How do you get passive income from an ETF?
Some ETFs might provide passive income given enough capital invested, but this depends on market conditions. Dividend ETFs can be a good passive income generator, but again, it depends on market conditions and how much you have invested and hold.
That's why many income-seeking investors prefer an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that targets dividend stocks. You can achieve passive income and wide diversification with just one purchase.
Though ETFs allow investors to gain as stock prices rise and fall, they also benefit from companies that pay dividends. Dividends are a portion of earnings allocated or paid by companies to investors for holding their stock.
Dividend-paying equity ETFs offer potential capital gains from increases in the prices of the stocks your ETF owns, plus dividends paid out by those stocks. Bond fund ETFs may provide more reliable interest income from investments held in government bonds, agency bonds, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, and more.
The primary objective of passive ETFs is to replicate the performance of a specific benchmark index or asset class without requiring active decision-making. Since there is no active manager trying to beat a benchmark, there is also often less of an administrative fee.
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ETF | Dividend yield (trailing 12 months) | Expense ratio |
---|---|---|
Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF (DIVO) | 4.6% | 0.56% |
JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI) | 7.9% | 0.35% |
Global X MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF (MLPX) | 5.2% | 0.45% |
SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) | 6.5% | 0.40% |
For most ETFs, selling after less than a year is taxed as a short-term capital gain. ETFs held for longer than a year are taxed as long-term gains. If you sell an ETF, and buy the same (or a substantially similar) ETF after less than 30 days, you may be subject to the wash sale rule.
Key Takeaways
Introduced in the U.S. in 1993, ETFs have become one of the most popular investment choices for investors. ETFs may close due to lack of investor interest or poor returns. For investors, the easiest way to exit an ETF investment is to sell it on the open market.
Market risk
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk. Like a mutual fund or a closed-end fund, ETFs are only an investment vehicle—a wrapper for their underlying investment. So if you buy an S&P 500 ETF and the S&P 500 goes down 50%, nothing about how cheap, tax efficient, or transparent an ETF is will help you.
What ETF has 12% yield?
Symbol | Name | Dividend Yield |
---|---|---|
PEX | ProShares Global Listed Private Equity ETF | 12.14% |
SPYI | NEOS S&P 500 High Income ETF | 12.10% |
BTF | Valkyrie Bitcoin and Ether Strategy ETF | 12.08% |
SDIV | Global X SuperDividend ETF | 12.06% |
Symbol | Name | 5-Year Return |
---|---|---|
IUS | Invesco RAFI Strategic US ETF | 14.75% |
OEF | iShares S&P 100 ETF | 14.73% |
SPHB | Invesco S&P 500® High Beta ETF | 14.58% |
SPYG | SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF | 14.40% |
Just as with individual securities, when you sell shares of a mutual fund or ETF (exchange-traded fund) for a profit, you'll owe taxes on that "realized gain." But you may also owe taxes if the fund realizes a gain by selling a security for more than the original purchase price—even if you haven't sold any shares.
Visit your My NerdWallet Settings page to see all the writers you're following. RDIV and SPYD have some of the highest yields of any high-dividend ETF. It's possible to live off the income from high-dividend ETFs, but it may take some planning.
For example, the most popular ETF is the S&P 500 “Spyder” ETF. Investors in this ETF make money when the S&P 500 rises, and lose when it falls. This is passive management, which avoids investing in only a limited number of stocks, bonds, or other securities within a market.
The funds have several advantages, but they also have disadvantages. However, over the long-term, passively managed ETFs tend to outperform actively managed funds, so investors with long-term outlooks can benefit from the lower costs and diversity these funds offer.
Invest in Dividend Stocks
If you specifically want passive income, you might consider dividend stocks. Dividend stocks often pay quarterly, usually with a yield in the range of 2% to 5%. Stocks that pay dividends tend to be well-known, financially stable companies, so the risk is typically low compared to other stocks.
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Vanguard S&P 500 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VOO is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market.
Are dividend ETFs worth it?
While dividend ETFs can offer stable income, their growth potential is generally lower over the long run. That said, dividend ETFs may outperform the S&P 500 during particular time frames, such as during a recession or a period of easing interest rates.
Dividend-paying exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been growing in popularity, especially among investors looking for high yields and more stability from their portfolios. As with stocks and many mutual funds, most ETFs pay their dividends quarterly—once every three months.
If you buy substantially identical security within 30 days before or after a sale at a loss, you are subject to the wash sale rule. This prevents you from claiming the loss at this time.
For instance, some ETFs may come with fees, others might stray from the value of the underlying asset, ETFs are not always optimized for taxes, and of course — like any investment — ETFs also come with risk.
ETFs can bypass taxable events using the in-kind redemption process, while also purging their portfolios of low-cost-basis securities to help portfolio managers avoid realizing large gains if they must sell holdings. But not all ETFs create and redeem shares in kind.