Are monthly dividends better than quarterly?
Many investors prefer their dividend stocks to pay distributions monthly rather than quarterly. These seven stocks are a sure way to secure that monthly paycheck. Feb. 29, 2024, at 3:46 p.m. Monthly dividends can be reliable source of income and act as a safeguard against inflation.
In theory, investing in stocks that pay dividends monthly versus quarterly could work in an investor's favor if they're able to compound their money faster. So not only could they benefit from more regular dividend income payments, they could also potentially see more income from those stocks over time.
In a market that generates a 2% annual yield, you would need to invest $600,000 up front in order to reliably generate $12,000 per year (or $1,000 per month) in dividend payments.
- High-Yield Monthly Dividend Stock #4: ARMOUR Residential REIT (ARR)
- High-Yield Monthly Dividend Stock #3: AGNC Investment Corporation (AGNC)
- High-Yield Monthly Dividend Stock #2: Ellington Residential Mortgage REIT (EARN)
- High-Yield Monthly Dividend Stock #1: Orchid Island Capital (ORC)
From an investment perspective, if you're reinvesting dividends, all else equal, a monthly dividend stock would compound for higher returns than a quarterly dividend stock. That is because you'd receive the dividend amount and reinvest it sooner.
Dividends can be classified either as ordinary or qualified. Whereas ordinary dividends are taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividends that meet certain requirements are taxed at lower capital gain rates.
Yields from 2% to 6% are generally considered to be a good dividend yield, but there are plenty of factors to consider when deciding if a stock's yield makes it a good investment.
If, for example, your portfolio gets to a value of $1.5 million, you could invest in a fund or multiple investments that yield an average of 3.3%. At that rate, you could generate $50,000 in annual dividends. With a lower portfolio balance of $1 million, you would need to target an average yield of 5%.
But the truth is you can get a 9.5% yield today--and even more. But even at 9.5%, we're talking about a middle-class income of $4,000 per month on an investment of just a touch over $500K. Below, I'll reveal how to start building a portfolio that could get you an even bigger income stream than this today.
Shares of public companies that split profits with shareholders by paying cash dividends yield between 2% and 6% a year. With that in mind, putting $250,000 into low-yielding dividend stocks or $83,333 into high-yielding shares will get your $500 a month.
What are the safest monthly dividend stocks?
- Agree Realty Corp. (ADC)
- Ellington Financial Inc. (EFC)
- Gladstone Investment Corp. (GAIN)
- Modiv Industrial Inc. (MDV)
- LTC Properties Inc. (LTC)
- Realty Income Corp. (O)
- PermRock Royalty Trust (PRT)
A well-constructed dividend portfolio could potentially yield anywhere from 2% to 8% per year. This means that to earn $3,000 monthly from dividend stocks, the required initial investment could range from $450,000 to $1.8 million, depending on the yield.
| Symbol | Company Name | Div. Yield |
|---|---|---|
| EFC | Ellington Financial Inc. | 15.33% |
| ARR | ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. | 21.21% |
| SBR | Sabine Royalty Trust | 9.35% |
| DX | Dynex Capital, Inc. | 12.58% |
To generate $5,000 per month in dividends, you would need a portfolio value of approximately $1 million invested in stocks with an average dividend yield of 5%. For example, Johnson & Johnson stock currently yields 2.7% annually. $1 million invested would generate about $27,000 per year or $2,250 per month.
Dividend-paying Stocks
Shares of public companies that split profits with shareholders by paying cash dividends yield between 2% and 6% a year. With that in mind, putting $250,000 into low-yielding dividend stocks or $83,333 into high-yielding shares will get your $500 a month.
The company announces when the dividend will be paid, the amount and the ex-dividend date. Investors must have bought the stock at least two days before the official date of a dividend payment (the "date of record") in order to receive that payment. The company pays out the dividend to shareholders.
It is possible to achieve financial freedom by living off dividends forever. That isn't to say it's easy, but it's possible. Those starting from nothing admittedly have a hard road to retirement-enabling passive income.
Dividends from stocks or funds are taxable income, whether you receive them or reinvest them. Qualified dividends are taxed at lower capital gains rates; unqualified dividends as ordinary income. Putting dividend-paying stocks in tax-advantaged accounts can help you avoid or delay the taxes due.
You may be able to avoid all income taxes on dividends if your income is low enough to qualify for zero capital gains if you invest in a Roth retirement account or buy dividend stocks in a tax-advantaged education account.
| Stock | Forward dividend yield |
|---|---|
| Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) | 3.5% |
| Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) | 3% |
| Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) | 2.3% |
| Home Depot Inc. (HD) | 2.4% |
What are the 5 highest dividend paying stocks?
| Name | Price | Analyst Price Target |
|---|---|---|
| MO Altria Group | $43.75 | $43.39 (-0.82% Downside) |
| T AT&T | $17.63 | $20.89 (18.52% Upside) |
| XRX Xerox | $17.75 | $18.50 (4.20% Upside) |
| IBM International Business Machines | $191.00 | $191.69 (0.36% Upside) |
| Stock | Dividend yield |
|---|---|
| Enbridge Inc. (ENB) | 7.6% |
| Ecopetrol SA (EC) | 14.6% |
| United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) | 4.2% |
| OneMain Holdings Inc. (OMF) | 8.3% |
If you want to bring home an average of $100 per month ($1,200/year) in super safe dividend income, simply invest $13,800 (split equally, three ways) into the following ultra-high-yield stocks, which sport an average yield of 8.71%!
- Find a stock that pays 1 dollar per quarter per share.
- Buy 250,000 shares of the said stock.
- Wait 4 quarters,
- Congratulations, you just made 1 million dollar for one year in dividents from the stock market.
Stocks in the S&P 500 index currently yield about 1.5% on aggregate. That means, if you have $1 million invested in a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund that tracks the index, you could expect annual dividend income of about $15,000.
