Informed Investing

Ep. 146: Yield Is the Bait — What Your Income Is Actually Made Of

Informed Investing — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 06:53:57 -0500

6 sources, throughline 'real structure-backed income vs manufactured yield — what a payout is made of, whether it's covered, and what it costs you in NAV/taxes/total return': (1) OUR OWN #162 CSWC internally-managed BDC (NII not GAAP, premium-to-NAV flywheel, 0.91:1 reg leverage, NAV-not-price); (2) 247wallst 5 dividend powerhouses >5% Wall St backs (MPLX/BTI/EPD/ET/ARCC w/ coverage + analyst view); (3) TheStreet JEPQ record $0.705 payout vs JEPI (~$8.19 vs ~$4.46 fwd; Nasdaq vs S&P vol; JEPQ +20.69% vs JEPI +9.21% TR; tech concentration + ordinary-income tax drag); (4) Motley Fool Realty Income (O) new asset-mgmt fee stream ($3.2M Q2 fees, $2.6B FEEUM, 116-qtr raise streak); (5) ETF Trends consumer-staples KMB 4.9% + $48.7B Kenvue deal (54-yr raise streak, $2.1B synergies). Dropped 2 of 8 URLs: Roundhill weekly single-stock rankings (YouTube, redundant covered-call snapshot) and tipranks 2-BlackRock-ETFs-7x (redundant with JEPQ covered-call). 6th source = YTuLhU deadly-trio dividend-trap framework (YouTube).

Ep. 145: The Bait and the Keep — Yield, Structure, and What You Actually Take Home

Informed Investing — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:55:27 -0500

6 sources, throughline 'the headline yield/price is the bait — what you keep is total return, dividend durability, NAV preservation, and valuation discipline': (1) OUR OWN #164 '$50k -> ~$800/mo in 5 years' honest plan (reinvest-then-harvest; NAV-flat is the ballgame; ROC is a tax feature not free money; 55/45 blend decomposition 1.45x reinvest x 1.78x disclosed rally); (2) SPYI/GPIX/BALI S&P covered-call shoot-out (funds trail the index they hold; 'best' = most risk); (3) CSWC internally-managed BDC + MLPI midstream (real low-cost income engine); (4) Defiance QQQT 20% 'target' yield = ROC mirage (marketed 100% ROC, really ~34% on the 1099); (5) dividends4me 20 aristocrats (growth-over-yield: NEE/CAT/SPGI/MCD/TGT); (6) Motley Fool CVX at all-time highs on $109 oil (history says the spike reverts — likely too late). Dropped 2 of 8 URLs: Morningstar 7-aristocrats (JS-gated 403 + redundant with dividends4me) and qualityatafairprice materials-stocks (redundant dividend-growth list).

Ep. 144: The Paycheck Illusion — The Wrapper, the Coverage, and What You Actually Keep

Informed Investing — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 06:32:26 -0500

6 sources, throughline 'the paycheck illusion — a dividend/yield is only as good as the structure that produces it': (1) OUR OWN XLE vs XOP/AMLP/USO energy-wrapper piece (backwardation made USO +105% vs ~55% spot; XOP barely beat XLE; AMLP 1.01% all-in C-corp drag); (2) SCHD 00K holder weighing covered-call income funds (real dividend + NAV growth vs capped ROC payouts that shrink when the fund falls; OVL/BTCI pairing); (3) NestYield EGGY/EGGS/EGGQ 20-37% yields on concentrated AI-semis = yield-trap tell; (4) Broadcom AVGO ~21x forward PE / 26% div CAGR on 31.6% FCF + SCHD annual valuation reset; (5) 247wallst '$6,400/mo the easy way' 5-ETF pitch; (6) Dividend Prince '5 stocks to hold 20 years'. Dropped 2 of 8 URLs: Chartmill LMT single-screen (thin) + the XLK+XLE 'billionaire portfolio' (off the income spine — total-return sector timing).

Ep. 143: Yield Is the Bait — Total Return, Coverage, and Durability

Informed Investing — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 05:57:28 -0500

6 sources, throughline 'yield is the bait; what you keep is total return, coverage, and durability': (1) OUR OWN SCHD/JEPI/Barbell piece — same $1.5M pays $2,362-$17,475/mo, no free lunch + the RoC nuance (SEC yield excludes premium; test = total return covers distribution); (2) Doug the Retirement Guy's top-8 Nasdaq monthly-income ETFs ranked by TOTAL RETURN not yield; (3) Dividend Diplomats' 3 yield traps (high-yielders down 50-77%, soaring yield = warning); (4) Fool on Ares Capital (ARCC) 10% yield + rising non-accruals (2.4%, watch the 3% line) vs coverage cushion; (5) Fool on Procter & Gamble — Dividend King (70 straight raises), ~3% yield, buy-the-dip durability; (6) ETFTrends on NDIV, Amplify energy covered-call ETF (+40.8% YTD, oil near $100) as inflation/real-asset hedge with capped-upside caveat. Trimmed 2 of 8 JMc URLs: Start Dividend 'NEOS Boosted' vlog (thin, overlaps CC/leverage) + Fool generic high-yield-stocks explainer.

Ep. 142: Income That Lasts vs. Yield That Lures

Informed Investing — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:46:11 -0500

6 sources under one throughline — income that lasts vs. yield that lures. (1) OUR OWN SCHD rally autopsy (up ~30% in 2026 but a record-low ~2.9% yield + 41.7% top-10 concentration = paying up; DGRO dividend-growth foil); (2) Moose 'who invests at 2% when they can get 25%' yield-trap sermon (a fund can't out-earn its distribution → NAV melts; total return + dividend growth win); (3) Doug the Retirement Guy growth-vs-income — investor grew 17% but had to go back to work because the portfolio didn't throw off spendable income; (4) the three retirement numbers (~$400k/~$800k/~$1M) and which one really lets you stop; (5) Benzinga monthly-dividend screen + STAG/LTC/PSEC (coverage over headline yield); (6) Aristotle Pacific active fixed-income ETFs SDUR/ARCP/ARMS — bonds are back as boring ballast. Trimmed 2 of 8 JMc URLs: a beginner passive-income livestream (9KPPipBvJJ0) and a weekly-payer NAV-erosion vlog (NKTmVQ98Ks0) that overlapped the yield-trap spine.

Ep. 141: Yield Is the Bait, Not the Prize

Informed Investing — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 06:37:16 -0500

6 sources under one throughline — the advertised distribution yield is the bait, not the prize; what you keep is total return, downside resilience, NAV preservation, and dividend GROWTH. (1) OUR OWN SPYI/QQQI two-axis scorecard (bull-market total return where QYLD/GPIQ beat the NEOS funds vs downside where SPYI's -16.47% beat the S&P's ~19% drop; call-spreads vs ATM writing; active vs passive); (2) new 15%-yield monthly covered-call ETF + the hidden 30-55% tech-concentration/correlation risk across SPYI/QQQI/JEPQ/GPIQ/QDVO; (3) 5 closed-end funds that preserved NAV a decade while paying 7%+ (EOS 8.5% covered-call CEF), 3 raised distributions — the return-of-capital erosion warning + the winners; (4) Doug the Retirement Guy's top-8 monthly income ETFs ranked by TOTAL RETURN not yield; (5) NEOS crash stress test (what SPYI/QQQI do in a 34% COVID-style plunge / 2008); (6) 247wallst ,600/mo-to-replace-SS tiers (91k@3.5% / 20k@6% / 60k@12%; DGRO/VIG/HDV growth tier; a 3.5% grower doubles income in ~9yrs and beats a static 12% over 15+yrs while preserving principal). Trimmed 2 of 8 JMc URLs: Schwab behavioral webcast + NetEase (NTES) single-name China pick, both off-spine.

Ep. 140: Trust the Raise, Not the Headline

Informed Investing — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 07:26:53 -0500

5 sources under one throughline — trust the raise, not the headline: a growing, cash-covered dividend is a signal you can verify; reported earnings and engineered yields can lie. (1) AngelOne types-of-dividends (cash/stock/scrip/liquidating — the form tells you something); (2) Russ's POOL (Poolcorp ~$330->under $200, still raising, 64% recurring, Berkshire exited Q1'26) + Hershey (never cut in ~100yrs) — both raised into 40%+ drawdowns; (3) our own Realty Income (O) piece — raising the monthly dividend through a rate re-rating, judged on AFFO/operating cash flow (low-70s% covered) not GAAP payout; (4) TipRanks HWC/ESEA/WMB fresh dividend growers w/ Sept ex-div dates; (5) Dividend Informer 'AI earnings mirage' — capitalize-vs-expense inflates S&P 500 profits, so verify the cash. Trimmed 3 of 8 JMc URLs: 2 covered-call/structured-ETF issuer interviews (Canadian TECI + XFunds VOY) and the Doug $500k-retirement call (off-spine).

Ep. 139: Beyond the Yield — Rate, Coverage, and the Income You Actually Keep

Informed Investing — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:42:43 -0500

6 sources under one throughline — the headline dividend YIELD is the wrong number to start with; what determines the income you keep is the dividend RATE (the dollars), its COVERAGE by free cash flow, and its GROWTH. (1) AngelOne dividend rate vs yield — the concept + the '500% dividend'/yield-trap framing; (2) our own INTU Forge piece — 15% raise into a 48% drawdown, 1.4% yield that understates a net-debt-free, 6.4x-FCF-covered, ~15%-growing payout; (3) YT 5 big raisers (LRCX +27%, NDSN 63-yr king, INTU, AFG, BMI) — tiny yields, huge growth; (4) Dividend Diplomats on Altria MO — a fat ~6.5% yield that's actually safe (FCF-covered at 80% target, +5% raise); (5) Dividends4Me 5 fattest yields (CHCT 10.84%, CSWC 10.01%, TU 9.15%, NXRT 9.00%, FLO 8.72%) — the trap zone with risk caveats; (6) Dividendomics $50k->$832/mo — the 55/45 growth+income build (CGDV ~1% growth engine + SCHD ~3% raiser). Trimmed 2 of 8 JMc URLs: UPS earnings video (redundant with Forge #146 + ep 137) and Doug's energy-ETF head-to-head (off-spine).

Ep. 138: Crash-Tested Income — Yields That Last vs. Yields That Only Look Like Income

Informed Investing — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 06:11:13 -0500

8 sources under one throughline — judge every yield by what actually backs it: (1) our BTCI Forge piece — 33% Bitcoin distribution that's really ~1.62% SEC yield + ROC, ~56% T-bill collateral; (2) 247wallst 4 financials (CINF/TROW/ERIE/RLI) that RAISED dividends through both 2008 and 2020; (3) 247wallst 4 REITs (O/FRT/NNN/WPC) that grew payouts through both crises while most REITs cut; (4) YT CGDV+RSPA two-fund anchor (dividend-growth engine + covered-call income overlay, honest <14mo rally-dependent caveat); (5) YT Altria MO — ~6.3% yield genuinely FCF-covered at its stated 80% target, ROIC >30%, pricing power offsetting volume declines, 4.7% hike; (6) dividends4me 'you don't need to get rich quickly' — patience/strategy/automation mindset; (7) 247wallst SCHD-vs-MAIN asset location (qualified in taxable vs BDC ordinary income in a Roth — real dollar math); (8) highyieldroadmap QQQ-with-income CC ETFs (QQQI/TDAQ/JEPQ/GPIQ/QDTE — yield != total return, QDTE 44% masks price erosion).

Ep. 137: The Check and What's Behind It — Real Coverage vs. Rented Yield

Informed Investing — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 07:17:42 -0500

8 sources under one throughline 'the check is only as good as what's behind it — yield says nothing about whether the money is real, comes from the business or your own principal, or can grow': (1) our UPS Forge piece — 6.2% yield, dividend ate 113% of FCF, frozen since Feb-2025, buybacks to zero + debt issued to defend it; (2) ChartMill RTX — the healthy opposite, 2.95% yield, 48% payout, earnings growing faster than the dividend; (3) Fool Apple/Buffett — 0.33% yield but $82B buybacks = hidden per-share raise; (4) 247wallst NEOS SPYI/QQQI/IWMI covered-call trio, 12-14% distributions but 86-100% estimated return of capital; (5) 247wallst ISPY daily-0DTE-keeps-principal vs XYLD/QYLD/JEPI monthly-ATM erosion; (6) YT Rico income-snowball — validate the sector under the ETF (CHPY/FEPI YieldMax) before trusting the yield; (7) YT Dividend Diplomats MAIN/KHC/UPS — BDC '115% payout' mirage (use DNII not GAAP EPS), KHC turnaround, UPS survival-mode dividend; (8) Fool Chevron vs Occidental — why the 66%-payout major is SAFER than the 30%-payout junior (38-yr streak + low leverage vs 2020 cut).

Ep. 136: The $16,500 Question — Yield, Growth, and the Dividends That Actually Last

Informed Investing — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 06:42:29 -0500

6 curated sources (8 sent; dropped Morningstar VYM/FDVV/BEDY as redundant with the SCHD-challenger video, and the Dividend Diplomats WMT/KRO head-to-head as the weakest thesis + staples-grower angle already covered) under one throughline 'yield is the wrong number to start with — the income you keep and whether it grows': (1) 247wallst $16,500/mo math — yield tiers 3.5% grower (~$5.7M, income doubles ~9yrs) vs 6% moderate ($3.3M) vs 12% aggressive ($1.65M, no growth, NAV drift), the compounding trap; (2) Fool KO/PEP/PG quality staples growers (64/54/70-yr streaks, 66-75% payouts); (3) SCHD vs FDVV/DGRW YT — dividend-growth ETFs beat SCHD via hidden mega-cap tech tilt; (4) Dividendology PFFA/MLP(ET,EPD,MPLX,WES)/DIVO — high-yield reach outside the index (S&P yield at 100-yr low); (5) Fool XOM 43-yr streak = durability not growth (raises shrunk to ~4%, FCF covers div ~4x); (6) our own beer Forge BUD/ABEV/STZ/TAP — coverage-over-headline-yield four-way test.

Ep. 135: The Dividend Spectrum — Real Yield vs. Financial Engineering

Informed Investing — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 07:38:36 -0500

5 curated sources (3 dropped: covered-call ETF leaderboard c8K8 = redundant w/ XQQI + already used for OVL #142; Morningstar undervalued-income teaser BCCW = short/overlaps; super-investor 13F top-10 NJqr = list, weakest thesis fit) under one throughline 'NOT ALL DIVIDENDS ARE EQUAL — the spectrum of dividend quality': (1) NetEase (NTES) our own Forge piece — real cash-rich payout (~$23B net cash, ~13% FCF yield on EV) but you own an ADR on a Cayman/VIE shell, ~85% of revenue via contracts, dividend cut $1.16→$0.72→$0.48; (2) Black Hills (BKH) Motley Fool — 56-yr Dividend King utility, 3.8% yield, 66% payout, Wyoming AI data-center growth tailwind (600MW pipeline through 2030), Strong Buy; (3) Bath & Body Works (BBWI) GuruFocus — 48.4% undervalued on GF Value, 4.55% yield, safe 26% payout but FLAT 3-yr dividend growth on shrinking sales; (4) Global Payments (GPN) Quality-at-a-Fair-Price — selling a quality name because dividend stuck at $1.00 while mgmt runs $2B buybacks + Worldpay-debt paydown; (5) NEOS XQQI (Doug the Retirement Guy) — 21% Nasdaq covered-call income, real yield or return of capital.

Ep. 134: Beyond the AI Trade — Where Dividend Money Is Actually Working in 2026

Informed Investing — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 06:20:00 -0500

5 curated sources (3 dropped: KEO covered-call ETF vlog + BALQ/GPIQ income-vs-growth vlog = manufactured-income retreads of ep132/133; standalone Fool KO article = KO already covered in the 247wallst piece) under one throughline 'BEYOND THE AI TRADE — WHERE DIVIDEND MONEY IS ACTUALLY WORKING': (1) ETFTrends/ALPS sector-balanced dividends — S&P ~38% in 10 mega-caps, value/high-div +10% lead on growth, Q2 headline EPS +47% is really ~28% ex non-operating mega-cap gains, AI capex spilling into utilities/industrials/energy, SDOG equal-weight; (2) 247wallst 5 Aristocrats beating S&P on TOTAL return — CAT +36%, XOM +37%, KO +31.6%, CL +16%, TGT turnaround, all Buy-rated; (3) Fool VOO vs VXUS — US ~20x vs intl ~15x, Vanguard's own 10yr forecast flips (US 4.2-6.2% vs dev-intl 4.5-6.5%), hold both; (4) OUR CL deep-dive — $794M non-cash Skin Health impairment tanked GAAP EPS while FCF ROSE, ~4.5% EV FCF yield, ~2x div coverage, quality King left cheap by the AI trade; (5) Jake YT '5 future aristocrats' core-and-satellite framework, next-gen quality growers.

Ep. 133: Quality Beats Yield — How the 'Boring' Dividend Funds Won 2026 on Total Return (SCHD, HDV, VYM vs SPY; SCHD vs SPYI; JNJ & LIN; Colgate)

Informed Investing — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:24:16 -0500

5 curated sources (2 of 7 dropped: MSTR/MSTY crypto-income vlog = off-brand; NEOS boosted XSPI/XQQI/XBCI = retread of ep132's manufactured-yield beat) under one throughline 'QUALITY AND TOTAL RETURN BEAT HEADLINE YIELD': (1) OUR shipped Big-Tech-concentration piece (safe index funds ~36% eight mega-caps, SCHD 0%); (2) 247wallst yield-war — all 4 dividend ETFs (SCHD +30%, HDV +24.5%, VYM +24%, DVY +18%) beat SPY +13% on TOTAL return while paying less current income than Treasuries; sector composition drove it (SCHD semis QCOM/TXN, HDV oil), 5-yr caveat SCHD/DVY trailed; (3) YouTube SCHD ~3% grower vs SPYI ~12% sticker — why long-term investors pick the grower; (4) TipRanks JNJ (1.93%, payout 60.7%, +33% YTD, Strong Buy PT $283.69) + LIN (1.30%, payout 40%, Strong Buy PT $568.33 ~19% upside) Dividend Aristocrats into Q3; (5) YouTube Colgate — quality Dividend King left cheap by the AI trade.

Ep. 132: The Check Behind the Yield — PFE's Frozen Dividend, KO's 64-Year Dividend King Crown, VICI & Verizon's High Yields, Target's Turnaround, and MLPI's Manufactured Income

Informed Investing — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:44:57 -0500

6 curated sources (2 of 8 set aside: the Dividend Diplomats pharma-trio video, redundant with our PFE piece; and the OVL/SPYI/IVVW covered-call video, redundant with MLPI) under one throughline 'THE CHECK BEHIND THE YIELD — coverage, dividend growth, and business quality decide which dividends are real': (1) OUR shipped PFE piece (frozen $0.43 x7 quarters, dividend ate 108% of FY2025 FCF/0.93x coverage, Dec-declaration streak math, vs GSK-reset/ABBV-intact); (2) TheStreet KO — 64-year Dividend King, $2.12/yr payout ~2.3% yield, pays Buffett/Berkshire ~$848M/yr at >60% yield-on-cost, 'don't buy just for high yield'; (3) Fool VICI — 6.8% gaming net-lease REIT, 100% occupancy, triple-net, 9.2x fwd P/E, high-yield-done-right; (4) Dividends4Me VZ — 5.53% yield but only 1.94% 5yr div growth, 73.4% payout, high debt/deleverage-2027, FCF +24% YoY; (5) Fool TGT — Dividend King turnaround, Q2 comps +2.7%/digital +8.7%, EPS doubled to $4.11, 2.77% yield; (6) YouTube MLPI — covered-call MLP fund, ~15% monthly yield, non-correlated toll-road income but heavy ROC/NAV-erosion caveat.

Ep. 131: Real, Covered Income vs. the Yield Mirage — MPLX vs. HESM Coverage, the 13% ETF That Owns No Stock (WTPI), Retail REITs, Defensive Staples, and the Quality-Over-Yield Screen

Informed Investing — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 05:44:17 -0500

6 curated sources (2 of 8 set aside: Fool SPYM 1.0% yield / AI-hedge and Fool Costco 0.6% yield — off the income throughline) under one spine 'Real, Covered Income vs. the Yield Mirage — a headline yield means nothing; coverage, what-you-keep, and business quality are everything': (1) OUR shipped MPLX vs HESM piece (judge midstream on DCF/AFCF coverage not yield/EPS; MPLX 7.35%/+12.5%/1.3x DCF/K-1/3.7x lev vs HESM 8.08%/+7%/~1.4x AFCF/1099-DIV K-1-free/single-customer Chevron-Bakken concentration); (2) YouTube WTPI WisdomTree Equity Premium Income — 13% monthly yield ETF that owns NO stock, sells SPX index puts (cash-settled, no assignment), holds Treasuries for a stable NAV base,

Ep. 130: Real Income vs. Rented Yield — AngloGold's FCF Dividend vs. 96%-Return-of-Capital ETFs, the Best High-Dividend ETFs for 2026, a $5,400/Month Retirement Portfolio, and Why Cash Flow Isn't Income

Informed Investing — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 07:49:44 -0500

6 curated sources (2 of 8 set aside) on the throughline 'real income vs rented yield — how income works in a higher-for-longer 2026, and why yield never drives the decision': (1) OUR shipped AU piece (AngloGold real FCF-backed dividend 1.61x-covered, gold-geared, vs GDXY 96.6% return-of-capital / KGLD 2.89% SEC yield vs ~15% distribution = rented yield; miners vs covered-call ETFs; must pick the payout policy — NEM flat, AU buyback); (2) Morningstar 10 best high-dividend ETFs 2026 (Gold Medalist, yield > S&P: CGDV, FDVV, JDIV, SCHY, SCHD, SDY, VIG, VYM, VIGI, VYMI — quality/total-return over raw yield); (3) Kiplinger cash-flow-vs-income (three different things — cash flow=money moving, income=what's taxed, spending=what's gone; ROC is 'your own money changing seats'; account-location tax angle); (4) 247wallst $920k -> $5,400/mo (O/EPD/MO/MAIN/ARCC/SCHD, ~7% blended, coverage-over-yield, 3.5% growing 8% beats static 10%; BDC/MLP/REIT risk caveats); (5) Vanguard 11 bond ETFs by duration (BND/BSV/VGSH/VGUS/VUSB/VGIT/VCIT/VCSH/VMBS/VTEB/VTIP; Fed holds 2026, avoid long duration; top picks VGUS/VUSB/VCSH) + macro: $13.2B into bond ETFs last week, defensive rotation; (6) YouTube 'income over pure growth' philosophy opener. SET ASIDE: YouTube Xk172eqx3Wc ($1M dividend portfolio build — redundant with 247wallst); etftrends folded as the bond-flows macro note.

Ep. 129: Quality vs. Trap — ARCC's Rate-Regime Yield, Best Buy's 4.5% vs. UPS's Frozen Payout, a $6,200/Month 3-Ticker Retirement, and Why Yield Never Drives the Decision

Informed Investing — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:42:05 -0500

6 curated sources (2 of 8 set aside) on the throughline 'quality vs. trap — how income really works in a high-rate 2026, and why yield should never drive the decision': (1) OUR shipped ARCC piece (floating-rate BDC, 9.76% base yield ~1.0x NII-covered + spillover, 1.15x debt/equity, non-accruals rising 1.8->2.4%, NAV falling, 71% floating book, rate-advantaged income but pro-cyclical credit risk); (2) ChartMill BBY dividend-quality screen (4.5% yield, 8/10 rating, 11.48% div growth, ROE 37%, but 70.08% payout flagged not sustainable + weak quick ratio 0.40; P/E 13); (3) Motley Fool UPS the trap side (yield ~6.3%, 106% payout, dividend FROZEN ending 16-yr streak, FCF declining, 'look elsewhere'); (4) 247wallst 71-yo $6,200/mo from SCHD/O/MAIN (3% growing vs 5.2%/high-yield tiers; concentration + rate-sensitivity risk); (5) Ryan's 5 dividend mistakes (don't buy popularity, use Roth/tax accounts, don't over-diversify/checklist, know thyself, start sooner; total return > headline yield); (6) Dividend Diplomats screener walkthrough (P/E<20, payout 40-60%, 5yr div growth >=5% to beat inflation; yield is a BONUS metric, never the gate). SET ASIDE: 247wallst '4 Vanguard ETFs' (VGT/VTI/VYM/VUG, growth/tech-heavy, off the income lane) and the Dividend Diplomats PG single-name buy-case video (overlaps BBY + double-Dividend-Diplomats same day).

Ep. 128: Durable Dividend or Trap? — MCD's Value-Trap Test, Microsoft's Quality Screen, the Dividend Kings Caveat, the Nasdaq Income-ETF Shootout & Where Your Next Dollar Goes

Informed Investing — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 06:39:24 -0500

6 curated sources (2 of 8 set aside) on the throughline 'durable dividend or trap? real quality vs. manufactured yield, and where your next dollar goes in a high-rate 2026': (1) OUR shipped MCD 'bargain or value trap' piece (2.77% yield near 52-wk low, 1.40x FCF coverage / 71% of FCF, 3.7x leverage, company-specific vs YUM/SBUX/VOO, quality-at-fair-price not deep value); (2) ChartMill MSFT best-dividend screen = real quality in a low-yield name (0.73% yield, 19.77% payout, ~10.2% 5yr div growth, ROIC 21.46%, ROE 30.23%, Altman-Z 8.77, P/E 28.67); (3) dividends4me Dividend Kings 50-yr streaks (PG ~70, EMR ~69, JNJ/KO ~64; ~50-58 names; caveat: streak != safety, 3M & Leggett fell); (4) Doug the Retirement Guy Nasdaq-100 income-ETF shootout over 120 days — yield didn't win, total return did (GPIQ 18.70% > ROCQ 16.74% > QQQI 14.31%; QQQI highest cash 5.11%; ROC tax/ACA angle) + woven-in Goldman buying Neos for ~$2.25B (~$30B AUM, 19 ETFs, close Q1 2027); (5) Jake's 20 years of dividend mistakes (yield traps, no North Star, total return over headline yield, SCHD crown jewel); (6) invest-vs-pay-off-mortgage rate framework (2021 7-pt spread collapsed to ~1 pt in 2026; 401k match -> Roth -> emergency fund -> rate filter <5% invest / >7% pay off / 5-7% split). SET ASIDE: 9_P5BPZ7A-Y (QQQY vs boosted XQQY, heavy tool ad + redundant with the income-ETF shootout) and mQN4QrK2mjY (Goldman/Neos standalone, folded into source 4).

Ep. 127: Real Dividend Quality vs. Manufactured Yield — SCHD/DIVB Beat Tech, NNN & ITW Quality, REIT Earnings, the 5-Income-ETF Test & the Tax Layer

Informed Investing — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:03:12 -0500

6 curated sources (2 of 8 set aside) on the throughline 'real dividend quality vs. manufactured yield in an AI-top-heavy 2026': (1) Benzinga — SCHD +26%/DIVB +28% YTD beating QQQ +19%/SPY+VOO +14% as investors hedge AI, 7.4B into SCHD (~$104B AUM), fwd P/E 18.6 vs QQQ 30; (2) OUR shipped NNN REIT coverage-test piece (5% yield, 37-yr streak, 1.51x FCF coverage / ~69% AFFO payout, ~5.8x leverage tied w/ O); (3) ChartMill ITW quality-dividend (2.19% yield, 7.18% div growth, 57.7% payout, ROE 97%/ROIC 26.9%); (4) Dividend Sockpile x Auerbach/Hoya Q2 REIT earnings (82 of 98 raised guidance, stocks -5%, MAA/KIM/O undervalued); (5) The Dividend Prince 5-income-ETF capture test (SPYI kept 77%/JEPQ 76%/DIVO 70%/QYLD 54%/JEPI 44% of index; dividend-per-share not headline yield); (6) High Yield Roadmap taxation/asset-location (ROC lowers basis, SPYI 1256 for taxable, high-ordinary income to IRA, growth to Roth). SET ASIDE: X6pvUT8neIY (TTF/topdividendetfs review, redundant + tool ad) and FQEaKQIuUs8 (Dividend Diplomats 3 Dividend Kings, overlaps ITW/SCHD quality theme).

Ep. 126: Real Income vs. Manufactured Yield — Gold ETFs, S&P Option-Income, SCHD & Vanguard's Overlooked Funds

Informed Investing — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 07:40:36 -0500

6 curated sources (2 set aside) under one throughline — real income vs. manufactured yield in an expensive, AI-top-heavy 2026: (1) OUR gold-income ETF crop teardown (KGLD ~15% real-ish vs GDXY ~80% miners-not-gold NAV-shredder, GLDI ETN, IGLD ROC; gold pays /bin/bash, all yield is manufactured); (2) Doug the Retirement Guy SPUC vs GPIX S&P 500 monthly option-income ETFs; (3) State Street sector-income suite (XLKI 0.4%→~19% via covered calls); (4) SCHD deep dive (>00B AUM, 3%+ yield, ~11% div growth — the real dividend-quality counterweight); (5) Motley Fool VOX pick (Vanguard Comm Services, 17.1 P/E vs VOO 27.5 — cheap value/growth balance); (6) Vanguard 'beyond the big four' 6 ETFs (VFMF/VFMV/VYMI/VIGI/VTC/VTEB). SET ASIDE 2 of 8: the generic high-income-CC-ETF overview (6J81uSdTftk, redundant with the gold piece's yield-vs-cap lesson) and the standalone VYMI-beats-VOO 247wallst piece (VYMI already covered inside source 6).

Ep. 125: The Dividend Dilemma — Value Bargains vs. Yield Traps

Informed Investing — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 06:49:18 -0500

6 curated sources under one throughline (dividends on sale vs. reaching for yield in a Big-Tech-driven 2026): (1) McCormick MKC Aristocrat at a multi-year-low valuation, 1.53x FCF coverage = real payout; (2) Tractor Supply TSCO down ~45%, 2.7% yield vs 1.5% norm, CEO insider 00k buy, opportunity vs falling knife; (3) YT '5 fastest-growing dividends at record-high yields' (INTU/DPZ/CRM/ROL/TSCO) buy/not-buy ranking; (4) Dividend Prince '5 industrials raising dividends double-digit' (SNA/FAST/WM/CMI/CTAS) with fair-value discipline; (5) Kiplinger/Kosnett 'sweet spot' = 2.5%+ yield AND ~10% total-return target, don't chase top-of-chart (DHS/SDOG/FDVV/SCHD; XOM/CVX/PNC/FITB); (6) Doug the Retirement Guy SPYT vs XPAY 20%-'targeted' S&P 500 option-income ETFs = the manufactured-yield counterpoint. SET ASIDE 2 of 8 sent URLs: the 52-week-low YT (redundant with MKC/TSCO/fast-growers) and Kiplinger 'top ETFs to build wealth' VT/SPGM/URTH/DFAW (off-throughline broad-market indexing).

Ep. 124: Real Income vs. Manufactured Yield — What Actually Funds the Payout

Informed Investing — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 06:03:34 -0500

6 curated sources under one throughline (real income vs. manufactured/fragile yield — what funds the payout): NEOS XQQI (~20% distribution from leverage+options, 30-day SEC yield NEGATIVE -0.34% = payout is premium/ROC, not income); a dividend-cut-risk screen (Saratoga/SAR BDC + others without margin to cover payouts); Pfizer 6.4% yield eating FCF ahead of a ~$12B patent cliff; 7 blue-chips at 5yr-high yields (NKE/PEP/MCD/PG/ACN/MKC/LOW) + the payout-ratio test (bargain vs value trap); 2Q26 midstream MLPs (EPD/ET/MPLX/SUN) as REAL FCF-funded 6%+ yield; Morningstar best bond funds 2026 (BND/DODIX, bonds as ballast). Set aside 2 of 8 sent URLs for overlap: the qualityatafairprice substack (Dividend Yield Theory on FDS/SPGI/ICE/MSCI/AON dups the blue-chip yield-percentile method + FDS ran ep123) and the etftrends CPI/VALQ value-ETF piece (thin single-ETF promo, off-throughline).

Ep. 123: Mispriced — AI Panic Markdowns, All-Time Highs, and the 18% Yield That Lost Money

Informed Investing — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 07:09:20 -0500

6 curated sources on what the market is mispricing: PAYX/FDS/TRI AI-panic markdowns (quality growers on sale, judged on FCF coverage), Chris D'Agnes/Hamlin Capital dividend-growth framework (balance sheet + coverage + yield traps + energy), Coca-Cola at an all-time high (26x on 5% growth), Target turnaround (55-yr raiser up 53% YTD, UBS $166 target), PIMCO PDX bond CEF (real covered 7.5%), Nicholas XFunds (18% yield / -22% capital = manufactured yield). Throughline: real yield is funded by cash flow, manufactured yield by your own principal. Set aside 2 of the 8 sent URLs for overlap: etftrends derivative-income ETFs (dups yesterday's covered-call/NEOS lane + JS-blocked) and dividends4me 15-hikes list (caution overlaps Hamlin).

Ep. 122: Quality on Sale — Real Dividends vs. Manufactured Yield

Informed Investing — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 06:57:06 -0500

6 sources on real yield vs manufactured yield + quality on sale: HD vs LOW dividend duopoly (safety vs yield), McDonald's cheapest in 5 years (rare buy vs falling knife), Russ's 69 covered-call funds losing to their underlyings, NEOS gen-2 tax-efficient options ETFs (SPYI/QQQI/ROC), 247wallst coverage-tested 7%+ high-yield (WES/GLPI/HESM/UHT/CPB), Dividend Diplomats 3-ETF income.

Ep. 121: Building Durable Income Through Strategic Dividend Growth

Informed Investing — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:22:36 -0500

6 sources on where dividend money is working now: SCHD dividend-growth spread, tech dividend-growers (INTU/BMI/SAP/ACN), boomer income trio (PG/EPD/ARCC), high-yield under-$25 (ET/CSWC/AM), Dividend Diplomats picks (INTU/PEP/KR), XLF record high / fintech dividends.

Ep. 120: The Yield Reality Check — Real Income vs. Manufactured Yield

Informed Investing — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:13:10 -0500

6 curated sources under one throughline — the yield reality check: which fat yields are REAL funded income vs manufactured/eroding. (1) II's PDI piece: PIMCO's 16.5% monthly CEF, -36% price vs +279% total return since 2012, two-layer ER (1.64% mgmt / ~4.46% all-in incl leverage interest), trades at a premium to NAV, 'Income Only' distribution — real income but it costs you. (2) YieldMax BIGY (Doug the Retirement Guy): ~12% targeted covered-call ETF, yield trap? (3) Covered-call ETF mechanics — how selling calls makes 10-15% yields + the growth-cap tradeoff. (4) 247wallst 4 midstream energy stocks 6-8% (ET 6.71%, MPLX 7.16%) with a data-center nat-gas demand catalyst — real funded income. (5) Cable/telecom value: Charter ~50% FCF yield, Starlink threat overblown — contrarian value. (6) ETF Trends: a top bond ETF of the past decade (WisdomTree). Dropped 2: IDOG (energy overlap) + 'MSFT +26% in a week' (off-theme).

Ep. 119: Buy Once, Hold Forever — Real Income vs. Manufactured Yield

Informed Investing — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 07:06:38 -0500

6 curated sources under one throughline — 'buy once, hold forever,' but which income actually survives the holding? Separating real funded income from manufactured yield and from a valuation trap dressed as income. (1) II's own CAT piece: a 30-year Dividend Aristocrat yielding just 0.70% at ~38x trailing earnings ($876.54) — dividend is safe (37% of FCF, 2.71x coverage) but it's a growth/valuation bet, not an income holding; biggest risk is multiple compression, not the dividend. (2) 247wallst 5-ETF buy-and-hold-forever core: VOO (0.03% ER), QQQM (0.10%), SCHD (~3.1% yield, ~$95B AUM), VXUS (0.05%), DGRW (0.29%, monthly, quality-dividend-growth). (3) Dividend Data (Zach) HESM deep dive: 7.64% forward yield midstream LP (1099-DIV not K-1, UP-C, Chevron #1 customer), GAAP payout looks unsustainable but cash coverage is strong (TTM OCF $1.04B / FCF $652M vs $376M dividends), raises every quarter (9.36% 5yr CAGR), 100% fee-based w/ CPI escalator + MVCs through 2028, capex collapsing to ~$15M in FY26 = FCF wave; the real, funded high yield. (4) Pam & Dividends NASDAQ-100 covered-call ETF comparison: synthetic 24-40% yielders QDTE (Roundhill) and QDTY (YieldMax) erode PRICE (negative since Sept-2025) while real-holding lower-yield funds QQQI (NEOS 14%), GPIQ (Goldman 9.3%), JEPQ (JPM 12%), TDAQ (TappAlpha 17%, 0.83% ER) hold/grow principal; don't chase >20% on a broad index. (5) Ex-trader's one-fund pick DIVO (Amplify CWP): dividend stocks + covered calls, ~14% max drawdown vs SPY/VGT double that, risk-adjusted edge over SCHD, simplicity for a beginner. (6) Vanguard ETF Report substack: the biggest mistake after $100k is your own hands — performance-chasing + panic-selling; core 6-ETF portfolio (VTI/VXUS/BND/VIG/VUG-VTV/VBIL), rebalance annually, do less. Dropped 2 overlaps: Motley Fool 3 ultra-high-yield energy (ENB/TTE/BEP — HESM covers energy income deeper) and tipranks 3 Vanguard ETFs (VTI/VIG/BND — overlaps the 247wallst + substack portfolio lists).

Ep. 118: The Income That Lasts vs. The Income That Fades

Informed Investing — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 05:17:44 -0500

6 curated sources under one throughline — durable dividends vs. yields about to break, across stocks, dividend-growth funds, and covered-call ETFs. (1) Morningstar's 3 dependable high-yielders trading below fair value: Clorox 5.19% (38% below $155 FV, aristocrat), PepsiCo 4.33% (king, 7.51% 5yr div growth, 19% below FV), Realty Income 4.96% monthly (9% below $72 FV). (2) 3 stocks flashing dividend-cut warning signs — Vail Resorts (MTN), Robert Half (RHI), Papa John's (PZZA, 'pizzas hot, dividend cold'). (3) Doug's 5 retirement income ETFs ranked into buckets: SPYI, JEPI, QQQI, SCHD, a bond ETF. (4) Dividendology's top-10 high-yield-2026 mid-year scorecard (BDCs/REITs/MLPs/high-yield ETFs — did the January calls hold?). (5) The new DRVR Amplify S&P 500 Dividend Drivers ETF (launched 7/9, 50 stocks, dividend growth NOT high yield, no options) — CEO interview. (6) II's own TDAQ vs QDTE piece — manufactured yield: 13.99% trailing / 17.56% run-rate mostly option premium + ROC, 0.83% ER, untested since Sept-2025 launch. Dropped 3 overlaps: the 10-ETF topdividendetfs.com name-dump, the single 'hidden ETF like SCHD' promo, and the 5-active-growth-ETFs-beating-QQQ substack (off-theme, no income).

Ep. 117: Real Yield vs. Manufactured Yield — Which Dividend Checks Actually Last

Informed Investing — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 07:48:38 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — real yield vs manufactured yield, and which dividend checks actually last. (1) II's own PZZA teardown: Papa John's 6.15% yield eating 100% of FY2025 free cash flow (1.00x coverage) vs Domino's 2.29% covered 2.84x — is the payout funded by the business? (2) 24/7 Wall St's 5 quality high-yielders on sale: AT&T ~4.55%, Energy Transfer ~6.71%, Pfizer ~6.93% (16yr growth), Realty Income, VICI — real yield trading below fair value, all analyst Buys. (3) TDAQ/TSPY: Tap Alpha's 17% zero-DTE covered-call ETFs claiming to beat QQQ — manufactured yield via daily option premium, mostly ROC. (4) VAI: VegaShares 16.5% weekly-income auto-callable structured-note ETF — high yield engineered from barriers + return of capital. (5) Beginner dividend masterclass: how to build a portfolio, the Verizon ~6.7% yield trap (flat since 1997), SCHD as honest compounder, the 4-part ETF checklist. (6) Altria (MO): dividend king down 9% after 7/30 earnings — real value or value trap? Dropped 2 overlaps: the 'chase the business not the dividend' philosophy interview and the Russ blue-collar 4% Simply-Safe screen video (redundant with the fundamentals + 247wallst screen lanes).

Ep. 116: The Yield Trap — Is That Dividend Real, or Is It Your Own Money Coming Back?

Informed Investing — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 06:05:00 -0500

6 sources walking the income spectrum with one question at every rung: is the payout coming from the business, or is it your own capital and option premium coming back dressed up as yield? (1) OMAH (VistaShares Target 15 Berkshire Select Income) — ~15% distribution but 37.5% return of capital and a 0.69% SEC yield; the archetype of a manufactured payout. (2) QQQI (NEOS Nasdaq-100 Income) — 14.05% covered-call distribution, the 'income today, growth tomorrow' middle ground; host hammers distribution rate != total return, yield != income, and QQQI's 1256-contract tax edge. (3) SCHD — the honest compounder core: 13.3% total return since inception, 0.06% ER, doubles ~2032-2034, payout from actual growing profits. (4) Kiplinger 5 safe high-yielders screened for coverage: VZ 6.4% (58% payout, 20yr), EMN 4.8% (54%), AMT 4.3% REIT (70% FFO, down 25%), OCFC 4.1%, FNF 4.1% (40%). (5) PepsiCo — fallen dividend king down 30% from 2023 peak, 4.33% yield (98th percentile), cheap for a reason or rare entry point; payout ratio stretched to 92.7% EPS. (6) Realty Income — durable REIT, 135th raise, $3.25/4.9%, P/FFO 15, buy before Aug 5 earnings; rent-backed, not ROC. Dropped 2 lane-duplicates: DRMP (memory-chip micro income ETF, redundant with OMAH/QQQI) and DJD (Dogs of the Dow ETF, redundant with SCHD).

Ep. 115: The Yield Spectrum — From Bulletproof Dividends to 12% Yields the Market Dares You to Trust

Informed Investing — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:43:44 -0500

6 sources walking UP the yield spectrum with one question at every rung: is the income real and durable, or is the market pricing in trouble the headline yield hides? (1) Our own Korea semiconductor-crash piece as the setup — leverage got vaporized (KOSPI ~40% peak-to-trough, ~360k accounts forced-liquidated, still +33% YTD) but unlevered dividends/cash (SCHD/SGOV/JAAA) survived. (2) Fool on SCHD as the bulletproof diversified core: 3.3% yield, 0.06% ER, $105B AUM, 4% position cap, KO/MRK/CVX/PG, built to thrive 20 years vs concentrated peers (VIG 26% tech, DGRO 21% financials). (3) Oracle (ORCL) undervalued dividend-GROWTH compounder: only 1.4% yield but 17 straight raises, 12.8% 10yr growth accelerating to a +25% latest raise, ~34.3% payout ratio, claimed ~29% undervalued, AI-cloud tailwind. (4) Verizon (VZ) 6.5% yield after a ~15% slump — value or trap? Dividend-safety question amid Starlink direct-to-cell disruption threat (via Simply Safe Dividends). (5) A creator's #1 high-income ETF (SPYI/GPIX class) claiming consistent income + AUM growth + NO NAV decay — how to separate durable from manufactured. (6) Hercules (HTGC) vs Trinity (TRIN): two 12%-yield venture/tech BDCs holding payouts while peers CUT in a falling-rate world; compared on price-to-NAV and dividend safety. Throughline: total return and the STRUCTURE behind the payout separate real income from a yield trap. Dropped 2 Cloudflare-blocked sources (chartmill NVS, 247wallst IBM-vs-VZ).

Ep. 114: The Income Ladder — From Safe Cash to Fat Covered-Call Yields, and How to Tell Real Income From Manufactured

Informed Investing — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:07:33 -0500

5 sources on one throughline — climbing the income ladder from safe cash up to fat covered-call yields, and how TOTAL RETURN (not the headline distribution) separates real income from manufactured yield. (1) Our own cash tier list: SGOV/BOXX/JAAA four-tier menu, JAAA fell only ~1.5% total-return in the April 2025 crash vs the S&P's ~19% peak-to-trough; match the tool to the job. (2) Covered Call ETFs 2.0 (ETF Trends): SPYI/QQQI call-spread overlays (16% NAV returns) + GPIX/GPIQ partial-overwrite (18%/21% NAV, 0.29% ER) beating old QYLD-style full-overwrite funds; Section 1256 60/40 tax; TCAL single-stock premium, TPUT put-write. (3) OVL (Overlay Shares Large Cap): a ~10.3% distribution ETF that actually BEAT VOO since ~2020 (197% vs 178.9% total return), put-selling overlay, 0.79% ER. (4) KYLD (Curve High Income): a 23.7% weekly distribution that's really a ~12% total-return fund — 30-day SEC yield only 0.45%, NAV -15% since Oct-2025 launch, ~98% return-of-capital, 1% ER; Doug the Retirement Guy's verdict = satellite-only. (5) American Tower (AMT): is a blue-chip REIT dividend safe? 97% contracted revenue + 3% escalators vs 8.9B debt, Dish default + AT&T Mexico rent dispute, ROIC ~= cost of capital. Recurring lesson: a distribution is only as good as the total return and the structure behind it. Dropped 2 Cloudflare-blocked sources (chartmill LLY, tipranks Vanguard) + 1 overlapping (INTU software).

Ep. 113: The Rotation Widens — Value, REITs, and the International Dividend Trade of 2026

Informed Investing — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 09:27:38 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — the 2026 rotation has WIDENED beyond 'tech sold off': value stocks, high-dividend funds, the Dividend Kings, and REITs are ALL beating the S&P this year, and international dividends may be the next leg as new tariffs reshape the map. (1) VYM (Vanguard High Dividend Yield) beating the S&P by ~3pp YTD — 600+ stocks, 2.3% yield, 0.04% ER, forward P/E 16 vs 23 for VOO; energy+industrials ~24%, tech only ~15%; value outperforming by 6+ pts; three tailwinds (no Fed cuts, sticky inflation, tariffs pressuring high-multiple tech). (2) Dividend Kings (50+yr raisers) up 13.78% YTD vs S&P 8.95%; top: GRC +72%, NUE +53%, ADM +52%; 21 names undervalued by Dividend Yield Theory with >10% est. return (LOW, PEP, ABT, SWK, SPGI...); highest est. returns SCL 29.5%, NUE 25%, ABBV 19.9%. (3) REITs (Hoya Capital/David Auerbach part 2): 55 REITs RAISED vs 6 cut this year, payout under 75% FFO (below long-run avg), broadly undervalued on price-to-FFO, mid-cap the sweet spot; Realty Income expanding into gaming/data-centers/Bellagio; senior housing + manufactured housing + SFR the best supply-demand setups; public-vs-private REIT tradeoffs. (4) International dividend ETFs as a tariff hedge (new tariffs on 60 partners, 10-12.5%): XIDV (large/mid intl dividend), DLS (intl small-cap dividend), ADVE (active Asia dividend). (5) Oracle as a quality-over-yield case with an asterisk: ~1.4% yield, 34% payout, +25% latest hike, but net debt ~31B, ~4.4x leverage, BBB- (one notch above junk, downgraded July 9), FCF NEGATIVE ~-3.7B from AI capex. (6) 5 enhanced-income ETFs (YYY 13% CEF basket, OVL 10.5% put-overlay, IDVO ~6% intl covered-call, Q6/QDEL index-multiplier funds) as the 'manufactured yield' caution — satellite, judged on total return not distribution rate. Recurring lesson: a dividend is only as good as the total return and business behind it — separate durable income from manufactured yield with payout coverage, price-to-FFO, and dividend yield theory. Dropped 2 Cloudflare-blocked sources (ainvest FLLA, 247wallst midstream).

Ep. 112: Beyond the Yield — The Rotation, and How to Spot Real Income vs. a Manufactured 15%

Informed Investing — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:51:07 -0500

7 sources on one throughline — July 2026's rotation OUT of the AI/semiconductor trade INTO dividends, REITs, and defensives, and how to tell a DURABLE dividend from a MANUFACTURED yield. (1) SCHD winning in 2026 (up 20% YTD vs S&P +8%) but still lagging on 5yr total return (57.16%/9.47% CAGR vs 79.79%/12.45%); tech-light (under 10% tech), heavy healthcare/consumer-defensive/energy; dividend growth decelerating (9.1% long-run -> ~2.2% forecast). (2) Three beaten-down quality dividend buys in the rotation: LOW (-18% YTD, Dividend King, 60yr, ~2.35% yield, 40% payout, ~14% undervalued), BAH (-24.4%, ~3.5% yield, 32% payout, ~39% undervalued), DLB (-21.6%, ~2.8% yield real, 90% gross margin, net cash, ~40% undervalued). (3) REITs quietly beating the S&P despite high rates: NOI +20.5% vs pre-pandemic / +3.8% YoY, 50+ dividend raises, rate correlation broke down post-2025, 'location location management', M&A wave (AvalonBay/EQR, Public Storage/National Storage). (4) Realty Income (O) on the rate fault line: 4.94% yield, rate-proxy vs ARCC's floating-rate 10.22%; know which side you're on. (5) QCOM (2.10% yield, 38.5% payout, ROE 36%, P/E 14) & LMT (2.68% yield, ROE 64%, 65.7% payout) as quality-over-yield case studies. (6) OMAH's 15% 'targeted' yield as manufactured-yield cautionary tale: SEC yield only 0.69% so overlay must make ~14.31%, ~47% return of capital, NAV down from $20 launch, first-year total return only 6.61% vs S&P ~20% — satellite-only. Recurring lesson: a dividend/distribution is only as good as the total return and business behind it. Dropped an 8th source (Joseph Hogue 5-stocks video) as least dividend-focused / overlapping.

Ep. 111: Two Ways to Get Paid — Owning Dividend Growth vs. Renting High Yield

Informed Investing — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 07:04:25 -0500

8 sources on one throughline — two ways to get paid: owning dividend GROWTH vs. renting high YIELD. Durable side: (1) JNJ dividend-quality (2.10% yield, 7.68%/5yr growth, 59.52% payout, ROE 25.92%, never cut 10+yr); (2) Realty Income (O) 5.00% yield + 29yr raises, now a $6B+ hyperscale data-center JV bolting ~27%/yr secular growth onto a blue-chip REIT; (3) this week's dividend raises led by financials — Citi +11.7% ($0.60->$0.67), Synchrony +13.3%, Northern Trust +10%, plus ALB token raise & CRT/PBT royalty-trust bumps; (4) McDonald's Dividend King down 21% from highs — rev $19B->$26B, FCF +54%, buy-the-dip case. Manufactured side: (5) our own BTCI teardown — screener '40.42% yield' is really a ~27.13% run-rate; share price -42.21% since Oct-2024 inception but total return -3.83% (distributions are paid-out capital/ROC); IBIT is the clean uncapped benchmark; YBTC/YBIT/MAXI comps; (6) a 14%-monthly 'downside-protected' fund (no covered calls); (7) best/worst weekly-pay ETFs — cash flow vs. total return. Lead with coverage & the business, not the headline yield.

Ep. 110: Real Income vs. Manufactured Yield — The Durable Dividend Lens

Informed Investing — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 07:25:25 -0500

5 sources on one throughline — real income vs. manufactured yield; how to tell a durable, cash-covered dividend from a headline number that's really ROC, a value trap, or one cut away from disaster. (1) Our own MO vs PM '6% Cigarette Dividend' — Altria's 5.88% yield vs Philip Morris's 3.03% + growth; split from one company in 2008; FCF coverage MO 1.30x/PM 1.24x; MO less-levered (~2.0x vs ~2.7x). (2) AT&T (T) — the 2022 46% dividend cut (52c->27c), $15B->$8B payout, net debt $190B->$152B deleveraging, no raise since. (3) Dividendology 4 high-yields w/ a coverage metric each — VZ 6.4% (57% FCF payout), MAIN base-vs-total BDC yield trap (~8% shown but ~6% base covered 1.26x NII), WES MLP 8% (DCF-covered), IIPR 9% cumulative preferred (covered 48x). (4) FDVV — Fidelity High Dividend ETF that beat SCHD by holding AAPL/MSFT/NVDA/AVGO (~18%); 12-mo div-growth screen; the outperformance is a tech tilt. (5) CHPY — YieldMax semiconductor weekly-pay covered-call ETF; option-premium 'yield' + ROC + semis outlook. Dropped 247wallst (Cloudflare 403), Global X EDGX/EDGQ + Kyle grab-bag (redundant).

Ep. 109: Beyond the AI Trade — Where Dividend Money Is Actually Working

Informed Investing — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:02:00 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — beyond the AI trade, where dividend money is actually working and how to tell a real yield from a value trap. (1) Our own PEP vs KO 'dividend taste test': two Dividend Kings in mirror-image setups — PEP $135, 4.26% trailing yield near a decade high / 52-wk low, KO $81.97, 2.54% near a decade low / ATH; PEP the faster grower (7.4% 10y) funding its dividend from cash (FCF coverage 1.00x vs KO 0.60x); gift vs trap hinges on Frito-Lay volume. (2) Kiplinger 'Beyond AI': S&P +29.8% vs Kiplinger Dividend 15 +13.4%; only AVGO/JNJ/USB beat market; BUT median S&P dividend payer +14.0% vs +6.4% for non-payers; weakness in MCD/HD/PG/MA on soft consumer. (3) Verizon: ~6.5% yield, $11B+ payout covered nearly 2x by >=$21.5B FCF, 20-yr streak, ~10x earnings, first postpaid phone adds since 2013 — but 'cost cuts can't grow a dividend forever', service rev +1.6%. (4) 247wallst goal-based 'car-repair' income: $13.6k-$42.9k capital by yield tier; dividend growth (PG/JNJ) that triples payouts vs high-yield BDC/covered-call ROC that erodes NAV. (5) Vanguard tax-efficient 5-ETF for high earners (VTI ~1% yield, tax-drag control). (6) XYLD vs TDAC ~20% covered-call yields — is the yield real (ROC/NAV lens). Dropped 2 overlapping YTs ($121k portfolio-erosion, SCHD rebalance).

Ep. 108: A High Yield Is a Promise — Which Funds Can Actually Keep It?

Informed Investing — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:44:45 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — a high yield is a promise; the job is figuring out which funds/stocks can actually keep it. (1) Our own survival analysis: 25 income ETFs closed in 2026 as failed businesses; JEPI ($45.1B) & SPYI ($10.7B) pass the 4-sign survival test, MARO ($70M, ~184%, NAV -80%) & FIVY (~$5M fund-of-YieldMax-funds) fail; survival != endorsement. (2) Pam & Dividends TDAQ vs QQQI: Nasdaq income ETFs, TDAQ 17% (0DTE, 96% ROC, 0.83% ER) vs QQQI ~14% (holds the names, 0.68% ER), both preserve principal (QQQI +8% price / +53% TR since 2024); ROC is a tax structure not just money back. (3) Conagra (CAG) cut its ~10% yield in half ($0.35->$0.175) under new CEO + $2B impairment — textbook dividend trap, S&P 500 removal. (4) Kiplinger hedged ETFs (FHEQ/HEQT/HELO/IVVB/PHEQ) for retirees after 60/40 broke in 2022. (5) 5 sin-stock dividends: MO (6%, 88% payout, 56yr), PM, LMT (23yr, F-35 to 2060s), BF.B (42yr King candidate), LVS (riskiest). (6) SCHD: 3.2% yield, ~10% div growth since 2011, 0.06% ER, $101B, beat VOO by ~9% YTD, 11% tech. Dropped: TipRanks weekly-pay >32% ETFs and 247wallst dividend kings (both 403/Cloudflare-blocked).

Ep. 107: The Distribution Rate Is the Easy Part — What Actually Backs the Yield

Informed Investing — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 07:27:30 -0500

7 sources on one throughline — the headline distribution rate is the easy part; what actually backs it (cash-flow coverage, NAV erosion, total return, risk fit) is the hard part. (1) GIS (our own analysis): 6.43% decade-high yield through 3 straight years of revenue decline ($20.09B->$18.42B), but 1.24x FREE-CASH-FLOW coverage ($1.63B FCF vs $1.32B dividends; ~1.15x on normalized capex), ~3.9x leverage — covered by cash, not borrowing, but no growth. (2) NOBL (Motley Fool): Dividend Aristocrats ETF fell only 6.5% in the 2022 bear vs S&P ~18-19%, 3% tech, 0.83 beta, but lags in bull markets (~10%/yr vs VOO ~15% over the decade) — downside protection with a growth trade-off. (3) 3-strategy risk ladder (Investing Lawyer): core (T, O ~5-8% monthly), high-yield mortgage REITs (NLY, AGNC 10-15%, cut-prone), YieldMax option funds (YGMA 54%, NVDY 54%, MSTY 175% — growth capped, principal unprotected). (4) BTCI (Neos/Wes interview): Bitcoin income ETF, spot BTC + options overlay, double-digit distribution persists while share price fell — the NAV-erosion-vs-real-income question. (5) 5-criteria beginner framework for picking income ETFs (in your 40s) + 7 examples. (6) Rico's non-tech State Street sector income ETF test — bought 5, cut 3, tripled a survivor down 3% because income told a different story than price. (7) EDGX (Global X) vs ARKW (JPMorgan) new-fund head-to-head for retirement — income/growth/total return/taxes. Dropped: 247wallst BIZD 12%-yield-trap piece (Cloudflare-blocked to WebFetch and curl).

Ep. 106: What Actually Backs a Dividend — KHC's 6% Test, Realty Income, and the Value Traps

Informed Investing — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:37:03 -0500

7 sources on one throughline — what actually backs a dividend (is the payout covered by real cash flow?) and is a beaten-down price opportunity or trap. (1) KHC (our own analysis): 6.1% yield through a FY2025 GAAP net LOSS from a ~$9B impairment, but ~1.93x FREE-CASH-FLOW coverage, 11.8% FCF yield / 7.4% on EV, ~3x adjusted leverage in line with peer MDLZ — Morningstar 5-star bull vs JPMorgan Underweight/UBS Neutral. (2) Donaldson (DCI): filtration compounder, 7/10 fundamental, 8 profitability / 8 health / 7 dividend ratings — quality over yield. (3) RDVY: rising-dividend GROWTH ETF, 16.5%/yr for a decade (beat VOO and ~97% of active funds) but 0.84% yield — growth not income. (4) Realty Income (O): monthly REIT, ~5.1% yield, 31-yr Aristocrat, 98.9% occupancy, ~72% AFFO payout, ~14x AFFO, rate-cut tailwind. (5) Abbott (ABT): misread as a bond-proxy — CGM market 12M->80M users, $21B Exact Sciences/Cologuard deal, 17x fwd earnings 29% below consensus target, 4 straight EPS beats. (6) Nike (-44%) and Estee Lauder (-30%): beaten-down consumer moats, turnaround-or-trap, CEO insider buying at NKE. (7) XQQI: Neos Boosted Nasdaq-100, ~150% leverage on a covered-call strategy, 19-23% target distribution — leveraged income and its hidden trade-off. (Supersedes the earlier 5-source cut of this episode; DCI + ABT were pulled via the browser after 403s.)

Ep. 105: Read What's Under the Yield — Coverage, Cuts & the 2026 Dividend Rotation

Informed Investing — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 06:46:37 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — the headline yield tells you nothing on its own; read what's underneath it (is the payout covered by real earnings, or leaning on debt/return-of-capital/a crashing price?). (1) Verizon's dividend surviving a second 2026 layoff round — 6.6% yield, $19.86B FCF, 66.5% payout, 20-yr raise streak, <9x fwd earnings; layoffs are the belt tightening not snapping. (2) ARCC/BDC coverage test — earners vs eroders, NII-vs-GAAP, ARCC +1,089% total return / +25.97% price (the gap IS the distributions) at 10.15% yield vs PSEC's 22.91% yield-trap (-18.7% 1yr TR); MAIN/SPY comps; full-cycle not 1yr. (3) 2026 value/dividend rotation that finally beat the S&P — Morningstar's 5 funds (DES +22.7%, PMDIX +19%, CGDV +13.7%, HLIEX +12.9%, SCHD +17.5% owning zero Mag7), value +15.9% vs growth +5.3%, small-cap +22.6%; billboard REITs LAMR (+24%) / OUT (+37%) crushing the market on covered AFFO. (4) Kiplinger's 15 highest-yielders as a trap warning — LYB's 40% drop → 11% yield → 50% cut; the Buy-vs-Hold tell (PFE/VZ/O Buy vs GIS/KHC/MO Hold); packaged-food payout stress. (5) USCL vs QQCL leveraged covered-call ETFs — near-identical Global X structures paid 2% vs 24% lifetime distribution growth; why = Nasdaq implied vol + 25% leverage + concentration; distribution growth is a byproduct of the machinery, not fund quality.

Ep. 104: Read What's Under the Hood of the Yield — NAV Erosion, Return of Capital & What You Actually Keep

Informed Investing — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 07:04:45 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — a headline yield tells you nothing alone; read what's under the hood: the NAV path (is it eroding your principal?), the tax treatment (what do you keep?), and total return over a full cycle. Walk the income spectrum: (1) TEL Forge piece — durable single-stock AI-buildout income at the component layer (20.2x P/E, 1.45% yield, 13yr dividend growth, ROE ~21%) vs NVDA (31.1x) / AVGO (64.1x) price torque; lower octane, same secular theme. (2) SCHD 247wallst — the 'boring' dividend ETF up 20% YTD vs S&P ~10%, but the total-return honesty check bites over a full cycle: +23%/+21% 1yr, +53%/+83% 5yr, +221%/+309% 10yr; 0.06% ER, ~3% yield, rotation not regime change. (3) 10 no-NAV-erosion income ETFs — SPYI (~11-12%, 15.13% CAGR) and QQQI (~14%, 20.20% CAGR) hold/grow NAV; FEPI the only eroder on the list; TSPY ~12-18%. (4) Return of Capital — the misunderstood third category; ROC is tax-deferred until cost basis hits zero then cap-gains; SPYI 12% example; dividend-trap chart test; QYLD 50%+ NAV depletion cautionary case. (5) QQQI under the hood — NEOS sells NDX index calls 1.5-4.5% OTM, Section 1256 + ROC tax efficiency, survived Liberation Day; XQQI is the 150%-levered untested variant. (6) TOPW/Roundhill — the speculative high-octane edge: ~44.5% distribution on a 1.2x-levered basket of 11 single-stock weekly-pay ETFs (AAPL/NVDA/MSFT/AMZN/GOOG top), AMDW added / Netflix dropped; opposite end of the spectrum from SCHD's ~3%.

Ep. 103: The Yield Is Only Half the Story — Total Return, NAV Erosion & What You Actually Keep

Informed Investing — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 06:41:46 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — the headline yield is only half the story; what does the investor actually keep after total return, NAV erosion, and taxes? (1) Our XOM vs CVX featured piece — the lower-yielding, better-covered name (XOM 2.82% yield, 64% payout) delivered the HIGHER 1yr total return (~+31% vs CVX ~+25%) despite CVX's 3.83% yield and 107% payout. (2) ETF Trends — only 21% of active funds beat their index over 10yrs and active corp-bond success cratered to 4% in 2025, but a few active fixed-income ETFs earn their fee: NSCI (+2.30% vs 0.98% index), FUSI (5.14% vs 4.12%), FSYD, IROC. (3) OVF Overlay Shares Foreign Equity ETF — ~10% monthly distribution, 0.83% ER, 'no price decay' claim to pressure-test on NAV path vs ACWI ex-US. (4) Millrose Properties (MRP) — new REIT spun from Lennar, 9%+ (near-11%) yield, ~12% discount to book, pays out essentially all AFFO (~$3.30 target 2026), 3.2x leverage. (5) Pipelines EPD (6%, 27yr growth), ET (7%, Oracle data-center deals), KMI (4%, C-corp 1099 vs MLP K-1) — durable contract-backed income riding LNG+data-center demand. (6) JEPQ vs QQQI — same ~14% headline Nasdaq income, but QQQI's Section 1256 60/40 + ROC beats JEPQ's ordinary-income ELN structure in taxable accounts; edge disappears in an IRA where JEPQ's 0.35% fee wins.

Ep. 102: Where Dividend Money Is Actually Working — Total Return vs. Yield, the Value Rotation, and Durable Income

Informed Investing — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:11:45 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — where dividend money is actually working in mid-2026 and the gap between headline yield and what you keep. (1) Our featured SCHD vs PLD/MAIN/BIP piece — all three beat SCHD on 10yr total return (PLD 275%, MAIN 251%, BIP 240% vs SCHD 232%) but every one had a worse Sharpe (0.36/0.33/0.31 vs 0.50) and deeper drawdown (MAIN -65% vs SCHD -33%); plain SPY (327%, 0.63 Sharpe) beat all three at SCHD-like risk — satellites not a core swap. (2) Motley Fool value rotation into Dividend Kings KO/JNJ/PEP (soft June jobs report, 57k, cooled rate expectations; PEP the cheap out-of-favor pick at ~4.2%). (3) Dividend Prince safety screen of 5 financials — BLK top pick (54% payout, 12% discount, exemplary capital allocation) vs AXP/BNY premium. (4) Doug the Retirement Guy's 10 recession-proof income funds — utility CEFs (DNP/UTF/UTG 7%) + MLP pipelines (EPD/MPLX) that compound vs PIMCO bond CEFs (PTY 12% yield/~0% 5yr total return) that hand back NAV. (5) Best dividend income + growth framework (SCHD-centric, income vs growth tradeoff, avoid traps). (6) MLPI — a tax-advantaged MLP income ETF deep dive vs SPY/QQQI.

Ep. 101: The Yield Is Only Half the Story — Total Return, Coverage, and What's Under the Hood (O, HDV, QQQI, CSHI, AMCR, Vanguard)

Informed Investing — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:22:49 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — the headline yield is only half the story; what matters is total return, whether the payout is covered, and what's under the hood. (1) Our featured Realty Income (O) piece — a reliable 5.11% monthly dividend that still returned ~25% over 3yr vs the S&P's ~76% and SCHD's ~51% (yield is not total return); rate-sensitivity + AFFO coverage opacity. (2) HDV (Motley Fool) — the quality dividend ETF up >15% H1 2026 vs S&P ~9%, 2.9% yield, energy+healthcare, proving high-dividend != low return. (3) Doug the Retirement Guy's 7 top income ETFs — total-return-over-yield framework + NAV-erosion trap; QQQI #1 (14.9%), SPYI #2 (12%), GPIQ #3, IWMI #4 (14%), GPIX #5, OVL #6, TDAX #7, CHIPY honorable mention (45% yield). (4) CSHI (Neos/Wes Matthews) — the engineered cash sleeve: T-bills + sold S&P put spreads for +1-1.5% over bills. (5) Dividend Prince's 5 cheap dividend stocks — cheap-but-covered check: the Amcor 207%-payout trap facing a 25% cut vs Zoetis's safe 33% payout (MDLZ/AMCR/GIS/CLX/ZTS). (6) Vanguard recession-survival 70/30 portfolio (VTI/VXUS/VIG/VDC/BND/VTIP) as the frame around it all.

Ep. 100: Your Index Got Concentrated — The Income Playbook (OVL, CSHI, Tap Alpha, ABBV vs LLY, KMB)

Informed Investing — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:15:39 -0500

6 sources on one throughline — the S&P 500 became a concentrated, growth-led bet as the old tailwinds fade, so what does a disciplined income investor do? (1) Our featured piece 'Your Index Fund Isn't as Diversified as You Think' — cap-weight S&P ~36% tech / top-10 >a third vs equal-weight RSP ~20%; the four fading tailwinds; income toolkit as the response. (2) OVL — beats S&P total return via put spreads not covered calls; uncapped upside, but short-vol downside (loses on equity AND puts in a selloff). (3) CSHI — T-bills + modest put-spread overlay, 1-1.5% over bills, the optimized cash sleeve vs SGOV/money market. (4) Tap Alpha T6/TDAX — leveraged (30% via swaps) covered-call income, ~20-24% weekly-paid distributions, mostly ROC. (5) AbbVie vs Eli Lilly — ABBV the better DIVIDEND stock (2.65% yield, Dividend King, Skyrizi/Rinvoq) vs LLY the growth stock (0.57% yield, obesity drugs). (6) Kimberly-Clark — 4.58% Dividend King up 13.7% YTD beating the S&P, 15.2x vs 21.9x median P/E, Kenvue acquisition.

Ep. 99: The Yield Truth — Is the Income Real? QQQI's 97% ROC, SCHD vs the S&P, Realty Income, and Pfizer's 7%

Informed Investing — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:37:52 -0500

6 dividend/income sources on one throughline (is the income real / what's under the hood of the yield). (1) Our QQQI piece — 97% of the distribution is return of capital, but NAV has held since Jan-2024 inception, so it's tax-engineered ROC not erosion; contrast QYLD's NAV bleed; QQQI still full Nasdaq downside + capped upside. (2) SCHD trouncing the S&P in 2026 — SCHD ~18% YTD vs S&P ~8% (Russell 1000 Value ~17%), 0.06% ER, Dow Jones US Dividend 100 basket, value-over-growth rotation. (3) Realty Income (O) — biggest net-lease REIT, AFFO $1.13 (+6.6% QoQ), payout 71.9% (down from 83% a decade ago), 98.9% occupancy, monthly aristocrat, A- rating, pivoting into data centers ($1.44B/45% NoVA stake); honest counterweight = total-return lag vs VNQ/SCHD/SPY from rate sensitivity + size. (4) Pfizer (PFE) 7.1% yield (up from 6.5%), $0.43 quarterly flat 4 quarters, Q1 rev $14.45B (+5%) but operating income -5% — protecting not raising the payout; TIKR $28 by 2030 (~3%/yr) = potential yield trap. (5) Rico — 3 structural reasons advisors won't touch 10-30% yield ETFs (AUM fee incentives, 3yr/AUM compliance lag, career risk). (6) Individual dividend stocks that can hold their own vs SCHD (~13% 10yr annualized).

Ep. 98: Is the Payout Covered? 3M's Rising Ratio, JPMorgan's Buyback Tilt, SCHD vs Rates, and Where the Yield Risk Hides

Informed Investing — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:41:02 -0500

6 dividend/income sources on one throughline (is the payout covered / is the yield real / where does the risk hide). (1) Our SCHD-vs-rate-scare piece — 2022 receipt shows SCHD did NOT trade like a bond proxy (SPY ~-18% at 2022 lows, SCHD a fraction, finished 2022 far ahead), 0% utilities vs XLU 100%, 3.25% yield, 0.06% ER, $95.2B AUM; two-sided (SCHD rerated +19% YTD, premium compresses if 10yr sustains >4.75%). (2) 3M (MMM) raised div 7% to $0.78 but payout ratio JUMPED to 63.09% from 35.48%; EPS $2.14 +14%, FCF $540M, yield only 1.9%; TIKR $198 by 2030. (3) JPMorgan (JPM) $50.5B rev, div $1.50 flat 3 quarters, payout just 26.5% (massive coverage), Dimon prefers buybacks, yield 1.8%; TIKR $407 by 2030. (4) Campbell's (CPB, 7% yield, 51yr streak, ~76% payout, only 1.26% 5yr growth) + Pool Corp (POOL, 2.4% yield, 22yr streak ~17%/yr growth) kicked out of S&P 500 June 22 → mechanical selling = possible entry. (5) Private credit $1.8T first stress test — Apollo/Blackstone/etc restricting withdrawals, BDCs at 82% NAV (worst since 2022), Fitch true defaults ~6%; yield-vs-risk lesson (MAIN/ARCC/ARES). (6) Cintas (CTAS) aristocrat, 43yr streak, 20.4% 10yr div growth, 38% payout, 1.1% yield, P/E 36.7 in a rare 20% drawdown, DDM/analyst blend ~$185 (~6% undervalued), $5.5B UniFirst bid.

Ep. 97: Is the Yield Real? DDDD vs SCHD, Verizon's 20-Year Streak, CHPY's Semis, and the Payout-Ratio Question

Informed Investing — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 06:25:22 -0500

5 dividend/income sources on one throughline (is the yield real / is the dividend safe / covered income vs financial engineering). (1) Our DDDD vs SCHD piece — same 100 stocks, 2x distribution (/bin/bash.5050 vs /bin/bash.2525), 0.99% ER vs 0.06% (16.5x), first payout est. 66.71% ROC / 33.29% income, 6.35% stated dist rate vs 2.45% SEC yield, total return only tracks SCHD. (2) Verizon (VZ) 20yr dividend-increase streak (5 from Aristocrat), 2.5% raise to $0.71/qtr, ~6.7% yield, Q1'26 op income +10% / margin 25% rebound, TIKR $67.75 by 2030 (~59%), bear = margin volatility (-3% to +10% swing), div growth fading to 2.3% by mid-2027. (3) Vanguard bullish value+bonds: VFVA (P/E 11 vs 25, +28.1% 1yr, 0.13%) + BND (0.03%, rate-cut beneficiary), value benefits from AI without capex. (4) CHPY YieldMax semis option-income ETF, $1.1B AUM, ~40-45% annualized dist via call spreads, +75% total return YTD but -8.75% last month, 28 holdings tier-ranked (Micron/ASML/TI very bullish; Nvidia/Synopsys bearish). (5) PepsiCo (PEP) 4.1% yield, $1.42/qtr, payout ratio 84.49% (down from 147% peak June 2025, watch for <77%), Q1 core EPS +9%, dividend hasn't grown recently, ~3% 5yr return.

Ep. 96: The Honest Math on Income — SCHD vs VIG, Covered-Call Yields, and Dividend Kings on Sale

Informed Investing — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:01:27 -0500

6 dividend/income sources under the honest-math lens (is the payout covered, is the yield real or ROC eroding NAV, paid from profits or principal). (1) Our SCHD piece: Is SCHD Overrated vs VIG & SPY — 3.25% yield (2x VIG, 3x SPY), 0.06% ER, since-inception +274.88% price / +497.94% total (no NAV erosion), 5yr div CAGR SCHD ~9.2% vs VIG ~9.1% (growth-vs-yield myth killed), lags SPY by design (screens out NVDA/AAPL/MSFT). (2) GPIX vs TSPY covered-call S&P 500 for retirement (Doug the Retirement Guy). (3) 8 high-income ETFs with zero price decay / no NAV erosion: QDPL, OVL (10.5%, beats VOO), KNG (9%), IDVO (6% intl), SPYI (12%), KGLD (16% gold), Q6 (5%), CHIPY (40-45% YieldMax semis). (4) Coca-Cola (KO) ahead of late-July investor update, Motley Fool sponsored: 2, +18% YTD, 9.8B TTM rev, 17.3% ROIC vs 6.5% WACC, DCF fair value 01 (undervalued) but fwd P/E 25 = priciest since early 2024. (5) 5 undervalued Dividend Kings/Aristocrats (Dividend Prince): ABT 53yr 2.7%/67%, CVX 38yr 4.2%/120% (riskiest), LOW 65yr 2.2%/41%, PEP 54yr 4.2%/89%, PG 70yr 2.9%/62% (safest). (6) Complete Vanguard portfolio guide: VTI/VXUS/BND/VIG/VTIP/VGSH core, allocations by age (90-100% equity in 20s-30s down to 30-40% at 70+).

Ep. 95: Honest Math on Income — Covered Dividends, Real Yields, and the 20% Trap

Informed Investing — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 06:30:01 -0500

6 dividend/income sources under the honest-math lens (is the payout covered, is the yield real, are you paid from profits or principal). (1) Our PSTL piece: Postal Realty doubled off $13.05 to $24.72, 3.96% yield, ~69% AFFO payout (2026 AFFO $1.40-1.42 vs $0.98 div), +116.65% total vs +46.27% price return = no NAV erosion; beat O (5.22%)/NNN (5.11%)/ADC (4.10%) last year but micro-cap externally-managed USPS bet, momentum unlikely to repeat. (2) Fool 3 no-brainers: ABBV $251, 2.68%, 59% FCF payout, Skyrizi/Rinvoq >$31B by 2027; JNJ $253, 2.06%, 64-yr King, 60% payout; PFE $23.88, 7.20%, HONEST-MATH FLAG dividend exceeded BOTH EPS and FCF last 12mo. (3) ARCC ~10.5% BDC at ~$18.50 (off $24), dividend held while Blue Owl/Golub cut, covered by NII, heavy insider buying. (4) SCHD vs VIG retiree core: SCHD Dow Jones US Div 100, 100 names, 0.06% ER, ~3.28% yield, 13.18% since incep, 25.87% 1yr vs VIG Nasdaq Div Achievers, 331 names, 0.04% ER, 1.47% yield, 10.19% incep, 18.22% 1yr. (5) XQQI NEOS Boosted Nasdaq-100, 19-23% target distribution vs QQQI's ~14%, 0.98% fee, up to 150% notional (50% leverage), Section 1256 tax — leverage cuts both ways. (6) Income-vehicle S-to-F tier ranking: covered-call ETFs vs dividend stocks vs REITs/BDCs/annuities/MLPs.

Ep. 94: Durable Retiree Income — Real Bargains vs Yield Traps

Informed Investing — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:25:25 -0500

6 dividend/retiree-income sources, honest-math lens on building a durable income core vs yield traps. (1) Our ACN piece: consulting name down 59% to $123.86, 5.18% yield, 38% earnings payout, 7-8x earnings, peers CTSH/EPAM also -55/-64% — value-or-trap on the AI-eats-billable-hours fear, 'size it like a bet.' (2) SCHD vs VYM retiree core: SCHD 3.27% yield/58.75% payout/0.06% ER/quality-screened ~100 names/13.16% since incep vs VYM 2.29%/45.96% payout/0.04% ER/618 holdings/9.29%; ~$2k/yr gap on $200k; case for both. (3) Pfizer 7.27% yield, 351st payout (cut in 2009): 53% EARNINGS payout healthy but 108% FCF payout concerning (FCF $9.08B vs divs $9.77B), net debt/EBITDA 3.26x, insiders buying — 'safe but watch cash conversion.' (4) Alphabet replaced Verizon in the Dow 6/29/26 (GOOGL 0.3% yield) — an index change that quietly cuts retirees' index-fund income; income alts Cisco/Coke/Amgen. (5) NEOS IWMI vs ProShares ITWO Russell-2000 covered-call income showdown. (6) Dividend Prince: monthly-paying DGRW/SPHD/SPLV — monthly cadence = calmer investor, trades upside for smoothness. Editorial: coverage on the RIGHT metric; real value vs yield trap.

Ep. 93: Buying What Wall Street Abandoned — Dividend Bargains, Monthly Income, and a Media Breakup

Informed Investing — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:13:51 -0500

5 income/dividend sources on buying what Wall Street abandoned, value vs trap. (1) Our VICI piece: triple-net casino REIT, $27.18 near 52-wk low, 6.55% yield from a lower price not a strained payout, judge on AFFO/FFO not EPS, distributions +3.9% TTM rising since 2019, tenant-concentration (Caesars/MGM sales) the one risk. (2) Realty Income (O): monthly net-lease aristocrat, ~5.3% yield vs S&P ~1.1%, 15,500+ properties, Q1 AFFO/sh +6.6% to $1.13, FY guide raised to $4.41-4.44, occupancy 98.9%, 73% AFFO payout, 31-yr streak (135th raise since 1994). (3) Nike (NKE): $11B dividend king down 33% YTD at $41.82, 24th yr of raises, $0.41/qtr, $18B buyback, beat 4 straight (Q3 EPS $0.35 vs $0.28), insiders (Hill, Cook) buying ~$42, China -7%/tariffs the risk, analyst target $58.72 — value or trap. (4) SPYD: 80 highest-yielding S&P names equal-weighted, 4.4% yield, RE 27%/Staples 16%/Tech 3%, div growth ~5-8%/yr. (5) Comcast (CMCSA) spinoff of NBCUniversal/Sky: stock +17% on news but -50% over 5yr; ripples into XLC (4.5%), FCOM, VOX, and dividend ETFs RDIV (3.8%) & FDL (2.9%) — what a spinoff does to the ETFs you own.

Ep. 92: The Honest Math of Income — From 1% to 100% Yields, and What Actually Survives

Informed Investing — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 06:10:52 -0500

6 income sources framed by honest-math (a distribution rate is not a total return; NAV erosion is the silent killer). (1) Our own DLR piece: data-center REIT as the income side of the AI buildout, 2.54% yield, clean NAV (price +1,412% / total +3,461% since 2004), vs EQIX 1.77% & NEE 2.65%; REIT income = ordinary, fits tax-advantaged accounts. (2) ETF Trends (Kelly Green): REITs squeezed by rising rates (2yr Treasury 4.2%), underperform through year-end, but opportunity — VICI at a 52-wk low, 6.8% yield, 100% occupancy, 8yr raises, AFFO-covered. (3) Income Fund Hall of Fame (CEFs/BDCs that prize durability over max yield): PEO 8.5%/119% 5yr, ADX 7.7%/113%, UTG 5.8%/72%, UTF 7.3%/44%, ARCC 10.8%/-8.6% 1yr, MAIN 8.8%/-7.4% 1yr. (4) OVL (Overlay Shares): 5-star, 10% monthly distribution, holds VOO + put credit spreads (uncapped upside) → beats the S&P where SPYI/JEPI/GPIX lagged; ~200% since 2019, YTD 12% vs 10%. (5) Infinite Dividend Hunter $1k margin experiment: chased 45-100% ultra-high yields (BLOX/CHPY/NVII), down ~20%, sold out of MSTY/COIW/etc after NAV erosion, parked in NAV-stable SPYI. (6) Jake (Dividend Growth Investing): core-and-satellite (SCHD/DGRO core + 5 aristocrat satellites LOW/ABT/PEP/PPG/MKC by valuation), McCormick at a 15-yr-low P/E. Opening stat: VTI's 30-day SEC yield is just 1.01%. Editorial steer: coverage/quality/strategy over headline yield; skeptical of yields that look too good.

Ep. 91: The Honest Math of Income — VOO's Hidden AI Bet, the Rotation Trade, Covered-Call Yield & Where Durable Income Hides

Informed Investing — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:48:15 -0500

6 distinct income/diversification sources framed by honest-math. (1) II's own VOO piece: the S&P 500 is quietly ~39.2% top-10, AI-concentrated (NVDA 7.9/AAPL 7.0/MSFT 5.1/GOOG ~6.1/AMZN 4.1/AVGO 3.3), VOO yields 1.03% w/ no NAV erosion; the lean-the-other-way trio MRK 2.74%/73%, ABBV 2.87%/67%, KO 2.56%/66% trades thematic risk for single-name risk. (2) Morgan Stanley's Dan Skelly (CNBC): rotation out of the crowded AI/semi trade (semis ~19% of S&P) into regional banks/healthcare/cyclicals; 'unremarkable' inflation-resistant economy; the AI-capex trade 'almost has to roll over for the rest to work'; 1995 semis analogy; Fed cuts priced out. (3) ETF Trends sector shift: advisor ETF allocations overtake mutual funds by 2027 (25.8% vs 23.7%), buybacks replaced dividends -> XLU for income, XLK for the AI-capex cycle; $2T 2025 inflows, $641B Q1'26. (4) ProShares ITWO Russell 2000 daily-options covered-call: 7.49% monthly trailing distribution, 36.85% 12mo total return (still sells away upside; distribution != total return). (5) 6 Dividend Kings (Longacres): ADP (Q-score 91, ~3%, ~30% disc), SPGI (53 yrs, ~28% disc), ITW, MSA (34% disc), PNR, MZTI (Q-score 84) — safety = coverage+quality, several on sale. (6) Vanguard retirement construction (Dierking): VYM 2.2%, BND 4.5%, VYMI 3.5%, VIG 1.5%, VNQ ~4%, VTIP, with age-stage allocation frameworks. Editorial steer: honest math over headline yield; coverage/quality/construction; skepticism of yields and returns that look too good.

Ep. 90: The Honest Math of Income — Thin Dividend Coverage, Bond Yields That Lie, Premium Compression & Where Income Is Hiding

Informed Investing — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:58:25 -0500

6 distinct income sub-asset-classes framed by honest-math. (1) Dividendology on Morningstar's 10 best dividend stocks — defensive list with thin coverage: Pepsi FCF payout 50%(2015)->99.5%(2025), Mondelez div growth unbacked by FCF, Accenture the deep-value contrarian (down ~56%, ~5% yield, reverse-DCF ~86% upside even at zero growth). (2) JPMorgan JPIE PM interview — fixed income: a bond fund's yield is NOT its expected return (yield minus default losses); the Bloomberg Agg's ~6yr duration is an accident of construction and lost to cash over 10yr; separate duration from credit risk; active beats passive in bonds. (3) PTY & TSLX — high-yield CEF/BDC: PTY -13% price but only -3.68% total return driven by PREMIUM COMPRESSION not NAV erosion/cut; TSLX (best-in-class BDC) cut div 4c as 2025 rate cuts squeezed floating-rate income. (4) 5 undervalued REITs (Dividend Prince) — FFO payout = the real safety metric: O 5.38%/75.9% FFO, INVH 25% disc, AMH, AVB, ESS, all 10-25% below fair value. (5) 247WallSt SCHD/DGRO/VYM — retirement-income barbell (quality+yield / growth / breadth), SCHD 3.9%/0.06%/229% 10yr, DGRO 2.2%/248% 10yr, VYM 2.4-2.7%/0.04%/202%. (6) 247WallSt AGNC — monthly 13.8% Agency-MBS mortgage REIT, repo-carry trade at 7.4x leverage, $0.12/mo since 2020, coverage 3.5x core, ordinary-income tax (IRA/Roth), book-value-defense payout risk. Editorial steer: honest math over headline yield; quality/coverage/durability; skepticism of too-good yields.

Ep. 89: The Strategic Dividend Playbook — Growth Engine, High-Yield Income, Tax-Smart Placement & Where Value's Hiding

Informed Investing — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:37:16 -0500

6 distinct sources framed as the complete dividend playbook. (1) Motley Fool retire-on-$500K — high-yield income (ARCC 10.6%, ET 7.2%, PFE 6.8%) + the Social Security math (17.7% return needed solo -> 7.2% with two benefits). (2) Dividendology SCHD Q2 — the dividend-GROWTH engine: ~11% avg historical dividend growth, methodology/reconstitution drives most of it, Dow Jones Dividend 100 index 10.5% annualized vs S&P 8.2% (1999-2025), SCHD +17.7% YTD vs S&P +7.6%. (3) 24/7 Wall St VOO-in-Roth — tax-smart placement: qualified divs at 15% vs ordinary 24% on BDCs/REITs, the real prize is tax-free capital appreciation (VOO +324%/10yr) + dodging the 3.8% NIIT. (4) CHPY — the high-yield TRAP: 45% weekly yield, 213% return / no NAV erosion YET, but ~30% gap vs SOXX (213 vs 280), concentrated covered-call, downside uncapped/upside capped, ROC all over the map. (5) Dividend Data SaaS Apocalypse — deep value on AI fear: ACN -57% (best-ever ~5% yield, 6x FCF), CRM/INTU/ADBE/NOW all growing FCF double-digits at trough multiples; gift vs value-trap test. (6) Quality at a Fair Price — dividend-yield-theory consumer discretionary: LOW, MCD, TSCO (47% disc), TGT, HRB (4.94%, 29% fwd return). Editorial steer: dividend growth + quality over headline yield; honest after-tax/after-erosion math; skepticism of too-good yields.

Ep. 88: Build It Right — The Dividend-Growth Core, Honest Income Math & Buying With a Margin of Safety

Informed Investing — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 05:59:03 -0500

4 distinct sources, theme = build a dividend portfolio right (anchor, grow income, buy with discipline). (1) Dividend Rocket SCHD 15-yr projections — dividend-growth core (payout doubles ~every 7yr at ~10.4% CAGR) + a simple core-satellite ETF portfolio (SCHD+OVL core, high-yield satellites ARDT/NVII, cash ballast). (2) 24/7 Wall St 'gasoline-forever' portfolio — frame an expense as an income target; a 3.5% grower compounding ~7%/yr (~$5,900 by yr10, ~$11,600 by yr20) overtakes a static 10% payer that stays flat. (3) Dividend Talks 'Wall St buying these 10' — margin-of-safety ranking; institutional buying != cheap; buckets: great-biz/wrong-price (AMAT,CAT,COST), fair (JNJ,KO,XOM,GOOGL), actually-interesting value (LMT 16% MoS, KR 22% MoS, AT&T ~9x earnings/5% yield/23% MoS); JPMorgan: rally healthy if earnings drive it, dangerous if multiples do. (4) Investing Lawyer 5 safe dividend stocks — AVGO (0.7%,16yr), ABBV (3.2%,12yr), PEP (4.0%,54yr King), MCD — safe = moat+streak+coverage not yield. Editorial steer: dividend GROWTH over headline yield; margin of safety over chasing; quality over yield.

Ep. 87: Quality Dividends vs. the High-Yield Trap — Kings & Aristocrats (PEP, SPGI, BMI, VZ) and the Honest Truth About Income ETFs (§1256, NAV, Option Drag)

Informed Investing — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 09:11:00 -0500

5 sources, theme = quality dividend single-names vs. honest high-yield-ETF analysis. (1) Morningstar's 2 best Dividend Kings for 2026 — PEP + SPGI, with the moat as the real dividend-safety signal (3M/VF cut after losing their moat). (2) Dividend Collection Agency — King PEP (16.6x fwd, ~100% payout, FCF .7B->13B by 2028) + Aristocrat Badger Meter BMI (33yr, 21% 3yr DGR, 26% payout, -46% off peak, zero debt). (3) Motley Fool — Verizon VZ, ~6% yield, 20yr increases, 67% payout, 1.5B FCF, beta 0.22. (4) Viktoriya M Finance — DUMP-these-high-income-ETFs / the §1256 synthetic-long NAV-decay mechanic (XDTE year-end mega-distribution; QQQI/SPYI named). (5) Russ Knopf — OVL vs VOO: 99% VOO + 1% put-spread overlay, beat market in the bull but -22% vs -18% in 2022, 0.79% fee, new ~10% monthly payout is 100% ROC, SEC yield 0.29%. Editorial steer = honest math: NAV drop on a distribution != erosion; judge on total return + NAV trend; constructive vs destructive ROC; option drag is a tradeoff not a scam.

Ep. 86: Building a Dividend Core — SCHD vs VOO, the Anchor That Survives a Crash, Quality on Sale (MSFT & ADP) & the Honest Income Zoo

Informed Investing — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 06:48:24 -0500

6 sources on building a dividend core then being honest about income add-ons: (1) SCHD vs VOO — total returns converge once you reinvest dividends, own both for income+growth; (2) the 3 core dividend-ETF anchors DGRO/FDVV/CGDV — a fund's SCREEN decides crash behavior (DGRO's sub-75% payout + 5yr-growth vs FDVV's trailing-12mo yield-chase that bled ~10% more in 2020; CGDV the active standout beating S&P+QQQ without big tech); (3) Microsoft ~20% off, cheapest since 2022 on earnings but only 7% cheap on FREE cash flow because $100B/yr AI capex eats it — thesis = ROIC on the AI bet; (4) ADP, a 50-year Dividend King with 12.1% 10yr DGR, 3.1% yield, ~10% undervalued; (5) the new SpaceX income ETF XSHP (launched day after the SPCX IPO, synthetic-long-to-200%-NAV, caps upside, zero history) as the 'structure matters more than yield on a story stock' cautionary tale; (6) asset-LOCATION — QQQI (Neos, §1256 + harvesting) belongs in taxable, KQQQ (Curve, active, 85% ROC, higher total return) belongs in a Roth/IRA.

Ep. 85: Manufacturing Durable Income — 60-Year Dividend Kings, the $10K-to-$300/Month Blueprint, OVL's Put-Spread Edge & the High-Yield 'Zoo'

Informed Investing — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 06:17:33 -0500

6 sources on manufacturing a durable, growing income stream: (1) 24/7 Wall St — 10 Dividend Kings with 60+ years of increases (DOV/NWN/GPC 70yr, PG/PH 69, EMR 68, CINF 65, KO 64, JNJ 63, LANC 62) as the quality foundation; (2) Motley Fool — Alphabet's mandatory convertible preferred (GOOGM/GOOGN) yielding 6% vs 0.23% common, but the yield vanishes at the May 2029 conversion and trades near the downside cap; (3) Dividendomics — the honest $10K-to-$300/month blueprint (needs ~$600/mo contributions for 3yr + ~10% blended yield + DRIP) via a 3-layer SCHD/VYM foundation, O/SPYI/ICAP monthly engine, YMAX/YMAG amplifier; (4) OVL Overlay Shares interview — owns VOO + a put-SPREAD overlay (not covered calls) that beat S&P 500 TR +201.3% vs +181.9% since 2019, 5-star, flipped to ~10.3% monthly distribution (mostly ROC) in Jan 2026; (5) Dividend Farmer — Roundhill 43-fund roundup judged on 'yield + capital gain' (AMDW/ARMW/GOOW sweet spot vs MSTW/COIW/NFLW NAV-collapse traps); (6) Morningstar — undervalued value names (VZ/TMO/DUK/O/DVN + BMY $70, CLX $163, LMT $640) to rebalance away from AI/growth concentration.

Ep. 84: Real Income in a Low-Yield, Late-Cycle Market — Small-Cap Rotation, Defensive Dividends, VIG Over Headline Yield & Covered-Call Income Without the NAV Bleed

Informed Investing — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 08:16:56 -0500

6 curated sources on getting real income in a low-yield, tech-concentrated, late-cycle market without wrecking capital: (1) 24/7 Wall St — Russell 2000 +18% YTD small-cap rotation away from concentrated large-cap tech, 5 high-yield R2K dividend names (SSTK 9.33%, UVV 6.16% Dividend King, OXM 7.71%, HVT 5.42%, KRNY 5.08%); (2) YouTube — don't time the crash, own defensives: the MRK/ABBV/KO equal-weight trio (+28% in 2022 vs SPY -18%), stay invested; (3) YouTube — how to tell which covered-call ETFs destroy capital: constructive vs destructive ROC, ATM vs OTM calls, zero-DTE erosion, the 3-year rule (QYLD/RYLD ATM bad, JEPI/JEPQ/SPYI/QQQI better, GPIX variable override); (4) Vanguard ETF Report — VIG over VYM: dividend growth + total return beats headline yield, VIG drops the top 25% yields and tech-tilts (AVGO/AAPL/MSFT); (5) YouTube — 4% rule vs 8% rule vs income investing: income (~11% blended) needs less capital and never sells shares, but NAV erosion/distribution cuts/sequence risk are real; (6) 24/7 Wall St — SPYI 12% covered-call income fund retirees use to replace bonds (caps upside/full downside, ROC/§1256, 5-15% sleeve not a bond sub). Dropped a YieldMax-cheerleader clip (GPTY/LFGY) and the ODTE single-fund promo as redundant with the covered-call thread.

Ep. 83: Income When the Index Yield Dies — 15% Covered-Call ETFs, High Yield Without NAV Decay, Safe Dividend Growth & Reading the Late Cycle

Informed Investing — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 05:02:44 -0500

6 curated sources on getting real income in a record-low-yield, late-cycle market without wrecking capital: (1) Motley Fool — SpaceX/Anthropic/OpenAI IPOs push S&P 500 yield below 1% (lowest since 1800s); pivot to VIG/VTV; (2) 24/7 Wall St — VistaShares OMAH, 15% monthly-pay Buffett-holdings covered-call ETF (KO/AXP/BAC/CVX) with ROC/NAV/tax caveats; (3) YouTube — high-yield ETFs that DON'T price-decay (the topdividendetfs.com decay screen); (4) YouTube — bear-market-resistant big dividends (3-5% yield, 20yr growth, A- credit, downturn outperformers like Realty Income/EPD); (5) YouTube — recession indicators for income investors (inflation 3yr high, yield curve, unemployment, credit cycle); (6) YouTube — weekly vs monthly distributions in retirement (Doug the Retirement Guy). Dropped BEDY + CHPY clip as redundant with the high-yield-ETF thread.

Ep. 82: High Yield Without the Hangover — Tax-Smart Covered-Call & 0DTE Income ETFs, Genuinely Safe Dividends & Drawdown-Proofing

Informed Investing — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:03:08 -0500

8 sources on high CURRENT INCOME without wrecking capital or overpaying tax: (1) Infinite Dividend Hunter weekly high-yield report (CHPY/BLOX/SPYI/NVII/PAAA); (2) Covered Call ETF Investing — how to pick covered-call ETFs to avoid TAX DRAG (which account they belong in); (3) PPC Ian — minimizing drawdown in turbulent times: low-vol dividend book, Treasuries near 5% (20/30yr), recession-resistant 'escape economy' staples (MO/PM/KO/MCD); (4) Dividend Prince — 5 genuinely SAFE dividend stocks by safety score (ACN 86, MA 95, MDT 75, MSFT 97, SPGI 90, all vs Morningstar FV); (5) Darth Dividend — cheap 8%+ high-yield dividend stocks; (6) Darth Dividend — high-yield ETFs he's buying (NEOS / BTCI / XBCI / NEHI); (7) Invest with Alex — 13 best ETFs for yield WITHOUT destroying NAV (QQQI/SPYI/GPIX/GPIQ/SPYH/QQQH/TDVI/DIVO/SCHD/VYM, the covered-call aggressiveness spectrum); (8) The Bold UX — 0DTE income ETFs TSPY (14% yield, NAV flat, +21% TR) vs SDTY (26% yield, NAV -17%, +17% TR) — the NAV-erosion lesson.

Ep. 81: Current Income Without Wrecking Your Capital — Next-Gen Covered-Call ETFs, 6% Bond Income & Dividend Growth on Sale

Informed Investing — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:02:42 -0500

8 sources on getting current income honestly: (1) InvestingCube 5-ETF starter (VOO/QQQM/DRAM/VXUS/SCHD); (2) TipRanks 3 iShares high-yield corporate-bond ETFs at 6-7% (HYXF 6.11%/USHY 6.92%/SHYG 7.03%); (3) Morningstar — Verizon VZ at ~6% yield, 14% undervalued (3 FV, 4-star narrow moat, payout <60% FCF); (4) ETF Trends/ProShares Q&A on DAILY covered-call ETFs ISPY/IQQQ (reset the cap daily to keep upside); (5) ROCQ — JPMorgan NASDAQ Equity Premium Yield, tax-efficient ROC + index options, ~2x JEPQ; (6) QVOL — InfraCap Nasdaq Option Income (PEG-screened ~55 names + selective single-name calls, aim to beat the Nasdaq + 12% income); (7) lifecycle Vanguard allocation by age (VTI/VXUS/VUG/VIG/VYM/BND/VTIP); (8) TE Connectivity TEL — dividend-growth AI-infrastructure compounder, 13yr increases, CFRA 17% EPS CAGR.

Ep. 80: Durable Income — Total Return Over Headline Yield, Dividend Growth on Sale & the '13% Daily Dividend' Trap

Informed Investing — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 05:10:09 -0500

8 sources on durable income vs headline yield: (1) Call to Leap — generating retirement income (dividends, 4% rule, money-market parking; SCHD/VYM/SPYD); (2) Dividend Blasters — complete 13-ETF Schwab portfolio toolkit (SCHB/SCHX core, SCHD anchor, SCHF/SCHE intl, SCHH REIT, SCHO/SCHP/SCHZ fixed income, all 3-7bps); (3) 24/7 Wall St — a 4.8% five-sleeve retiree portfolio (HDV 28%/MUB 25%/O 25%/SPYI 17%/SGOV 5%); (4) Dividend Collection Agency — 2 dividend-growth value names down ~25% (TMUS ~16x fwd, OTIS <17x fwd); (5) Quality At A Fair Price — 5 dividend-growth industrials via Dividend Yield Theory (PNR/ALLE/WM/XYL/WCN); (6) Dividendology — 3 undervalued dividend stocks (two high-yield incl ~11%, one quality grower at a low valuation); (7) covered-call / high-income ETF case (10%+ yields as a volatility cushion); (8) skeptical insider interview (David Shakansky, Quantify Funds) on SATA/STRC Bitcoin-treasury 'preferreds' and the '13% daily dividend' launching June 16.

Ep. 79: Income With Discipline — Asset Location, the Covered-Call Arms Race & Where Durable Yield Actually Lives

Informed Investing — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:31:29 -0500

8 sources on income WITH discipline: (1) Professor G's 5 Laws of Dividend ETF Placement — asset location across taxable/Roth/traditional IRA (SCHD anywhere, JEPI/JEPQ tax-deferred, SPYI/QQQI better in taxable for return-of-capital, international in taxable for the foreign tax credit, bonds tax-advantaged); (2) Doug the Retirement Guy on ROCQ vs QQQI covered-call ETFs; (3) 24/7 Wall St on Buffett's 5 highest-yielders KHC 7.12%/SIRI/CVX/KO/STZ as a passive-income sleeve; (4) Investing.com Campbell's CPB deep value at ~10x earnings + 7% yield with value-trap risk; (5) Four retirement-investor archetypes — get off zero, invest with a plan; (6) Motley Fool Home Depot HD cyclical dip-buy at 2.88% yield; (7) Kiplinger 'value is cheap again' — Pure Value P/E 12 vs Growth 24, JPM/MS/BDX/CRM + falling-knife discipline; (8) Dividend Stockpile + Tuttle on TSYX/TDAX swap-based 1.3x leverage income ETFs.

Ep. 78: Quality Over Yield — The Case for Dividends, the High-Yield Illusion & Where Durable Income Actually Lives

Informed Investing — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:19:09 -0500

8 sources walking the full income spectrum, unified by quality/sustainability over headline yield: (1) GenEx Dividend Investor on the hidden reason dividend investors outperform (Damodaran vs Siegel, dividends as a behavioral compounding tool); (2) Pam & Dividends on buying quality income ETFs after Friday's pullback (market still up YTD); (3) Doug the Retirement Guy's 5 ETFs that don't destroy your portfolio (SCHD/QDVO/JEPQ/SPYI/QQQI) vs the QYLD/IWMY foils — NAV erosion, ROC, covered-call decay; (4) Nims on 11 REX/YieldMax high-yield ETFs being liquidated (a high-yield ETF is a product that can be shut down); (5) High Yield Investor's two aggressive buys — Rayonier (RYN) timberland REIT at a 34% NAV discount + alt managers BAM/ARES/BX (dedollarization, AI infra); (6) building a dividend portfolio to replace the ~$67K average US salary via a top high-income active ETF; (7) Costco (COST) HOLD — elite business, ~45x P/E too rich, wait for a pullback; (8) Garmin (GRMN) dividend declaration $4.20/share in 4 installments, GF Score 98, fairly valued.

Ep. 77: Real Income vs. the High-Yield Illusion — YieldMax's NAV Melt, Tax-Smart Income & Quality Dividend Growers

Informed Investing — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 05:53:11 -0500

6 sources walking income across the risk spectrum: a review of all 62 YieldMax funds (41 of 62 down in price over 12 months, MSTY -80%, good vs bad ROC, real median yield ~87% not the headline 120%); tax-aware income (after-tax yield, ETF in-kind deferral, return of capital, 1256/BOXX); the Realty Income (O) -> IYRI covered-call REIT swap (income now vs growth later); the Quality Stocks 'beat your market's growth rate by 300-500 bps' framework (ROL, IDXX, MSCI, CTAS, FAST); PNC topping a 3% yield via a price pullback (yield-from-price-drop caveat, check coverage/CET1); and the Rollins (ROL) quality-compounder case study + 'don't wait for the perfect price' lesson.

Ep. 76: Cheap Blue-Chip Dividends, the International ETFs Beating SCHD & the Options-Income Boom — Plus the Yield Traps to Avoid

Informed Investing — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:54:10 -0500

8 sources on income investing across the risk spectrum: cheap blue-chip dividend payers (ADP, PEP, T, PFE), oversold Molson Coors (TAP) nearing a 5% yield, three international dividend ETFs out-yielding SCHD (IDV/SCHY/LVHI), the options-income ETF boom (TSPY SPY->VOO expense-ratio swap, OVL, YieldMax Target-12 Semiconductor), a 55/45 stagflation-defense Vanguard portfolio, and a hard warning on yield traps (junk CLO funds, single-stock option ETFs, mortgage REITs).

Ep. 75: The S&P's 1800s-Low Yield, the Income-ETF Shakeout & What to Buy Instead of VOO and QQQ

Informed Investing — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:41:02 -0500

8 sources on a richly-valued index and where investors are rotating instead: the S&P 500 dividend yield at ~1% (lowest since the 1800s) and the case for SCHD, a Seeking Alpha 'why I stopped buying VOO/QQQ' rotation thesis, the YieldMax/Defiance/REX Shares income-ETF liquidation wave, a 10-ETF sleep-well-night portfolio, the SPMO momentum ETF, Carter Worth's WRTH strangle-selling options-income ETF, Build-A-Bear (BBW) as a low-P/E value play, and a Devon Energy (DVN) ex-dividend dividend-run setup

Ep. 74: Dividend Traps to Dodge, the Covered-Call Weekly-Income Showdown & a Four-Fund Yield-and-Growth Blueprint

Informed Investing — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:23:25 -0500

8 sources on avoiding income traps and prioritizing total return over headline yield: Morningstar's 5 undervalued dividend aristocrats (CLX/MDT/BF.B/MKC/KMB), 247WallSt on ultra-high-yield BDC PennantPark (PFLT ~15% with a July reset), TipRanks June strong-buys (NEE/ARCC/KO/SRE), a four-fund yield+growth framework (SCHD+GPIQ+MLPA/MLPI/UTG+gold), OVL & QDVO beating VOO, a NEOS interview on NAV erosion and the boosted lineup, and two deep dives on the new Global X weekly covered-call ETFs EDGX/EDGQ vs SPYI/QQQI

Ep. 73: High-Yield Names, a Retirement Income Blueprint & the Covered-Call ETF Showdown

Informed Investing — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 06:21:16 -0500

8 sources on building durable income without yield traps: 3 monster dividend stocks (ARCC/ET/STWD), Tractor Supply down 40%, a $325K four-fund retirement income portfolio (JEPI/O/PFF/BIZD), the case for bond ETFs and duration, covered-call income ETFs (QDVO and GPIX vs SPYI), XLRE REIT payout safety, and the REX Shares single-stock ETF liquidation as a lesson on AUM and total return

Ep. 72: Senior Housing REITs, Hidden Value Stocks & NASDAQ Income ETF Showdown

Informed Investing — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:25:34 -0500

8 sources covering Welltower vs Ventas senior housing REITs, CMC value play, VYM vs SCHD ETF comparison, MSTY YieldMax risks, SPYI income math, SATA daily dividends, 4 cheap hidden dividend stocks (GIC/CHE/ALLE/MKTX), and QQA vs QQQI vs GPIQ NASDAQ income ETF showdown

Ep. 71: Tactical Covered Calls, BDC Yield Traps & Dividend ETF Upgrades

Informed Investing — Fri, 29 May 2026 07:20:36 -0500

9 sources covering DIVO/IDVO/QDVO tactical covered call interview with Kevin Simpson, ETF upgrades (RDVY vs SCHD, SYLD vs VYM, etc.), IXC energy ETF income reckoning, GSBD BDC dividend trap analysis, MAA REIT insider buying at 5-year lows, Nestle stock deep dive, utility dividend safety (AEP, ED, AWK), and 10 dividend champions for wealth preservation

Ep. 70: Realty Income Fortress, Covered Call Playbooks & The QQQI vs QDVO Tax War

Informed Investing — Thu, 28 May 2026 06:44:29 -0500

8 sources covering Realty Income triple-net lease analysis, Walmart vs Costco valuation debate, $625K income portfolio construction, SPYI dividend reinvestment compounding, HDV defensive ETF for inflation, covered calls on ETFs vs stocks education, 3 deeply discounted dividend stocks (OLED, ZTS, INTU), and QQQI vs QDVO tax efficiency showdown

Ep. 69: Dividend Kings, Healthcare Growth & OBDC at 77 Cents on the Dollar

Informed Investing — Wed, 27 May 2026 05:56:08 -0500

9 sources covering dividend kings rankings, preferred stock ETFs for retirement income, 10 best high-yield stocks for next decade, SDSI rate-resilient ETF, healthcare dividend growth stocks via Dividend Yield Theory, OBDC BDC deep dive at 23% NAV discount, Hormel Foods consumer staple analysis, and Microsoft at decade-low P/E

Ep. 68: BDC Bargain Hunting, Three-Bucket Retirement & Top Dividend ETF Picks

Informed Investing — Tue, 26 May 2026 09:16:15 -0500

8 sources covering BDC market stress (Main Street Capital selloff), three-bucket retirement strategy, top dividend ETF picks after analyzing 100+ options, weekly income ETFs, crypto income ETFs (BLKS), bridge math for early retirement, and Canadian leveraged ETF perspectives

Ep. 67: QQQI Income Machine, Dividend Aristocrat Screening & Three-Bucket Retirement Portfolios

Informed Investing — Fri, 22 May 2026 06:41:11 -0500

13 sources covering QQQI retirement income strategies, dividend aristocrat evaluation frameworks, three-bucket retirement portfolios, congressional stock buying (HD & JNJ), real portfolio reviews, and global bond yield shifts

Ep. 66: Income Across Asset Classes, Tactical Covered Calls & Insider Buying Signals

Informed Investing — Thu, 21 May 2026 05:46:23 -0500

9 sources covering Morningstar income landscape across asset classes, QDVO tactical covered call ETF, Hamilton IMAX/CMAX international covered calls, insider buying in high-yield stocks (MRP, HTGC, SPMC), safe 5%+ dividend stocks (PRU, PAYX, NNN, EPD), McDonald's dividend growth analysis, Exxon Mobil buy case, and 5 lesser-known high income ETFs (SPHY, IDVO, OVL, TYLG, BALI)

Ep. 65: REIT Dividend Hikes, 60/40 Rethink & Top Monthly Income ETFs

Informed Investing — Wed, 20 May 2026 06:29:10 -0500

8 sources covering Simon Property Group REIT dividend hike, 60/40 portfolio modernization with managed futures and options ETFs, Ben Carlson on long-term investing, 5 new dividend increases (NDAQ AAPL PAYX FDS CPK), CGVV value ETF, dividend tax efficiency myths, top 10 monthly ETFs by total return, Raymond James high-yield picks (DKL DEA)

Ep. 64: Daily Dividends, JP Morgan's New Income Plays & When to Sell Winners

Informed Investing — Tue, 19 May 2026 05:21:29 -0500

JP Morgan's new ROCY/ROCQ call spread ETFs vs JEPI/JEPQ, world's first daily dividend stock SATA backed by Bitcoin, T. Rowe Price TCAL covered call ETF, when to sell dividend winners (thesis creep), Caterpillar AI data center rerating, FIDI international dividends, DGRO/FDVV as SCHD companions, QQQT for retirement income.

Ep. 63: Berkshire Shakeup, Tax-Smart Income & Medtronic Deep Dive

Informed Investing — Mon, 18 May 2026 06:18:23 -0500

Berkshire Hathaway's Q1 2026 portfolio shakeup under new leadership, Bill Miller's legendary 15-year S&P streak, sweet-spot income ETFs (BALI, GPIX, DIVO, JEPI, SPYI), crypto income strategies, covered call ETF tax treatment deep dive, NEOS ETF lineup review, Medtronic fundamental analysis, and Mastercard as a compounding machine.

Ep. 62: Informed Investing Ep 62: Dividend Stocks Crushed, 52-Week Low Bargains & Inflation Hits 3.8%

Informed Investing — Fri, 15 May 2026 05:35:29 -0500

Dividend stocks crushed while semis soar, Accenture deep value play, 52-week low stocks (PayPal buybacks, Zoetis, Microsoft AI capex, McDonald's inflation, Intuit SaaS selloff), income ETFs (CHPY, TDAQ, SCHY/VIGI/IEFA), inflation at 3.8%, growth stocks (AMZN/AAPL/BROS), Canadian telecom earnings

Ep. 61: Informed Investing Ep 61: Yield Traps, ETF Selection & Semiconductor Dividend Play

Informed Investing — Thu, 14 May 2026 05:44:13 -0500

Portfolio diversification ETFs, PSEC yield trap warning, McDonald's dividend aristocrat timing, WTIP inflation-fighting strategy, new QVOL income ETF, YieldMax vs Neos comparison, ETF selection framework, Texas Instruments semiconductor dividend deep dive

Ep. 60: BDC Dividend Cuts, SCHD vs FDVV & Recession-Ready Portfolios

Informed Investing — Wed, 13 May 2026 06:38:11 -0500

BDC dividend cuts (TSLX, OBDC, ABR), SCHD vs FDVV deep comparison with beta flip, $10K portfolio construction, 3 Vanguard recession-ready ETFs (VFMV, VPU, VGLT), Rule of 72 for dividend growth, high yield Roth IRA portfolio update, dividend ETF beginner's guide

Ep. 59: Weekly Income Machines, Founder-Led Growth & The Dividend Debate

Informed Investing — Tue, 12 May 2026 05:41:10 -0500

Weekly-pay ETFs (NVII, MAGY, CHIPY, GOOY), founder-led companies (FFF ETF), the case for dividends during accumulation, Dividend Yield Theory screening for undervalued growers, transitioning from growth to income with covered calls and wheel strategy, QDVO vs KQQQ tech income ETF comparison.

Ep. 58: Defensive Dividends, Congressional Buys & The Art of Doing Nothing

Informed Investing — Mon, 11 May 2026 06:05:40 -0500

Defensive dividend ETFs like BEDY, building income portfolios to cover monthly expenses, the costly art of selling winners too early, covered call ETF dividend streaks, congressional stock picks worth watching, monthly dividend payers (O, MAIN, SPYI, QQQI), and the Altria bull-vs-bear debate.

Ep. 57: Dividend Kings, AI Picks-and-Shovels & Hybrid Income Strategies

Informed Investing — Fri, 08 May 2026 06:49:07 -0500

AbbVie Dividend King earnings, 3 Aristocrats with soaring profits (JNJ/IBM/PPG), USAI midstream energy toll-road thesis, dividends vs 4% rule $500K showdown, Solstice SOLS AI picks-and-shovels spinoff, $1M hybrid retirement strategy with QQQI/IWMI, 6 dividend ETFs on sale, Realty Income O deep dive, NEOS co-founder on volatility as income tool

Ep. 56: Dividend Dynamics: Balancing High Yield and Portfolio Stability

Informed Investing — Thu, 07 May 2026 06:12:12 -0500

9 sources covering dividend timing risk, 70 ETF stress tests, CHPY semiconductor ETF, $750K income portfolio, Allegion deep dive, IQQQ NASDAQ income, Trinity Capital BDC

Ep. 55: SCHD Reconstitution, Quality ETF Screening & Dividend Growers Deep Dive

Informed Investing — Wed, 06 May 2026 07:00:48 -0500

9 sources covering SCHD 2026 reconstitution (22 removed/25 added), quality ETF screening (SPYI/QQQI), NEOS Boosted products (XQQI/XSPI), QQQI tax efficiency deep dive, 4 dividend increases (Costco/P&G/Albertsons/J&J), Morningstar dividend growers (10 stocks with 5yr 10%+ growth), CHPY semiconductor ETF, Morningstar stock prospects (Pfizer/Sysco/Watsco), Seeking Alpha yield shield strategy

Ep. 54: Informed Investing: Dividend Kings, Discounted Growers & NASDAQ Income ETF Showdown

Informed Investing — Tue, 05 May 2026 06:14:36 -0500

8 sources covering buy-and-hold dividend stocks (KO, JNJ, ENB), discounted dividend growers (ZTS, ACN, DPZ, INTU, SBAC), $1M income portfolio construction, Enbridge SVA analysis, 5 strong-buy May ex-dividend stocks (SUN, SFD, SW, BIP, DEC), Aptus ETFs (IDUB, DRSK), CHPY semiconductor income ETF, and NASDAQ covered call ETF comparison (KQQ, QQQI, JPQ, GPIQ, QDVO, IQQQ, TDAQ)

Ep. 53: Covered Call ETFs, Earnings Recap & BDC Deep Dive

Informed Investing — Mon, 04 May 2026 07:08:51 -0500

High-yield ETFs (KBWD, QYLD, JEPQ, SPYI), Fed rate hold, RQI REIT fund, ROCQ/ROCY new JP Morgan ETFs, VTI vs VOO, DIVO analysis, Visa/KRC/WPC earnings, BDC state with HTGC/RWAY/ARCC

Ep. 52: Informed Investing: High Yield Strategies and Dividend Growth Analysis

Informed Investing — Fri, 01 May 2026 06:02:39 -0500

Ivy Portfolio moving averages, ultra high yield ETFs, Morningstar dividend growers, IT dividend growth stocks, the 7% yield illusion, dangerous dividend ETFs to sell, stocks with 11%+ dividend hikes, and GPIX as single best income ETF

Ep. 51: Informed Investing: High-Yield Income and Dividend Growth Strategies

Informed Investing — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 06:38:19 -0500

Episode 51 of Informed Investing

Ep. 50: Informed Investing Ep 50: Earnings Season Highlights, Discounted Stocks & Income Strategies

Informed Investing — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:27:58 -0500

Episode 50 of Informed Investing

Ep. 49: Dividend Growth vs High-Yield, Insider Buying & Morningstar Changes Mind

Informed Investing — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:46:41 -0500

Morningstar on dividends for retirees, best dividend growth ETFs, 65 high-yield ETF stress tests, QQQI/SPYI comparison, Value Line picks AbbVie, insider buying in Nike/TSM, 4 best high-yield ETFs

Ep. 48: High-Yield Strategies and Risk-Hedged Income Plans

Informed Investing — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:00:33 -0500

Episode 48 of Informed Investing

Ep. 47: High-Yield Investing Strategies for Dividend and Income Portfolios

Informed Investing — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 06:54:47 -0500

Episode 47 of Informed Investing

Ep. 46: The Income Investor's Toolkit: Covered Calls, Dividend Compounders & Yield Traps

Informed Investing — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:36:20 -0500

Episode 46 of Informed Investing

Ep. 45: Sustainable Income: Finding Real Yield Without the Traps

Informed Investing — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:09:43 -0500

Episode 45 of Informed Investing

Ep. 44: Income ETF Stress Tests, Healthcare REIT IPO & Dividend King Bargains

Informed Investing — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 07:00:56 -0500

Episode 44 covers income ETF stress tests (TDVI, OVL, IQQQ as top performers), the SCHD vs FDVV debate, Pentair as an undervalued Dividend King play on water infrastructure, the PepsiCo bull case with Poppi and Celsius, NHP healthcare REIT IPO analysis, 3M earnings preview, and real-world dividend portfolio income tracking.

Ep. 43: Dividend Kings, True Passive Income ETFs & International Opportunities

Informed Investing — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 06:38:30 -0500

10 sources covering 12 truly passive dividend ETFs, Dividend Kings, QDVO vs QQQI tactical covered calls, passive income investing key concepts, STAG Industrial monthly income REIT, VOO vs IWM comparison, Fidelity FENI international ETF, and high-yield stock picks

Ep. 42: Monthly Dividend Safety, JNJ Slow Growth, Goldman Sachs Earnings, and Covered Call ETF Rankings

Informed Investing — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:15:35 -0500

10 sources covering safest monthly dividend stocks, JNJ/PG slow dividend growth, RISR interest rate hedge ETF, dividend pyramid portfolios, Goldman Sachs earnings analysis, 10 portfolio mistakes, TSLX BDC buy-the-dip, XLKI tech income ETF, and best covered call ETFs of 2026

Ep. 41: International ETFs, Dogs of the Dow, SCHD vs Options, and Retiring on $500K

Informed Investing — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 06:50:41 -0500

10 sources covering international dividend ETFs, P&G vs Colgate, UnitedHealth Dogs of the Dow, recent dividend raises, SCHD vs options income, QQQI compounding, weekly dividend ETFs, and $500K retirement framework

Ep. 40: Energy Dividend Safety, 52-Week Low Bargains & YieldMax Reality Check

Informed Investing — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:33:09 -0500

Energy dividend safety (Chevron vs ConocoPhillips), 5 dividend stocks at 52-week lows (Microsoft, Main Street Capital, Nike, Novo Nordisk, Mastercard), YieldMax SOXY case study with margin strategy, $200K allocation advice from Reddit, FDVV+SCHD pairing, JP Morgan ROCQ ETF spotlight, dividend growth ETF portfolio sections

Ep. 39: Income ETF Stress Tests, Undervalued Dividend Picks & Buy-and-Hold Forever Portfolios

Informed Investing — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:09:04 -0500

Income ETF stress testing (QQQY/YBTC traps vs DIVP/MLPD quality), undervalued stocks (Mastercard, Williams Companies, AbbVie), EPRT net lease REIT, Nike at 5-year lows, buy-and-hold-forever ETFs from $1.8M portfolio, Treasury ladder alternatives, covered call ETF expansion, Franklin Resources dividend

Ep. 38: Covered Call ETF Truth, DDDD Doubles SCHD & Undervalued Dividend Picks

Informed Investing — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:46:07 -0500

Covered call ETF debate (JEPI/SPYI/XYLD/NAV erosion), YieldMax DDDD doubling SCHD yield, doubling dividend income with covered calls on TROW/PRU, undervalued picks (ARES down 50%, Colgate-Palmolive), 10 bad dividend habits, starter portfolio basics, VTI during selloffs, dividend aristocrat passive income

Ep. 37: Comeback Stocks, Beginner Portfolios & the Dividend Risk Spectrum

Informed Investing — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:42:21 -0500

We break down comeback stories from Target and Moderna, build a $50K beginner income portfolio with STK/SPYI/IDVO, honestly assess YieldMax high-yield ETFs, explore disruptor options strategies on SoFi and Reddit, and evaluate whether CVS is a value play or a trap.

Ep. 36: ETF Rotation, Yield Trap Warnings & Kimberly-Clark Merger Deep Dive

Informed Investing — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:46:37 -0500

Today's episode covers the great rotation as wealthy investors shift from tech into gold, international equities, and small-cap funds. We break down the JEPI vs SCHD debate, expose yield traps like QYLD and PDI, and dig into the Kimberly-Clark/Kenview merger opportunity. Plus: REIT picks STAG Industrial and NNN, Brompton's Cash Flow Kings strategy, and why DIVO's selective covered call approach beats the competition on risk-adjusted returns.

Topics covered:

The great rotation: rich investors moving from tech to gold, international & small-caps
JEPI vs SCHD: why higher yield doesn't mean higher returns
Dividend Kings: 5 highest-yielding 50+ year streak stocks (MO, FRT, HRL, KMB, SWK)
Kimberly-Clark/Kenview merger: 5.3% yield, PE of 12, $2B cost synergies
REIT opportunities: STAG Industrial and NNN REIT
Brompton Cash Flow Kings: free cash flow value strategy
DIVO quality: Sharpe ratio 0.91 beats S&P with selective covered calls
Yield trap warning: QYLD lost 42% NAV, PDI uses 28% leverage

Ep. 35: De-Risking Playbook, BDC Yield Pressure & Auto-Callable Income Innovation

Informed Investing — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:28:15 -0500

In this episode, we break down 9 institutional analyses covering: • **De-Risking Playbook** — 5 scenarios: AI bubble fears, job insecurity, retirement danger zone, risk tolerance reassessment, recession fears. Buffered ETFs (PMAY, BALT), defensive sectors, quality bonds • **BIZD Yield Under Pressure** — 9.3% yield but rate cuts compressing BDC floating-rate loan income. ARCC yield dropped 11.1% to 10.3%. BIZD down 15% in price, offsetting income • **International Outperformance** — VEA returned 30.4% in past year, 3 bps fees. JPM projects 7.5% annual returns vs 6.7% for S&P 500. Currency tailwind with euro at $1.15 • **Trinity Capital Deep Dive** — TRIN 14.3% yield, 106% coverage, interest rate floors, sub-1% non-accruals. Internally managed, low software exposure. But thin margin if rates keep falling • **OVL Overlay ETF** — 10.41% monthly distribution, outperformed S&P 500 (167% vs 155% since inception). Option premium overlay on large cap equities • **CAIQ Auto-Callables** — 17.7% coupon, -30% barrier, 97% historical coupon reliability, ~90% return of capital tax treatment. New income structure vs covered calls • **JPI/DIVO/PDI Showdown** — PDI's 15.2% yield is 25% return of capital. JPI best drawdown protection (13.7%). DIVO best Sharpe ratio (0.94). You can only pick 2 of 3: yield, total return, protection • **Morningstar Dividend Picks** — APD (44-yr streak, $309 FV), FIS (10% dividend raise, $85 FV), RHHBY (wide moat healthcare, $57 FV) • **Q1 2026 Winners** — Energy dominated: XLE +31%, XOP +41%, USO +83%. Utilities +10% on AI/data center demand. SCHD +9.4%, gold recovered +7% Sources compiled from Kiplinger, Morningstar, 247 Wall St, Dividend Collection Agency, ETF Investments, and YouTube deep dives.

Ep. 34: REIT Dividend Dynamos, SPHD's Breakout Q1 & the Salary Replacement Math

Informed Investing — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 08:13:21 -0500

In this episode, we dig into a massive stack of April 2026 market research covering the paradigm shift in passive investing. Topics covered: - REIT Dividend Quality: The ALPS Active REIT ETF Elite Eight (CUBE, GLPI, VICI, SPG, Realty Income) and why only 28 of 72 REITs maintained dividends over 15+ years - SPHD's Breakout Quarter: 6.5% surge in Q1, outpacing the S&P 500 by its largest margin since March 2021 - Valuation Reset Opportunities: S&P 500 worst quarter since Q3 2022, forward P/E compressed 17% - Salary Replacement Math: How much you actually need at 3%, 4%, and 7-8% yields to replace a $60K paycheck - International ETFs Crushing VOO: EWJ, VGK, VXUS outperforming while US tech concentration becomes a vulnerability - Income ETF Stress Test: NAV erosion analysis of 40 ETFs — who passed, who failed - TROW at a Discount: 40-year dividend streak, 5.77% forward yield vs historical 3.2-3.5% - Verizon Recession Play: 5.63% yield, DCF intrinsic value $62.86 vs $50 price Tickers discussed: SPHD, REIT, CUBE, GLPI, VICI, SPG, O, SCHD, VYM, JEPI, QQQI, EWJ, VGK, VXUS, VOO, EIPI, TYLG, RYLG, TROW, VZ

Ep. 33: SCHD's Breakout Year, Crisis-Proof Dividends & the Yield Chasing Reality Check

Informed Investing — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:24:24 -0500

SCHD up 11-13% YTD dominating indexes, dividend growth stocks at discount (Nike/Starbucks/P&G/General Mills), 7 crisis-proof dividend stocks since 2008, high-income ETFs without NAV decay (DIVO/GPIX/SPYI), OMAH Berkshire income ETF total return reality check, BondBlocks fixed income alternatives (PCMM/XEMD), Dividend Kings for retirement portfolios

Ep. 32: Income ETF Surge, $100/Day Dividend Machines & Holding the Line

Informed Investing — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:11:23 -0500

Q1 income ETF flows surge 50%, NEOS covered call strategies for $7200/month income, $100/day dividend machine blueprint (SPYI+EPR+DIVO), InfraCap small cap and MLP income funds, VYMI international dividend exposure, Chevron vs ExxonMobil energy debate, Kimberly-Clark Dividend Aristocrat analysis, 5 facts for holding through market panic

Ep 31: Goldman Energy Picks, Realty Income Debate, 12% CEFs & Sanofi Bargain

Informed Investing — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:52:43 -0500

Goldman Sachs 5 energy dividend picks, Realty Income REIT analysis, 12% yielding CEFs with perfect streaks, Sanofi pharma deep dive, P&G Dividend King under pressure, 1973 bear market retirement lessons, VOO compounding math

Ep 30: CPG Food Crash, YieldMax Reckoning, VICI Deep Dive & Growth vs Dividends

Informed Investing — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 05:51:01 -0500

CPG food stocks tanking with 7% yields, YieldMax high-yield ETF retrospective, $179K portfolio update, $240K/year income goal strategy, VICI Properties REIT analysis, SCHG vs SCHD growth vs dividends debate

Ep 29: SCHD Shakeup, Weekly Income ETFs, Nike's 71% Discount & Bear Market Income Playbook

Informed Investing — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:25:19 -0500

8 sources covering monthly dividend stocks (MAIN/EPR/SMA), Nike turnaround play at 71% off highs, WEEK T-Bill ETF beating money markets, weekly dividend ETF performance rankings, covered call ETF income mechanics, SCHD 2026 reconstitution (31% turnover, energy reduction, UNH/PG additions), 5 undervalued consumer staples using dividend yield theory, and four-pillar bear market retirement income strategy

Ep 28: Covered Call ETF Showdown, Bargain Dividend Kings & Bitcoin Income Plays

Informed Investing — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:22:37 -0500

10 sources covering covered call ETFs across 5 categories, ultra-high-yield stocks (ARCC/ET/STWD), General Mills at 15-year low, Bitcoin dividends (STRC), gold/silver ETFs during Iran War, 7 under-the-radar ETFs, dividend portfolio tracking tools, bargain dividend growth stocks (MSFT/CTAS/V), deeply discounted picks (MARZ/VICI/ADP), and VOOG growth ETF analysis

Ep 27: Income ETF Stress Test, Defensive Dividends & High-Yield Hidden Gems

Informed Investing — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 06:10:12 -0500

10 sources covering income ETF sustainability (DCR framework), defensive dividend stocks (HD, PEP, VDC), Western Midstream Partners insider buying, covered call ETF strategies (ICAP), gaming REITs (GLPI, VICI), VIG 223% returns, RTX dividend analysis, private credit risk

Ep. 26: SCHD Reconstitution Deep Dive, REIT Fundamentals & High-Yield Income ETFs

Informed Investing — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 05:35:09 -0500

Ep 25: Realty Income Deep Dive, SCHD Q1 Hike & NEOS Income Portfolios

Informed Investing — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:56:03 -0500

Ep 24: SCHD Reconstitution, Covered Call Income & Dividend King Safety

Informed Investing — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 06:43:31 -0500

SCHD just went through its 2026 reconstitution - we break down the sector shifts, new holdings, and what it means for dividend investors. Plus: Dividend Kings PG and JNJ as safe forever-holds, whether high-yield S&P 500 stocks like Campbell's and Kraft Heinz are traps or opportunities, covered call ETFs QQQI and GPIQ as retirement income engines, why Social Security uncertainty makes building a dividend parallel paycheck critical, VOO vs SPY vs IVV cost comparison, Watsco as an 11% undervalued compounder, and why Starbucks is a hold despite turnaround hopes.

Ep 23: Dividend King Bargains, Covered Call Rankings & BDC Showdown

Informed Investing — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:04:46 -0500

This week we dig into beaten-down Dividend Kings like Target, Hormel, and Kimberly-Clark that could be 2026 bargains. We compare VT vs VOO for global diversification, break down the MAIN vs ARCC vs Realty Income debate for retirement income, rank covered call ETFs like SPYI and QQQI, and lay out simple 3-ETF portfolio strategies for both growth and income investors.

Ep. 22: Dividend Compounders, GPIX Strategy & Slowdown-Proof Screening

Informed Investing — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 07:59:14 -0500

Today we dig into 18 companies raising their dividends, from Salesforce to American Express, and separate the real compounders from the yield traps. We break down a fascinating GPIX back-test showing only a 6% total return difference between full DRIP and zero DRIP over two years. Plus, a Reddit stress test that filtered thousands of stocks down to 271 slowdown survivors, the bull case for ADP at a 36% discount, defensive staples for oil shock protection, options income ETFs crossing $150B in assets, and an outdoor advertising REIT that tripled the S&P 500.

Ep. 21: Healthcare Dividends, Retirement Math & AI Infrastructure Plays

Informed Investing — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:39:01 -0500

BlackRock retirement ETFs, healthcare dividend stocks, dividend vs growth math, portfolio tax efficiency, JEPQ compounding, AI infrastructure dividends, crypto income ETFs, consumer discretionary dividends, dividend growth compounders

Ep. 20: Income ETFs, Energy Dividends & The Covered Call Debate

Informed Investing — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:43:21 -0500

14 sources covering Vanguard income ETFs, overlooked high-yield ETFs, energy dividends if oil hits $100, covered call ETF strategies, affordable dividend stocks under $20, and investor anxiety about building income

Ep 19: Energy Dividends Surge, YieldMax Reality Check & Dividend Growth Playbook

Informed Investing — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 06:03:53 -0500

Goldman Sachs top energy picks with oil above $100, the truth behind XOMO 30% yield, SCHD deep dive, DRIP reinvestment math, biggest dividend raises of 2026 from Dominos to Dell, 12-year portfolio lessons, and PAA pipeline analysis.

Ep 18: SCHD Breakout, Zero-DTE Income & Dividend Workhorses

Informed Investing — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:28:40 -0500

In this episode, we dive into the 2026 dividend investing landscape. SCHD is having a breakout year with 12% YTD gains as investors rotate from volatile tech into defensive income plays. We explore the zero-DTE covered call revolution with TDAQ and how JEPI/JEPQ have grown to $80B in assets. The Bogleheads vs income investors debate gets a fresh look with a Reddit thread sparking pushback on total return orthodoxy. We spotlight dividend workhorses like Hormel, Federal Realty, Kimberly-Clark, Bank of Nova Scotia, and Realty Income - all with 50+ years of consecutive payouts yielding 4%+. Plus, we go high-yield ETF shopping with funds like CHIPPY, MAGS, NVDY, and BTCI offering 15-45% yields, and compare international dividend ETFs IDVO vs SCHY.

Ep 17: S&P 500 Fund Picking, Covered Call Showdown & NAV Erosion Solutions

Informed Investing — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 06:50:37 -0500

VOO vs SPY vs SPLG fund selection, covered call ETF rankings (DIVO #1, SPYI #2, JEPI #3), NAV erosion alternatives using cash-secured puts, SCHD income math, Pfizer value trap debate, and quick hits on DKS, OneMain Financial, preferred stocks, and VT reinvestment.

Ep 16: SCHD Reconstitution, BDC Screening & Dividend Growth Math

Informed Investing — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:31:33 -0500

This week we break down SCHD massive March 23 reconstitution — energy dropping from 20% to 12%, financials surging to 15%. Plus: how to screen BDCs down to 7 survivors in a falling-rate world, why dividend growth math crushes high-yield traps 3x by year 20, the Dividend Kings yielding 4%+, cleaning up your retirement junk drawer, and why LyondellBasell rallied 54% AFTER cutting its dividend.

Topics covered:

SCHD 2026 Reconstitution — energy to financials rotation
RSP vs VOO — equal-weight crushing cap-weight in 2026
BDC Deep Dive — falling rates + software lending risk
Dividend Growth vs High Yield — the 20-year math
15 Years of Dividend Investing Lessons
FLO (Flowers Foods) Yield Trap Warning
Amplify ETFs — DIVO/IDVO/QDVO covered call strategy
LyondellBasell — up 54% after dividend cut
Dividend Kings — FRT, KMB, SWK at 4%+
Retirement Portfolio Cleanup Framework

Ep 15: Crash-Proof Dividends, BDC Reality Check & Timberland Deep Dive

Informed Investing — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 06:19:31 -0500

We synthesize 12 sources from March 2026 covering the full spectrum of dividend investing. Topics: crash-resistant portfolios, BDC reality check, yield traps, Chevron dividends, EDIV emerging market risks, Rayonier timberland REIT, new covered call ETFs, Qualcomm, Exxon Mobil, and dividend growth vs high-yield math.

Ep 14: SCHD Dominance, Tax-Smart Income & Consumer Staples Revival

Informed Investing — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:40:35 -0500

This week we dig into SCHD's massive 2026 outperformance driven by energy and defense sectors, compare the after-tax income from Section 1256 funds like SPYI and QQQI versus ELN-based JEPI and JEPQ, explore recession-resistant consumer staples picks including KMB, GIS, and MDLZ, review the Vanguard income trifecta of VYM, VDE, and VNQ, debate the split analyst sentiment on Realty Income, and tackle the age-old question of whether individual stock picking can beat a quality dividend ETF.

Ep 13: SCHD Overdrive, BDC Bargains & Covered Call Evolution

Informed Investing — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:17:30 -0500

Episode 12 of the Informed Investing podcast dives into the biggest dividend stories of the week. We break down SCHD's stunning 2026 outperformance ahead of its March reconstitution, explore whether BDCs like Hercules Capital and Main Street are still worth their premium valuations, and examine the jaw-dropping yields from energy shipping stocks like Nordic American Tankers and Frontline.

We also tackle the heated Verizon rally debate, look at Mondelez as an overlooked consumer staples value play, dissect the rapid evolution of covered call ETFs (including BMO's new target yield series), and clear up common confusion around ex-dividend dates and Robinhood's early dividend access feature.

Sources: 247 Wall St, MarketBeat, Motley Fool, Reddit r/dividends, Reddit r/ValueInvesting, and multiple YouTube dividend investing channels.

Ep 12: Covered Call ETF Showdown, Energy Midstream & BDC Bargains

Informed Investing — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 05:46:46 -0600

Episode 12 covers the biggest dividend investing topics of the day:

Covered Call ETF Showdown — NAV erosion analysis of 19 ETFs. QQQI and TSPY shine, ULTY requires 114% reinvestment
Energy Stocks Surge — Oil past $80 on Iran conflict. Why midstream (HSM, MLX, EPD) beats oil majors at these prices
BDC Opportunities — Hercules Capital (HTGC) at 12%+ yield after SaaS selloff, BXSL at 13% discount to NAV
Income Portfolio Strategies — Reddit investors building $5-7K/month income from SPYI, QQQI, JEPQ
Strong Buy Dividend Stocks — Home Depot, Permian Resources, International Seaways, Ryman for March
Volatility & Income — YieldMax lead strategist on why income ETFs outperform during market chaos

Ep. 11: Energy Dividends, Realty Income Debate & YieldMax Controversy

Informed Investing — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 05:37:06 -0600

Episode 11 covers the Realty Income debate, energy dividends amid geopolitical tensions, covered call ETF portfolios, the YieldMax controversy, PepsiCo pricing power, and cash management strategies.

Ep. 10: Income ETFs, Semiconductor Dividends & Retirement Income Machines

Informed Investing — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 06:15:52 -0600

We break down the NASDAQ 100 income ETF showdown (QYLD vs JEPQ vs GPIQ vs QQQI), explore YieldMax semiconductor ETFs, examine Morningstar's top dividend growth picks, debate SPY vs VOO, and map out strategies for turning a nest egg into a retirement income machine.

Ep. 9: Weekly Income Machines, SCHD Reconstitution & Early Retirement Math

Informed Investing — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:07:07 -0600

In this deep dive, we tear apart the mechanics of building a true passive income machine. We cover:

The $350K Three-Engine System — How weekly-pay ETFs, covered calls, and cash-secured puts combine to generate massive cash flow
SCHD March Reconstitution — Energy sector shrinking from 20% to 12%, potential additions like JNJ, ABBV, and UNH
QQQI Wheel Strategy — Section 1256 tax advantages and projected 28% returns for small accounts
Early Retirement at 45 — $1.5M portfolio producing $67K in dividends vs $70K expenses, and the healthcare gap
Dividend ETF Showdown — DIV, JEPI, VYMI, and IFRA compared with real-dollar examples
BDC Tax Treatment — Blue Owl qualified dividends vs OBDC ordinary income
Economic Outlook — Key data releases ahead of March 18 FOMC
Stock Picks — Enbridge (31-year streak), Fortis (6-7% growth), Prudential (40% payout ratio)
Portfolio Update — $345K portfolio averaging $1,156/month through dividend reinvestment

Sources: Barchart, 247 Wall St, Dividend Blasters, Average Joe Dividends, Dividend Collection Agency, Reddit r/dividends

Ep. 8: Covered Call ETF Rankings, Tax-Smart Income & Dividend Trap Warnings

Informed Investing — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 07:54:28 -0600

We break down the covered call ETF rankings (JEPI vs SPYI vs QYLD), reveal a tax-efficient dividend blueprint, expose 5 dividend traps to avoid, analyze energy ETFs on the oil spike, and review real portfolio strategies for building durable income.

Ep. 7: Income ETF Showdown - JEPI Finished Dead Last in Total Returns

Informed Investing — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 07:06:38 -0600

In this episode, we break down the data challenging everything income investors thought they knew about covered call ETFs. JEPI finished dead last in total returns against five competitors.

Topics: S&P 500 Income ETF Showdown, Top 10 Dividend ETF Rankings, Discounted Dividend Growth Stocks, BDCs Under Pressure, Portfolio Defense Strategies, Vanguard Value ETFs, Realty Income Analysis

Ep. 6: Software Crash Bargains, Income ETF Innovation & Global Diversification

Informed Investing — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 06:31:39 -0600

The SaaS apocalypse has Salesforce at its cheapest valuation ever while Goldman Sachs income ETFs see 6x growth. We break down why blue-chip software stocks trading at utility-company valuations might be the buying opportunity of the decade, explore innovative high-yield ETFs avoiding NAV erosion, and look at Visa's asymmetric setup, Hercules Capital as a quality BDC, and smart international diversification plays.

Ep. 5: International Dividend Dogs Crush the S&P - NAV Stress Tests and Building a Million-Dollar Portfolio

Informed Investing — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 06:05:02 -0600

International dividend ETFs like IDOG and ACWX are dramatically outpacing the S&P 500. We dig into why, stress-test 9 high-yield ETFs for NAV erosion, rank covered call ETFs, and break down how to build a retirement portfolio from the ground up. Plus: ARCC 10% yield sustainability, gold as a Trump trade, and Reddit's favorite individual dividend picks.

Ep. 4: Dividend Investing Is the Ultimate AI Hedge

Informed Investing — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 06:22:56 -0600

Topics Covered

Peter Lynch's Wisdom — There's always something to worry about, but dividend investors have an edge
High-Yield ETFs That Work — JEPQ, SPYI, and GPIQ delivering 10%+ without price decay
No Price Decay Filter — The most important metric when evaluating income ETFs
Dividend Investing vs Dividend Growth — Why the distinction matters more than most think
ARCC & Blue Owl at Rock Bottom — Truist says buy these 10%+ yielders
Medical Properties Trust (MPT) — Turnaround in progress but leverage at 9.6x is scary
Home Depot's 17-Year Streak — A modest 1.3% raise keeps the dividend aristocrat machine going
The Real World Moat — Why physical infrastructure stocks are the best AI hedge

Ep. 3: Buying Microsoft At $384 And 11% Yields

Informed Investing — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:10:00 -0600

Topics Covered

Microsoft Below $400 — Why MSFT's AI pivot makes it a hybrid growth-dividend play
VOO vs VIG — One investor's case for switching from the S&P 500 to dividend appreciation
Vanguard Value ETFs Crushing It — VTV, MGV, and VYM outperforming the index in 2026
SCHD at 0.06% — Schwab's 100-stock dividend ETF yielding more than savings accounts
OpenAI vs Microsoft — Why the partnership drama could be a buying opportunity
TSLX 11% Dividend — Deep dive into Trinity Capital's well-covered BDC payout
QQQI + QQQ Combo — Pairing Nasdaq income with Nasdaq growth for best of both worlds
Dividend Kings on Sale — GPC and SPGI at discount valuations, value trap or opportunity?
CEFs Beating the S&P 500 — ACV, CSQ, BST, and LGI yielding 7-10% over 10 years
3-Layer Retirement System — Building a monthly paycheck portfolio with ETF income layers

Ep. 2: High Dividend Yields Are Eating Your Principal

Informed Investing — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 09:15:00 -0600

Topics Covered

Dividend ETF Winners — Which funds actually delivered in 2025
High-Yield ETFs Down 50% — The yield trap that destroys principal
Dividend Growth vs. High Yield — Why growth wins long-term
BDCs (Business Development Companies) — 3 income giants for monthly cash flow
Gold Producers — Case study on mining stocks as portfolio hedges
Top 10 ETFs by Total Return — What the numbers actually say
Midstream Energy — Pipeline MLPs and their tax-advantaged distributions
AI-Resilient Stocks — Companies with physical moats that AI can't disrupt
SCHD & SPYI — Balancing income with share price stability
NAV Preservation — Why protecting your principal matters more than yield

Ep. 1: The Four Million Dollar Barbell Strategy

Informed Investing — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 16:10:00 -0600

Topics Covered

Chevron vs. ExxonMobil — Which oil dividend giant is the better buy?
3 Dividend Aristocrats ready to rebound in 2026 (GPC, MDT, IBM)
FDVV — The dividend ETF that almost doubled its AUM in 2025
Best Dividend ETFs for first-time investors (SCHD, VYM, DGRO)
Stress-Testing JEPI & JEPQ — Are covered call ETFs sustainable for retirement?
LYB Dividend Cut — Impact on SCHD holders
50/50 SCHD + VGT beats the S&P 500 — Year 14 backtest
Agree Realty (ADC) — Monthly income from a quality REIT
YMAX Changes — YieldMax shifts to momentum-based allocation