lose on a bad trade. 👇 What's the #1 rule in your trading plan?read more
