Consistency and endurance are key to constructing a considerable earnings stream from dividends.
Many traders aspire to construct a portfolio that may pay them sufficient in dividends to fund their retirement targets.
If yow will discover shares that constantly increase their dividends, usually offsetting the affect of inflation after which some, you possibly can end up within the enviable place the place you’ll be able to go away your principal funding untouched. As an alternative, you get to reside off your dividends and move alongside your shares to your heirs or donate them to charity.
However constructing a portfolio of high-quality dividend shares is not straightforward. Luckily, there’s one exchange-traded fund (ETF) that may handle it for you. And if you happen to make investments early and constantly till retirement, you possibly can find yourself with a portfolio value over $850,000 that pays out round $30,000 in annual dividends.

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One of the best dividend ETF available on the market
Two easy components that may assist traders discover firms which can be prone to increase their dividends sooner or later are administration’s historical past of dividend will increase and the corporate’s monetary well being. If administration has constantly elevated the dividend and has the monetary capacity to maintain doing so, it is very prone to proceed the streak. That is why the Schwab U.S. Dividend Fairness ETF (SCHD 0.21%) is an efficient approach to put money into high-yield dividend progress shares.
The index fund follows the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, which selects 100 shares which have every elevated their dividend yearly for not less than 10 consecutive years. It ranks every eligible firm by a number of standards: the ratio of free money stream to debt, return on fairness, dividend yield, and dividend progress fee. The highest 100 firms (primarily based on a composite rating of all 4 standards) are included within the index and weighted by market cap.
As of this writing, the ten largest firms (and their dividend yields) within the index are as follows:
- Coca-Cola (2.8%)
- Verizon Communications (6.2%)
- Altria (6.8%)
- Cisco Methods (2.6%)
- Lockheed Martin (2.8%)
- ConocoPhillips (3.7%)
- Dwelling Depot (2.5%)
- Chevron (5.1%)
- Texas Devices (3%)
- Abbvie (3.6%)
As you’ll be able to see, you get a mixture of high-yield dividend shares together with shares which have robust progress supporting future payout will increase. The result’s a mixed yield of about 4% primarily based on trailing-12-month distributions from the ETF. However the ahead yield needs to be even increased contemplating most constituents pays out extra over the subsequent yr than the earlier yr.
With an expense ratio of simply 0.06%, the price of investing on this ETF is low and according to a number of the hottest index funds available on the market. The Dow Jones dividend index’s choice to weight constituents by market cap (with a 4% weight restrict) makes it a really environment friendly index to trace, and it lowers the danger tied to any high-yield shares that are not as essentially sound because the screener suggests. If the market bids down the worth of these shares, they may comprise a decrease proportion of the index over time, whereas the high-quality companies rise to the highest.
How $500 per 30 days can flip into $30,000 in annual dividends
Persistently investing $500 per 30 days into the Schwab U.S. Dividend Fairness ETF will ultimately produce a large portfolio. Routinely reinvesting the quarterly distribution from the ETF will guarantee a superb whole return in your investments as you accumulate shares over time.
Since its inception in 2011, the fund has produced an annualized whole return of 12.2%. That is an distinctive efficiency, nevertheless it’s additionally value stating the S&P 500 index has overwhelmed the ETF with an annualized whole return of 14.5%. The hole between the 2 has widened lately as a result of outperformance of progress shares since 2023. Traditionally, the S&P 500 averages returns round 10% per yr, and 9% is extra applicable as a conservative estimate of the ETF’s annual whole return.
The ETF’s 4% distribution yield can also be comparatively excessive, however it might come down over time because the Federal Reserve lowers rates of interest. That mentioned, there is not any telling what prevailing rates of interest might be properly into the long run. A 3.5% yield is an affordable estimate for the ETF’s future yield.
With these assumptions in thoughts, here is how a $500 month-to-month funding within the Schwab U.S. Dividend Fairness ETF may develop over time if you happen to routinely reinvest dividends.
Years Investing | Portfolio Worth | Ahead Dividend Cost |
---|---|---|
1 | $6,245 | $219 |
5 | $37,368 | $1,308 |
10 | $94,862 | $3,320 |
15 | $183,323 | $6,416 |
20 | $319,431 | $11,180 |
25 | $528,851 | $18,510 |
30 | $851,070 | $29,787 |
Calculations by writer.
There are a couple of necessary caveats to the above situation. Initially, it is primarily based on forecasts for anticipated returns and dividend yields that could possibly be properly off the mark.
Extra importantly, these returns will not be linear over time. The market is filled with ups and downs. The sequence and dimension of these ups and downs may have an incredible affect on the ultimate results of your investments. That mentioned, the longer your holding interval, the extra possible your outcomes will appear like the desk above.
One other necessary consideration is the affect of inflation: $30,000 will not have the identical shopping for energy in 30 years because it has at the moment. Meaning traders must modify their expectations or technique if they need future buying energy equal to $30,000 at the moment. That might imply constantly rising the month-to-month contribution, for instance.
Whereas your precise outcomes could differ from the above desk, the important thing takeaway for many traders is to get began and stay constant. The Schwab U.S. Dividend Fairness ETF is a good choice if you happen to search dividend progress and earnings in retirement.
Adam Levy has no place in any of the shares talked about. The Motley Idiot has positions in and recommends AbbVie, Chevron, Cisco Methods, Dwelling Depot, and Texas Devices. The Motley Idiot recommends Lockheed Martin and Verizon Communications. The Motley Idiot has a disclosure coverage.