Been wanting to share my journey here for a while. I started with NEOS funds like SPYI and QQQI. Things were going pretty well, but honestly, I was skeptical about covered calls at first. I wasn’t sure if these funds were something I could rely on long term. Then my brother introduced me to Adriano’s channel @adrian_pii and eventually I found Blossom. Since then, I’ve learned a lot from people here. There are some really helpful folks in this community, and I appreciate everyone who takes the time to share their knowledge and experience. Where I’m at right now 🎯 I’m generating around $2,000 a month in distributions. Next target is $3,000, and eventually I want to get to $5,000 a month. My current holdings and how they’ve been doing for me: Hamilton $HYLDGreat so far $HDIV Great so far $QDAY New position $CDAY New position Global X $QQCL Evolve $BANK Great so far $UTES Not so great lately US side Goldman Sachs $GPIX $GPIQ Both new I’m still learning and figuring things out as I go. Now, I know some people will ask, “You’re still young, why not focus on a growth portfolio?” Fair question. I actually listened to Vikas @passiveincomagnet the other day, and a lot of what he said resonated with me. You can have a good paying job, but if the environment is toxic, job security is always on your mind, and you barely get time to enjoy life with your family, what are you really working for? Add the stress and the toll it takes on your health, and you start looking at things differently. For me, it’s not just about watching my portfolio grow on a screen. I want to build an income stream that gives me more choices and, hopefully, more freedom over my time. I know covered-call ETFs have their downsides, and I’m not saying income investing is the right approach for everyone. I’m still learning, doing my own research, and trying to find what works for me. My goal is simple: get to $3K a month first, then work towards $5K. Would love to hear from others here. Especially those who are still relatively young and focusing on income instead of going all-in on growth. What made you choose income investing over a traditional growth portfolio? read more
Retired with No CPP, No OAS, No Pension — Just Covered Calls I’m 56 years old, and my retirement looks a little different from the traditional playbook. I don’t collect CPP. I don’t collect OAS. I don’t collect GIS. And I don’t have a defined benefit pension. My entire retirement income comes from high-yield covered-call ETFs. Right now, my portfolio generates approximately three times what I actually need each month to cover my basic living expenses. But instead of simply living on the bare minimum, I’ve entered what I call my travelling retirement stage. I’m currently spending around $150,000 a year enjoying retirement. That means I’m often out of the country for three to four months annually, exploring new places, experiencing different cultures, and making the most of the freedom I worked so hard to achieve. After all, what’s the point of building a retirement portfolio if you never get around to enjoying it? Spending Dynamically, Not Recklessly Here’s something I think gets overlooked in retirement planning: spending doesn’t have to be fixed. My basic living expenses are covered comfortably by my portfolio income. The additional spending is discretionary. If markets are strong and distributions are holding up, I’m happy to travel more, spend more, and enjoy life. If markets turn south or income starts coming under pressure, I can adjust. Fewer trips. Less discretionary spending. More money retained in the portfolio. My lifestyle is flexible. My ability to adapt is part of the plan. I don’t believe every retiree needs to spend the same amount every year, regardless of what the markets are doing. Reinvesting for Tomorrow Even though I’m retired, I haven’t stopped investing. I reinvest a minimum of 10% of my monthly portfolio income. Why? Because inflation doesn’t retire when you do. I also want a cushion against potential distribution reductions and the inevitable ups and downs of the market. Reinvesting helps me build that buffer while continuing to enjoy the income my portfolio generates today. Of course, reinvesting 10% doesn’t guarantee that purchasing power or capital will be preserved, but it gives me another tool to help manage those risks. And Here’s the Interesting Part… So far, this strategy has been working quite well. I’ve actually increased my total net worth since retiring. Think about that for a moment. I’m spending approximately $150,000 a year, travelling internationally for several months, living the retirement lifestyle I wanted, and my net worth has still grown. I’m not suggesting this will happen every year. Markets change, ETF distributions can fall, and high yields come with risks. I keep that in mind. But so far, the combination of portfolio income, flexible spending, and regular reinvestment has served me well. My Retirement Philosophy I don’t need to chase the biggest possible portfolio balance at the expense of enjoying my life today. I want my money working for me while I’m healthy enough to enjoy what it provides. I understand that my approach isn’t for everyone. High-yield covered-call ETFs have risks, and a large distribution doesn’t automatically mean a strong total return or sustainable income. But I’ve built my retirement around the strategy I believe suits my goals, my risk tolerance, and my lifestyle. I’m not waiting until I’m 70 to start living. I’m living now, managing my risks, and adjusting as circumstances change. Retirement isn’t just about how much money you have. It’s about what your money allows you to do. And right now, mine is allowing me to see the world. What about you? Would you be comfortable funding your retirement primarily through high-yield covered-call ETFs, or would you prefer the security of CPP, OAS, and a traditional pension? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments!read more
I need to see it written out and backtest before it sinks in. These are quite significant. 😳. Question for those that invest in CC funds? If you don’t need the income, why are you paying high fees and capping upside vs lower fees and compounding growth? 🤔
I'm working on an ETF deep dive into $HDIV, one of the most requested ETFs. I want to know what YOU actually want answered.... not just the advertised yield or how much it pays every month. I want to dig into the numbers and the questions that matter to YOU. How sustainable are the distributions? How much comes from return of capital? What are the underlying holdings actually doing? How does the leverage affect risk? Is HDIV delivering enough total return to justify its costs and complexity? Those are just a few starting points and examples.... What are the HARD questions you want me to answer? And as always, this is open to all, whether you're a holder, thinking of buying it ... or skeptical of the whole covered call strategy. I'd love to hear what you want to know and then i'll do my very best to separate the marketing from the data. Ps. The tougher the questions, the better 😏
Hey there, it's that time of the month!!!!! 😂. It was $MSTE payday today. MSTE increased its distribution to $0.09/share. I got paid $2,833.19 today. It was reinvested back into more $MSTE shares. Now I have a total of 33,028 shares of $MSTE with an ACB of $7.82. I hope to get to 35,000 shares by the end of this year. Two more paydays to go before the year ends. I am still down on my position-62% but it's a lot better than being down almost 90% a couple of months back. The upward $BTC$MSTR$MSTY🚀momentum did the major uplifting for my portfolio. Let's hope this bull run continues for the foreseeable future and generate some crazy gains. So far $MSTEhas paid me $54,055 in total and all of it has be reinvested tp buy more $MSTE. If you add the distributions then my total returns is around -43%. Still negative lol OMG 🙈 I can't wait to see $0.5/ share or my ideal $1/share distributions in the future and a $30+ share price. That will be some crazy income I hope to make one day, but not today lol😂. I will settle for $0.09/share a for now. All the screenshots are added for transparency and proof. $MSTE is love❤️🙈😎💰😍, my toxic mistress to be exact and my wife is fully aware of my mistress 😂, she approves of her lmfao. That's it for the update, now I have to get back to work. Till we meet again on next pay day, Adios 🫡, stay Blessed, keep hustling. read more
Always great to see @rj_fire and his wife!! Obviously he was wearing the best t-shirt at the BD Investing event!! 😂 *not sponsored by Blossom 🌸 but we should be!! 🤪
Sold $YTSL at a gain : 48.12$ Distributions received : 357.85$ Total Gain : 405.97$ Last 5 months the distributions got cut from 0.60 --> 0.55 --> 0.50 —> 0.40 --> 0.35 No plans of holding it anymore. Planned to hold all 🧺 ETF's (except MSTE) Bought: $HBTE : 1500.00$ $QDAY : 1548.12$ read more
Already hold 32% of our portfolio in $HHIS. Will try to maintain 25% long term. Slowly started building $HBTE. Can't neglect to add more at current price 😍. Will do better in Crypto Bull Market. Trying to have 5% of our portfolio... What's your taught on this? Do you holds both in your portfolio?
Interesting... Evolve doing a great job with the all in one's... Thanks to @dividendempire 🫡 for the great all in one place Covered Call Directory... It has all 13 Canadian providers. You can filter with lot of options... https://coveredcalldirectory.com
Tony retired in 2024 in his 30s with a portfolio size of just over $850,000. Can Income Investing Fund Early Retirement?! In this interview I talk to him to better understand what it took for him and his wife to walk away from their job in their 30s and live off their investments. We'll see hportfolio built around covered-call ETFs and investment income actually sustain early retirement? Tony, better known as @onemadtony on YouTube and Blossom, is a Vancouver-area investor who left the workforce in 2024 with approximately $850,000 invested. His portfolio has since grown to around $1.23 million, even after withdrawing more than $100,000 over roughly two and a half years. Tony shares his unconventional journey from early trading and dividend investing to covered-call ETFs, income investing, and financial independence in his late 30s. We explore how he structures his portfolio, manages retirement withdrawals, and balances investment income with long-term growth. In this interview, we discuss: 🟣How Tony's upbringing shaped his relationship with money and investing. 🟣 Why his mother's cancer diagnosis changed his perspective on work, retirement, and time with family. 🟣How he and his wife decided they could afford to leave their jobs. 🟣 His three-part portfolio strategy: living expenses, long-term core holdings, and a more flexible investing account. 🟣 Covered-call ETFs, distributions, and why a high yield doesn't automatically mean a sustainable return. 🟣 His real-life experiment comparing his income portfolio against $XEQT , $VFV , $QQC , and $HYLD under the same withdrawals. 🟣 Retiring with an approximate 5–7% annual withdrawal rate, keeping a cash reserve, and managing risk. 🟣 The psychological appeal of investment income versus selling shares to fund retirement. 🟣 Why understanding the risks of income investing is just as important as understanding its benefits. 🟣 What financial independence has taught Tony about enjoying the journey instead of waiting until you reach your goal. One of Tony's biggest takeaways is that financial independence isn't just about reaching a portfolio target. It's about having the freedom and flexibility to spend time with loved ones when it matters most. Tony also offers a thoughtful perspective on the income-investing debate: the strategy that works best on paper isn't necessarily the one that helps you feel comfortable enough to stick with it. But before relying on high-distribution ETFs to fund retirement, it's essential to understand where the distributions come from, the potential trade-offs, and what could go wrong. 🍿Fun Facts: Tony shares how @mr.financial is one of his most favorite Blossomers with his detailed, in-depth videos/posts which create good engagement. 😃 Also similar to @karyungtom, he plays and is a big fan of Magic: The Gathering! 💬 I'd love to hear from you: If you were financially independent today, would you prefer to live off investment distributions or sell a small percentage of your portfolio each year? Why? ... For me personally, I am comfortable enough to sell a small portion of my portfolio, as that way I could have more control over how much money I can withdraw and could potentially lower tax implication based on a more optimized drawdown strategy. https://youtu.be/GmRSZ-v4BO8read more
(Reposting / testing as my posts seem to be blocked) Original: https://www.blossomsocial.com/posts/Evolve-ETFs-Distribution-November__POST-1792450675135-s20BDAMt_8ZzPjptL13xirOdy Let me know if you can see the one above. 👆🏻 Kicking off the monthly distribution announcements, we have Evolve ETFs! And in consistent Evolve fashion like usual, there are no changes this month. 😄 BUT.. what I would like to share though is a new resource I've built specifically for income investors that can act as the new hub for all your Canadian covered call ETF investing needs -- and that is going to be the new Covered Call Directory! ✨ https://coveredcalldirectory.com/go/b I've actually been trying to share this all last week, but Blossom seems to be blocking my last few posts or greatly limiting them to a handful of people. So hopefully this will get through and more people can make use of this (my biased opinion 😅) amazing free resource I've spent the past few months building for everyone. All of the latest distributions below have now been updated on the website as well, so give it a look! 🙌🏻 Ex-Dividend Date: October 30th Pay Date: November 6th — Monthly — 🔵 BANK stays the same at $0.152 🔵 BASE stays the same at $0.27 🔵 CALL stays the same at $0.125 🔵 CARS stays the same at $0.025 🔵 CFIN stays the same at $0.20 🔵 CUTE stays the same at $0.234 🔵 CYBR stays the same at $0.01 🔵 DATA stays the same at $0.01 🔵 DIVS stays the same at $0.076 🔵 EBNK stays the same at $0.145 🔵 ESPX stays the same at $0.225 🔵 ETSX stays the same at $0.188 🔵 LEAD stays the same at $0.21 🔵 LIFE stays the same at $0.19 🔵 OILY stays the same at $0.147 🔵 QQQY stays the same at $0.32 🔵 TECH stays the same at $0.0016 🔵 UTES stays the same at $0.138 ---------- 1st Ex-Dividend Date: October 30th 1st Pay Date: November 6th 2nd Ex-Dividend Date: November 13th 2nd Pay Date: November 20th — Semi-Monthly — 🔵 BIGY stays the same at $0.20 🔵 CANY stays the same at $0.21 🔵 SIXY stays the same at $0.27 🔵 INTY stays the same at $0.26 🔵 EASY stays the same at $0.255 🔵 TECY stays the same at $0.18 Consider giving a follow if you don't want to miss a future post, as this is a recurring monthly summary. Thanks and I'll see you soon with more distribution announcements in the coming week(s)! 😄🍻 https://evolveetfs.com/2026/10/evolve-announces-october-2026-distributions-for-ultrayield-etfs-and-certain-evolve-funds/read more
Many will soon see several Trade posts from me.... I actually made 4 today and pouts - i wished i waited one more day on the trade i made yesterday... but spilled milk. instead of explaining my rational for each one of them... I just do this one post for all... Bought over $75K from my cash reserves the last 2 days... Made some big and even one radical reinvestment into my income portfolio - lowering my 5% target cash reserves down to 3.4%!! (after today - I will sit on my hands again and let my income portfolio rebuild my cash reserve back up to the target 5%). My Trades: 1) I finally bought initial $CMCL position - 1000 units when CMCL today dove down to the bottom of its known price box into the $15 range. I made a silly trade mistake that caught me on one trade... i had a 2 day order in for CMCL yesterday for 16.55 and forgot it was open... today it dove down to 15.95... but my first order that was already active iand RBC bought it for me at 16.38 - kick myself. the second one I got at 15.95 - AND NOW the Radical... YES I bought 500 units of yieldmax $MSTY today when it dove down into the 14's... i should have waited even longer. BUT MSTY ??? you ask!? I am doing a video on it. Then as part of my continued major ATH rebalance work I bought $SCR yesterday (should have waited for today)... and $TVE this morning when it dove down too.read more
Well.. yesterday wasn't a very fun day in the markets. 🥲 While most said September was going to be a bad month in the markets, it seems like it was delayed by a month and instead it was October being the bad month. Though there's still 1 more week left in the month, and it's a packed one. Among the names reporting earnings next week will be: Visa, Google (Weds), Microsoft (Weds), Amazon, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, Intel, Sandisk, Exxon, Chevron, and others. Then not to mention also a Federal Reserve interest rate decision in the middle of the week on Wednesday, Oct 28th. The week after on November 3rd will then be the U.S. midterm elections. So.. there's going to be lots of catalysts to move the markets in the coming weeks! As for crypto, it's kind of been stuck in this range. Bitcoin seems to have hit a ceiling around the mid-$80K range and can't seem to get through it yet. This past month it is down -5.16%. ---------- As of the inception date Jan 16 2025 to the close of October 22nd 2026 .. 📈 HHIS Total Return: +32.55% with 2026 YTD being +11.19% 📈 QQC Total Return: +34.39% with 2026 YTD being +17.31% Starting this month onwards I'll be including some new charts to showcase this section, and that's because of the new FREE resource I've built in the last few months is now available: https://coveredcalldirectory.com/go/b This has been a project I've spent countless hours on and have funded all myself so far. But I hope that the result is something you can all find useful and would like to support through Ko-fi. Many thanks to those who have donated so far! ☕ But back on topic, shown below will be a few charts to compare the performance between HHIS and QQC. Just be reminded that they are not direct comparisons, as one is a concentrated mix of mostly tech + crypto and while the other one is the Nasdaq index itself. In the first chart it will be the 'Total Return' between HHIS and QQC. This would be the price return, plus all the distributions received as cash without reinvestment. And with this recent sell off, it has now brought their returns since inception within ~1.84% of each other. The next chart will then be the 'Compound Return' and that is where all the distributions were then reinvested back into the ETF for more shares. And in this case, HHIS is outpacing QQC by about ~6.23% overall since inception. That's not to say all has been rosy though, because your timing plays a role too with the returns that you see. And that's where the next 2 charts will show you the 'Total Return' and 'Compound Return' for 2026 year-to-date. And while HHIS is behind in returns for this time period, it has been slowly gaining ground on the index. I think if we see crypto continue its rally through this $80K range and towards year end, it'll potentially help HHIS overtake QQC. No guarantees though of course! For fun, I also attached what it would look like based on a $10,000 investment at inception for both of them, and your HHIS position would have grown to approximately $14,077 so far. If you'd like to generate your own charts to share like these ones, you can find the 'Share' button on the right-side above the chart on the website. 🙂 Now for what you're here to see.. the distribution amounts! 🟢 PLTE increased +11.11% to $0.50 (Previously $0.45) 🟢 SHPE increased +26.32% to $0.24 (Previously $0.19) 🟢 TDHE increased +6.67% to $0.16 (Previously $0.15) 🔴 CCOE decreased -19.23% to $0.21 (Previously $0.26) 🔴 AEME decreased -8.00% to $0.23 (Previously $0.25) 🔵 LLYH stays the same at $0.14 🔵 AMZH stays the same at $0.16 🔵 MSFH stays the same at $0.12 🔵 NVDH stays the same at $0.20 🔵 LLHE stays the same at $0.165 🔵 AMHE stays the same at $0.20 🔵 MSHE stays the same at $0.14 🔵 NVHE stays the same at $0.25 🔵 MSTY stays the same at $0.08 🔵 CONY stays the same at $0.13 🔵 TSLY stays the same at $0.15 🔵 METE stays the same at $0.15 🔵 AMDY stays the same at $1.15 🔵 AVGY stays the same at $0.35 🔵 CNYE stays the same at $0.15 🔵 COSY stays the same at $0.10 🔵 GOGY stays the same at $0.30 🔵 MSTE stays the same at $0.09 🔵 NFLY stays the same at $0.10 🔵 APLE stays the same at $0.22 🔵 CRCY stays the same at $0.16 🔵 HODY stays the same at $0.20 🔵 RDDY stays the same at $0.15 🔵 SOFY stays the same at $0.12 🔵 HHIH stays the same at $0.185 🔵 BLKY stays the same at $0.24 🔵 CRWY stays the same at $0.45 🔵 JNJY stays the same at $0.15 🔵 JPHE stays the same at $0.14 🔵 NOVY stays the same at $0.15 🔵 ORCY stays the same at $0.20 🔵 SPXE stays the same at $0.30 🔵 HHII stays the same at $0.16 🔵 BCEE stays the same at $0.14 🔵 CNQE stays the same at $0.26 🔵 ENBE stays the same at $0.13 🔵 RYHE stays the same at $0.14 🔵 SUHE stays the same at $0.27 🔵 TEHE stays the same at $0.07 🔵 HHIC stays the same at $0.20 🔵 🧺 HHIS stays the same at $0.27 Ex-Dividend Date: October 30th Pay Date: November 6th A relatively small list of updates for this month compared to the past few! And really, for the U.S. side of things it's just Palantir that's going to be seeing an increase. In the past month it's currently up +2.24%, but it's seen a strong recovery over the last 6 months at +38.43%. This has brought it's IV back to an elevated level, along with the underlying stock appreciation. Next up is Shopify, and this one has been a whipsaw after it was decreased last month, it's now recovered and increased higher than the previous distribution amount of $0.21. This has had a strong month going +18.34% and is basically at their all-time high, so that probably had something to do with it.. 😂 The same can be said for TD Bank and its performance as well. In the past month it is up +3.13% and also is at their all-time high. What a great time it's been for the Canadian banks. For the two decreases it'll be in Cameco and Agnico Eagle Mines. After what was an amazing 2025 for both of them where Cameco was up over 78%, and Agnico Eagle was up over 116%, they've been somewhat struggling this year. Cameco is down -14.92% in the past month, and Agnico Eagle is down -10.89%. And now for those who are interested in the AUM comparisons, here are some of the other popular covered call ETFs and their current AUM since the last time I posted about these: 🔵👑 HHIS - $2213.51M (Previously $2084.38M) 💰 HDIV – $1977.2M (Previously $1943.8M) 💰 HYLD – $1376.0M (Previously $1400.7M) 💰 HDIF – $570.13M (Previously $572.37M) 💰 QQCL – $381.21M (Previously $387.39M) 💰 BIGY - $380.82M (Previously $386.11M) 💰 USCL – $246.68M (Previously $249.64M) While there isn't any movement this month, there are some notable changes to be aware of. And it's the result of something I had to pay close attention to as I built the ETF pages for the Covered Call Directory. You'll actually see this up above in the AUM number for HHIS, and that's going to be the notable jump when compared to last month's value. Through the exercise of inputting all the ETFs into the Covered Call Directory, this is actually a common occurrence that providers have done when they have multiple classes of a fund -- and that is to show the combined AUM total between all of them. As HHIS has a USD counterpart in HHIS.U it looks like they've now also decided to combine their AUM totals together, which is likely why there is a decent jump this month in AUM value. I could be mistaken, but I'm fairly certain it is a recent change if it wasn't something they changed in this past month. They aren't alone on this list too, because HYLD also does this where HYLD.U's AUM is part of a total combined value as well. So this is just something to now keep in mind as it does skew the comparisons a bit going forward. Consider giving a follow if you don't want to miss a future post. And don't forget to check out the Covered Call Directory as well, because all the latest distributions from above have now been updated on there. Thanks and I'll see you next month! 😄🍻 [Edit: Looks like the middle 2 charts are switched, the total return chart YTD should be before the compound chart YTD!] https://harvestportfolios.com/harvest-high-income-shares-etfs-announces-october-2026-distributions/read more
Right around 5 months into my income investing journey and I’ve finally achieved barista fire / semi retirement at only 28 years old. From this point moving forward I will only be working 6 months out of the year as a freelancer and taking the other 6 months to focus on trading, personal development, and protecting my peace. Today marks day one of my 6 months off living in the Philippines 🇵🇭. My distributions are now enough to cover all my living expenses and still leave money to reinvest. This goes to show you that investing isn’t black and white you can invest in different things to achieve different goals don’t ever let the noise throw you off of your mission. Your vision is only for you to see. Cheers from Cebu 🥂.
As opposed to the last three months, October was a pretty exciting month for my portfolio. Not only did I recently reach a new dividend income milestone of $400/month, but my portfolio also officially crossed $150,000 in value. It's taken me six years of investing to get to this point. And looking back, it's been an incredible journey with so many valuable lessons learned along the way. In celebration of reaching this milestone, I put together a list of 20 of the most important lessons I've learned over the past six years of dividend investing. You can read it in full here: https://www.retirewithryne.com/newsletter/150k-later-investing-lessons
I just received the fifth round of distributions from my new income portfolio and here’s the stats for month 5: $HHIS - $517.36 $BIGY- $125.49 $MSTE - $90 $HBTE - $58.66 $QDAY - $28.81 $HDIV - $40.64 $CMCL - $17.72 Pending (BIGY, QDAY, & CMCL) - $207 Total = $1085.58 The goal was to grow this number to $1000/m by the end of the year, but I’ve hit the goal 2 months early with October being my first month receiving over $1000 in dividends for the month. Now I want to see how far I can take it before the year is over. read more
