Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
Investors are looking beyond just the top AI stocks to protect their portfolios and increase wealth heading into 2025. In its 2025 outlook report, JPMorgan said dividend stocks trade at a “substantial” discount and quality dividend equities are comparatively less volatile.
Earlier in December, a dividend investor shared his personal milestone and income report on r/Dividends, a community of income investors with 642,000 followers. He said he finally reached $1,000 per month in dividend income and plans to keep reinvesting it until he needs it. The portfolio screenshots shared by the investor showed his average monthly income was $999.71.
Don’t Miss:
“Five years ago I knew nothing about investing. Since then I watched and I learned. This year my goal was to learn about dividends,” he said.
The investor said he invested about $350,000 in stocks that rose to about $464,000 over time.
“I’ve been able to increase my $350K investment by 32% in five years, mostly by analyzing companies I like and do business with. That’s what my late Dad used to say, invest in companies you know. That’s what I did and it’s paid off. My total this morning is $464K, an increase of $114K.”
He said he started investing near the end of 2019 after receiving an inheritance and focused on learning about stocks.
The investor shared a list of dividend stocks in his accounts. Let’s examine some of the key stocks in his portfolio.
JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ) is a high-yield covered call ETF that distributes monthly dividend income. The ETF invests in Nasdaq companies and generates extra income by selling call options. As of Dec. 27, JEPQ yields about 10.5%.
Johnson Controls International
The portfolio included HVAC and security equipment products company Johnson Controls International PLC (JCI), which generated about $1,000 per month in dividend income.
Royal Caribbean Group
Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) earlier in December hiked its dividend by a whopping 37.5%. The cruise company’s shares have gained about 99% this year. The investor earning about $1,000 per month in dividends said RCL was among the four “big winners” in his portfolio. He also mentioned shareholder-specific benefits offered by the company for cruise trips.
Whirlpool Corporation
Home appliances company Whirlpool (WHR) was one of the high-yield dividend stocks in the investor’s portfolio. According to Benzinga Pro, WHR yields just over 6%.
According to Benzinga Pro, basic materials company BHP Group (BHP) has a dividend yield of about 5.9%. The stock has taken a beating this year, down 26% so far.
Best Buy Co.
Best Buy (BBY) was also a key stock in the investor’s portfolio, earning about $1,000 per month in dividends. Last month, the company lowered its full-year outlook amid a promotional environment to lure customers.
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF (BND) was among the top bond ETFs in the portfolio. The fund provides exposure to the investment-grade U.S. dollar-denominated bond market and pays monthly.
iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) was another key bond ETF in the investor portfolio. It yields about 3.6%, according to Benzinga Pro.
Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF
The Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA) provides investors exposure to companies trading in developed markets outside of the U.S., including Canada, Europe and the Pacific region. VEA pays quarterly dividends.
