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3 Dividend ETFs With Strong Yields to Buy and Hold
If you’re even thinking about retirement, one of the biggest goals is simple: build reliable cash flow without turning your portfolio into a full-time job.
That is where dividend-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can shine. Instead of constantly timing withdrawals or stressing over day-to-day market swings, you can own diversified baskets of dividend-paying companies (and, in some cases, option-income strategies) that are designed to distribute income on a consistent schedule. Importantly, you still maintain exposure to long-term equity growth—something traditional fixed-income alone may not deliver the same way, especially if inflation stays sticky.
Of course, not all “high yield” strategies are created equal. The right mix usually depends on three variables:
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Yield vs. growth: Do you want the highest income today, or a growing income stream that can compound over time?
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Diversification: Are you overexposed to U.S. equities (or a single sector like financials or energy)?
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Costs and structure: Expense ratios, turnover, and strategy mechanics matter—especially when you are holding for years.
With those principles in mind, here are three dividend ETFs that offer different (and complementary) paths to long-term income.
Company: Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF (SYM: VYMI)
If you want to diversify beyond the U.S., VYMI is a straightforward way to own a broad portfolio of higher-dividend international companies. The ETF tracks a high-dividend benchmark and—at last report—held about 1,531 stocks, with a 0.17% expense ratio and a quarterly dividend schedule.
Why does that matter? Because many U.S.-based income investors are unintentionally concentrated in the same handful of domestic sectors and themes. International dividend payers can help diversify:
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Geographically: different business cycles, policy regimes, and consumer markets
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By sector: many international markets have higher weightings in banks, energy, and industrials
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By valuation: international high-dividend markets can trade at lower multiples than U.S. large caps at times
VYMI’s largest holdings include globally established names such as HSBC, Roche, Novartis, Nestlé, Shell, and Toyota, reflecting the “blue chip income” profile many investors want when income becomes a priority.
Income note: VYMI has paid variable quarterly distributions. For example, recent quarterly payouts have included $0.9385 (paid 12/23/2025), $0.7001 (paid 9/23/2025), and $1.0762 (paid 6/24/2025)—illustrating that international dividend timing and amounts can vary by region, currency, and underlying company payout practices.
What to watch:
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Currency effects can amplify or reduce USD-denominated income.
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International dividends can be “lumpier” than U.S. dividends due to different payout conventions.
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Withholding taxes may apply depending on account type and treaty treatment (a tax advisor can help).
Bottom line: If your income strategy is too U.S.-centric, VYMI can add global diversification while still keeping the portfolio anchored in large, established dividend payers.
Capital Trends
Why This Titanium Explorer Caught Rio Tinto’s Eye
As U.S. defense spending crosses $1 trillion, drones, hypersonics, and next-gen aerospace are taking center stage.
Behind them? Titanium - lightweight, nearly as strong as steel, and essential to the F-35 Raptor, missile systems, and long-endurance UAVs. Yet the U.S. imports 91% of it... mostly from China, Russia, and Kazakhstan.
That's why Saga Metals' new discovery in Canada is attracting serious attention. It's targeting a massive titanium-vanadium system with grades and scale that rival the largest in the world - and it's just 10 km from deepwater shipping, skilled workforce, and nearby hydroelectric power.
This could be one of North America's most strategically important new sources of titanium - and it's still flying under the radar.
Read the full story about Saga Metals here.
Company: Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (SYM: VIG)
Where VYMI leans into current yield, VIG is built around a different concept: dividend growth.
VIG tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index and—at last report—featured a 0.05% expense ratio and a quarterly dividend schedule. It also holds roughly 337 stocks (about 338 in other recent Vanguard reporting), underscoring that it is diversified without being “everything and the kitchen sink.”
Why dividend growth matters: companies that consistently raise dividends often share characteristics retirees tend to appreciate—strong balance sheets, durable free cash flow, and management teams that prioritize shareholder returns. You may not get a massive yield today, but the income stream can grow over time, which is one of the most practical hedges against inflation.
VIG’s top holdings have included large-cap quality names such as Broadcom, Microsoft, JPMorgan, Apple, Eli Lilly, Visa, and Exxon Mobil. In other words, it often functions as a “quality core” holding that happens to pay dividends—rather than a pure high-yield product.
Income note: VIG’s distributions are quarterly and typically steadier than international funds. Recent payments have included $0.8844 (paid 12/24/2025) and $0.8647 (paid 10/1/2025).
Who this is for:
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Investors who want income, but also want their dividend stream to increase over time
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Investors who prefer a low-cost, rules-based approach to “quality dividend growers”
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Portfolios that need a core equity holding that does not rely on ultra-high yield
Bottom line: VIG is often a strong “foundation” ETF—lower yield than high-income funds, but higher emphasis on dividend consistency and growth, with very low ongoing costs.
If you want to boost portfolio income without relying solely on high-dividend stocks, DIVO adds a second income engine: covered call writing on individual stocks.
DIVO is designed to offer monthly income using a portfolio of “dividend growers” plus tactical covered calls. The fund’s fact sheet notes an objective of generating gross annual income of approximately 2–3% from dividends and 2–4% from option premiums, and it reports a 0.56% total expense ratio with monthly distributions.
That structure matters because covered calls can help generate cash flow in sideways or choppy markets—exactly the kind of environment that can occur when investors are nervous about rates, growth, or valuation. The trade-off is also important: covered calls can cap some upside when markets rally sharply, because you may be obligated to sell gains above the option strike.
DIVO typically holds a relatively concentrated basket (the fact sheet lists 22 equity holdings), and its top positions have included large, liquid companies such as Caterpillar, Apple, American Express, RTX, Home Depot, Visa, Microsoft, JPMorgan, and Goldman Sachs.
Distribution note (important): DIVO’s distribution amounts can vary meaningfully month to month, and year-end distributions can include special items. For instance, Amplify’s published distribution table shows $0.95339 paid on 12/31/2025, and it notes that the 12/31/2025 distribution included an estimated return of capital of 94% (see the fund’s posted tax notices). This does not automatically mean “bad,” but it does mean investors should understand tax character and avoid assuming every distribution is ordinary dividend income.
Who this is for:
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Investors who want monthly cash flow and are comfortable with an options overlay
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Investors seeking a “middle path” between pure equity income and pure equity growth
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Portfolios that can benefit from a strategy that may dampen volatility, with the acknowledgement that upside can be partially capped
Bottom line: DIVO can be a practical tool for investors prioritizing monthly income—but it is not a free lunch. You are swapping some upside participation for option premium income and potentially smoother cash flow.
Market Jar Media
When Crypto Quietly Became a Ticker
The biggest obstacle to crypto adoption has never been interest....It has been access.
For years, expressing a view on digital networks required wallets, exchanges, and operational complexity that limited participation to a narrow audience. That barrier is now starting to come down.
A newly listed ETP now delivers exposure to a public network built for enterprise use through a standard brokerage account. No wallets. No private keys. No new systems to learn.
That change matters because capital tends to follow simplicity.
When exposure becomes a ticker, participation broadens. Advisors can allocate. Institutions can size positions. Portfolios can rebalance without rebuilding workflows.
The structure itself is deliberately straightforward. The Trust holds the underlying asset directly and publishes holdings transparently. There is no staking, lending, or leverage layered on top.
Governance and infrastructure were not afterthoughts in this design. The underlying network emphasizes fast settlement, predictable costs, and formal oversight. Those traits tend to matter more as markets mature beyond novelty.
Early disclosures show that the product is functioning as intended, trading cleanly and accumulating assets in a measured way. That does not imply direction. It confirms that the wrapper works.
Markets rarely announce these moments loudly.
They reveal them through structure.
To see how this ETF is designed and why access is changing, review the full investor report here.
Are there any other dividend stocks or ETFs you swear by? What other sectors of the market are you currently interested in? Hit "reply" to this email and let us know your thoughts!
