Two things happened in June that have been rare occurrences lately: I’m posting on time-ish and I sold out of an ETF.
I was starting to make a habit of posting late and now I intend to get back to posting on time, within the first week of each month.
And the sale was the very high yield paying FANG covered call ETF FEPI. The 25% dividend yield was really nice but my patience was running out with the decline in price. In the end I came out slightly in front when the total return is considered, but I don’t like ETFs that require you to invest your dividends just to keep the value of your holding steady.
Admittedly I probably would have continued to hold FEPI as I had less than $3,000 invested and the dividend was nice but what forced me to sell was the change from a monthly dividend payout to a weekly payout. Monthly payouts are more than enough for me, so FEPI had to be sold.
I hope other ETFs don’t continue this trend to weekly dividend payouts as they’ll be sold too. If I wanted weekly payouts I would buy an ETF with “weekly payouts” written on the box!
ETF Dividend Income in June
It was the monthly paying stocks only in June. Technically SCHD also paid out at the end of June but I don’t receive the dividend for a week or two after it pays because the brokerage that I hold SCHD in is a bit retarded with international dividends. Why NAB Trade insists on holding back those dividends, I couldn’t say, but I wish they wouldn’t. So it means the SCHD payment will show up in July as that’s when I’ll actually receive it.
JPEQ paid out $65.11, FEPI distributed a parting gift of $22.18, HYLD sent out $4.09, and QQQI gave me $71.65, which is a total of $163.03 for the month of June.
This time last year the portfolio made $147.97 in dividends for the month of June which is a 10% increase YoY (year on year).
The rolling 6 month, monthly dividend payment was $181.87 last month. It has increased slightly to $182.03. That’s an increase of $0.16 per month which is a thousand times better than a decrease.
The ETF Dividend Portfolio for June
This month the ETF dividend portfolio has increased to $42,285 up from $39,017 in May which is a wonderful increase of about $3,268. New contributions were an impressive $2,530.45, which means that the portfolio would have increased by roughly $738 if I didn’t add any new money. I actually did $4,776 worth of buys but then took away the $2,245 sale of FEPI, so I felt like a trader compared to my usual leisurely monthly activities!
I added 3 shares to JEPQ (listed as JPEQ in Australia), added $66.54 to HYLD, a massive $3,120.92 to QQQI, $108.32 to GEAR, $125.76 to NDQ, $333.64 to VHY, $277.22 to SCHD, $356.30 to IVV, $159.18 to VGS, and bought $45.10 worth of ATEC (Australian technology ETF).
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 looked like at the end of June 2026…
See the ETF Dividend Portfolio from May.
What to Expect in July
Definitely no selling in July. I’ll be adding to QQQI as I want it and JEPQ to be $10,000+ positions.
I’ll be receiving dividends from VHY and will reluctantly buy more shares, even though the payouts have been frustratingly pathetic. As I’ve said before, I really have no understanding at all when it comes to VHY dividends. It’s either feast or famine and it would be very challenging to rely too much on the stock to pay your bills and put food on the table. One month you’ll be eating ramen noodles and the next it’ll be lobster and caviar!
So I’ll continue to add small amounts to the Vanguard ETF but going forward I think I will add more to the Betashares HYLD which is an Australian dividend focused ETF that pays out monthly and their payments have been much more consistent and dependable so far.
How has your freedom making machine been going this year? 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 June
Total Index Funds portfolio value (VHY, VGS, GEAR, JPEQ, QQQI, SCHD, NDQ, ATEC, HYLD and IVV): $42,285 up from $39,017.
Most recent dividend payment (June): $163.03 down from $120.25 in May (Monthly dividends from JPEQ, FEPI, HYLD, and QQQI)
Dividends paid in June 2025: $147.97 which is a 10% Increase YoY (Year on Year)
6 Month Dividends Monthly Average: $182.03 up from $181.87 last month
Dividends paid in 2026: $1,092.21 (this time last year it was $886.71)
Dividends paid in 2025: $2,040.09 (181% increase)
Dividends paid in 2024: $725.85 (606% increase)
All dividends paid in 2023: $102.68
All ETF dividend payments since starting the ETF portfolio: $3,960.83
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.