VIG

Matt2_ASC

I guess you could have been downvoted for your aggressive "KO sucks" line. But you are correct. VIG has outperformed KO over the past year, 5 yr and 10 yr benchmarks. KO has a P/E over average, exposure to boycotts, tariffed inputs, and other risks that an index fund just doesn't have at the same level.

Reddit4Play

If you don't know a thing about investing and want to invest in stocks then step 1 is to open a brokerage account (ideally a retirement account with some kind of tax advantages, like an IRA or Roth IRA if you live in the US). I'm not familiar with other countries, but stick with whatever passes for the big trusted brokers wherever you live like Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, or Merill. The last thing you want is for some Chinese fintech startup to abscond with your retirement money. Stocks and funds composed of multiple stocks all go by "tickers," or abbreviations. It's generally agreed that you won't go wrong putting your money in large diversified stock funds like VOO (largest 500 US companies) or VT (entire world stock index). Most of their value over time will come from a rising market value if you choose to sell your shares back to the market. If you'd prefer something more like a second salary (income) instead then you may prefer something like SCHD (which focuses on companies with larger payouts) or VIG (which focuses on companies which grow their payouts more over time). Many people say you should also diversify into assets besides stocks, so putting some of your investing money (maybe 10% or less if you're under 30 and up to 50% if you're in your 50s or later) in a bond fund like BNDW is worth considering. Overall this will invest your money in a wide variety of assets so that you can receive an average profit based on their performance over time. Don't use money you think you might need in the next 5 years to invest in stocks. Prices will fluctuate unpredictably and selling when prices are low because you suddenly need the money is how you lose a lot of money forever. You may hear about "diversification," which is protecting your investments from bad luck by owning lots of different things. Each of these funds has hundreds of unique assets in it so owning just one or two of the funds is plenty of diversification. It's very difficult to get a better return than the market average you'll get from one of these funds, but it is possible if you work hard and have a knack for investing in individual companies. If you think you might enjoy learning about it and want to try beating the average you can start with books like One Up on Wall Street and Beating the Street by Peter Lynch. He was one of the best investors of the last hundred years and his approach is very common sense. Start with just a few companies you think might excel with just 1 or 2% of your money in each. You'll make a lot of mistakes at first and it's better to lose 1 or 2% than 10 or 20%. You'll also get a lot of benefit from a more numbers-based approach, which you can start learning about in a book like The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham or Aswath Damodaran's corporate finance and asset valuation courses on YouTube. After you've invested 10-30 companies over the course of 5 or 10 years and finished several of those books and courses you'll know for sure if you're cut out for individual stock investing or should stick to the large diversified funds.

anonkraken

My options allocation is about 30%. The rest rides in safe boring shit like VOO, VIG and SCHD. Never enter a single options position with more than 7.5% of NAV.

Realistic_trader9489

If you want to earn some regular income through ETFs, you can look at dividend ETFs or bond ETFs. Dividend ETFs invest in companies that pay out dividends regularly, while bond ETFs invest in bonds that give interest payments. Some popular choices are Vanguard’s Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) or iShares’ U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG). Just make sure to check their fees, how they’ve performed in the past, and whether they match your risk level and financial goals before investing.

Digital-Doc-777

If that is the goal, then try this: Stability: VTI Balance and diversity: VIG, SCHD, crypto, gold/silver Conservative growth: SCHG

ace_OO7_

The most I ever had was about 500 every day the market was open but I hated my life because I worked too much. I put it in SCHD, VOO,VIG, and a few dividend stocks but have since sold the SCHD. In hindsight, I probably should have just done VOO, VIG, or QQQ. Dividend funds tend to underperform the S&P 500.

EveryPassage

VIG, certainly not immune but much less into hot tech companies.

srfdriver99

Annuities are a bad idea - it's why there's such a massive industry invested on trying to sell them to people. It's a ripoff. Keep a certain amount in bonds or CDs (fixed-income, but you don't need a SMA). Put the rest in stocks. You need to do the math to figure out how much you need in fixed-income and how much can go in stocks. Keep in mind that having a portion of the stock pile invested in dividend-focused funds such as VIG or SCHD may be a good alternative to generate more income in your retirement without having to sell off shares. If your husband has a pension, and you're going to be drawing on Social Security, the amount you will need to be pulling every month to pay the bills will be lower. You need to write out a budget before you need to be worried about SMAs and other such nonsense. Figure out what the gap is between the pension+social security on the one side and your expenditures on the other. That really _should_ be a reachable number. 600k should generate at least 24k/yr of income ($2k/mo) and the gap really shouldn't be that large. Do not pay for a financial advisor that charges percentage-based fees like 1% a year. Find someone who is a fiduciary that charges based on the actual work they do that will help you structure your retirement and deal with RMDs and so forth.

ShamWowGuy

Depends on a lot of factors. I just bought a decent position in UPS on a mean reversion + high div bet. I have VIG, VYMI, DGRO and will be adding PFE and other individual beat down high div stocks soon

srfdriver99

Well, for large cap value, VTV exists. So take a gander at this chart: https://totalrealreturns.com/s/VFINX,VYM,VIG,SCHD,VTV Dividend appreciation and the extra criteria SCHD has seem like better strategies than raw value, though there are periods on this chart where VTV is winning. > I tried doing a covered call strategy on my own a few years ago with various degrees of success. I think you need to have pretty good market timing in order for it to be successful- and a pretty good read on macro currents. I don’t believe that an ETF which does a covered call strategy automatically is a winning strategy. Strong agree. I'd be interested in seeing a couple of actively managed covered call ETFs rather than these gimmicky indexed ones. I suspect one that focuses on dividend-paying value companies and intentionally selects dates that avoid earnings spikes could outperform buy and hold (on those stocks, not necessarily the market as a whole).

srfdriver99

Dividend investment would be _far_ better if it wasn't for the tax treatment causing a lot of companies to do share buybacks instead. Unfortunately, buybacks aren't nearly as reliable as dividends (not that dividends are _inherently_ reliable, but a number of companies make it a goal to not cut the dividend or maintain a particular minimum dividend payout) so it's very difficult to do sensible buyback-oriented investing. There are some ETFs that attempt to do this like PKB and DIVB, and [as you can see PKB has not done well.](https://totalrealreturns.com/s/VFINX,VYM,VIG,SCHD,PKB,DIVB) As long as this persists, dividend investing is always going to have returns which are meaningfully divergent from that of the broader market, for good or ill. In a year where tech is taking a bloodbath, the dividend approach will outperform. In a tech boom year, the dividend approach will underperform. (Most of the big tech companies do buybacks rather than dividends, or pay out small dividends compared to how much they do with buybacks.)

srfdriver99

Yep, SPYI is terrible, but you should look at something like VYM, VIG, or SCHD for a "traditional" dividend ETF, not the covered-call ETFs. These are just normal ETFs that invest in dividend-paying stocks using some criteria or another. https://totalrealreturns.com/s/VFINX,VYM,VIG,SCHD But as you can see, the max drawdowns are very similar. VYM did a poor job of recovering after the pandemic dip, but the dividend funds outperformed in 2022-2023 before the S&P 500 recovered in 2024. I would argue that these are reasonable selections, unlike the covered call ETFs (jury's still out on the approach taken by XDTE and XDTY).

Jimbo5204

You could go with VIG, that way if the market dips you can reinvest dividends at a discount. These companies are typically less volatile as well. Just keep taxes in mind if youre in a taxable account.

Plastic_Permission81

make bears -115 not because they are more favored, but just to add some VIG

lsbhavani

Your portfolio planning must take into account your current age and longevity of your life ahead. Your thought of investing in dividend growth stocks is a good one. Vanguard has an ETF that fits your bill well (VIG). Pair it with six months of living expenses (money market funds) and two years worth of living expenses in an “unknown - unknown” contingency fund in a Vanguard tax-free municipal bond fund (intermediate). Then you can be on auto pilot for the foreseeable future. Good luck 👍

Emotional_Mud9557

VIG

RedLegionGaming

I’ve redone my portfolio a bit since then, swapped IJR for AVUV, VIG and VYM -> DIVB/DGRO. Also included some SPMO and SCHG for growth. I like that they’re growth oriented and somewhat more diverse than QQQ/VGT.

VGT-01

Bro said HOOD and RDDT are conservative 😭😭😭 and the three other stocks are literally top 10 S&P holdings by weight VIG is ultra conservative VOO is broad and moderate VGT would be quasi-aggressive with tech exposures, QQQ is moderately less risk when it comes to the index. OP doesn’t have to lever up at this time he can just ride it all out in index funds if his time horizon is greater than 5 years for the majority of the drawdown.

Caterpillar69420

In my 401k retirement account, I have almost 50% in VGT equivalent (VITAX) then some VYM/VIG equivalent since i dont know which is better so I have both equally. They should smooth out down turns About 15% in money market fund so i can "buy the dips". I don't have VOO. I think tech will carry the market. But they drop fast too, just look at April 2025. Make sure you can handle the "loss". VGT was down almost 25% in april.

Dmane187

How would you rate this portfolio with emphasis on long-term growth and income? FSPGX-33.33% VOO-33.33% VIG-33.33% What could be added, adjusted or removed to strengthen this portfolio? New to investing, hungry to learn.

Caterpillar69420

VGT VIG VYM. Not equal weight.

ra__account

I would absolutely go VOO rather than VIG in your shoes. You're going risky by putting in individual stocks, which can be fine at your age if you have risk appetite, but then dragging down performance but putting in a lower return ETF.

zjjman1

I’m willing to take a risk but I want to make wise choices as well. Should I sell my VIG?

ra__account

VIG historically underperforms VOO. https://schrts.co/csVFcTxk I can only link to a 5 year chart but it goes back further. I would also recommend going 100% VOO but if you are willing to take a risk, you could do worse, though I wouldn't touch OKLO in your circumstance. Way too speculative and hard to predict that market, even though it's memeing now.

Emotional_Mud9557

40% in VUG, 40% in VIG, and 20% in BTC. Start adding 10% of your pay every week that way.

GalacticThievery

Keep it simple - VTI, QQQM, VIG

homestead_sensible

VTSAX is aboot 30% of portfolio followed by VIG which probably makes up 15%. i have some VYM i purchased before i understood basis. (all approximations) i also have ET, KO and a few petrol stocks. I generally avoid REITs just because I worknin housing, so understand risks and profits, cycles & volatilities involved. I feel I'm deep enough in real estate since 100% of my income is from property management. not a rebuttal. I'm all ears. just expanding on topic.

Emotional_Mud9557

Definitely moving into dividend stocks. I've seen a real increase in VIG and SCHD.

Dirk_The_Cowardly

VIG....VOO's annoying bud

First-Finger4664

Those 3 funds are more or less the same thing (VTI is weighted by market cap, so it is largely composed of the stocks in VOO/SPY), so just pick one of them. After several years of historic returns, the US market is severely overvalued and poised for a decade of poor returns (i.e. a big crash followed by a return to more normal growth). You would do well to put some money in something like VEA or VIGI (international large cap growth/blend) or VWO (emerging markets) so that your portfolio better weathers a downturn. Investing in lower-performing but lower-volatility equities, and regularly rebalancing between them during downturns, actually leads to *better* long-term performance - you can do some simple backtesting online using different mixes of VOO, VYM, and VIG to convince yourself this is true.

DifferentSwing3149

Just retired, got JEPQ, JEPI, GPIX, GPIQ, SCHD, VIG, VOO, SGOV to collect some monthly passive income. Still have some growth funds but adjusted right before retirement to about 50/50 now

Hot-Hurry3199

VIG

bleezerfreezer

Agree 100%. For OP - some of the dividend funds I suggest for your Roth: VYM, VIG, SCHD, DGRW, DGRO, VNQ, QQQ. My favorite is SCHD. Great yield + growth balance, strong total returns. Its made me a ton of money.

Hot-Hurry3199

VIG and VUG, not VOO

Walden_Walkabout

AAPL, MSFT, QQQ, SCHD, VIG I have started moving away from individual stocks and focusing on ETFs. That said, I have a rule to not bet against Microsoft and Apple, so I haven't sold them off and they remain my largest positions.

Scared_Ad3355

I like your perspective. I think I will not touch that VIG now. Thank you!

Unlucky-Clock5230

It is a nothing sandwich. the 10-year return on VIG was 211%, and 232% for VTI. While one total-returned more than the other, the difference is not all that big. $150k here and $1m there means you didn't put a whole lot into VIG to begin with.

gutter_loaf

I mean honestly it doesn’t sound like you made any major blunder here. Slightly less optimal decision = still made you a millionaire. That said, VIG isn’t trash … it just emphasizes dividend growth, which isn’t wrong for your age, just maybe not as tax-efficient in a taxable account when total return was the goal. You still picked solid, low-cost ETFs. You didn’t YOLO into Dogecoin at age 40. You did fine. Better than fine. Now that you're 49 and planning to work another 20+ years, I’d consider gradually shifting from VIG to VTI if you’re confident in your tax bracket staying the same or dropping. Spreading sales over several years (like your $7K/year idea) could help minimize the tax bite and smooth out market timing risk. Also, check if you have any capital loss carryovers or tax-loss harvesting opportunities to offset gains. If your salary allows, you could even increase retirement account contributions to offset gains from VIG sales.

lorenzchaos

You were not too young. It does not matter that much. VIG has slightly different risk profile so if its return turned out lower it does not mean it is an inferior investment. You would not post it if VIG turned higher return. Dividends growth means the companies a more stable and conservative, which reduces RISK and also possibly return. Following your logic you could have put it all into Growth or Nasdaq and would outperform VTI too. Ah oh such a mistake to invest in VTI. Basically you portfolio had very slightly more conservative tilt. Many even diversify with bonds. You also need to look at total return which includes dividends, which if were reinvested back in VIG would produce higher return.

Scared_Ad3355

Yes, if I sell all my VIG, the taxes will be only for long term capital gains so 15%. I guess I could sell all my VIG at the end of the year and use the money of the sale to pay taxes in early 2026?

WeenisWrinkle

The Boglehead philosophy is a 3 fund portfolio. VIG is not part of that.

jakechance

First of all don’t beat yourself up. This isn’t a big mistake, just a less than ideal allocation of capital I.e. you could have had more money. The first thing to do is figure out what allocation and risk tolerance you have. If you’re familiar with Bogelheads, you’re likely familiar with a VTI, VXUS, BND portfolio. One option is to treat VTI and VIG combined as your US equities and invest new money to achieve your ratio of those three funds. Use the dividends to rebalance as well.  If you really want to simplify things, figure out how much VIG you can sell before you trigger add on taxes like the Net Investment Income Tax. I’m assuming all your gains are long term and you’re firmly in the 15% long term tax rate (I.e. don’t qualify for the 0% or 20%). Keep in mind that taxes are a drag but in order to pay them, you must be making more money than them. It’s only slightly inefficient to pay them at certain times vs others. 

CmdrChesticle

If you’re paying taxes on the dividends than obviously you are in a taxable account. Selling shares of VIG will trigger long-term capital gains, which is a lower rate. Personally, if you know you want to ditch it all, I would just sell it and then withdraw 20% for federal, whatever percent for state, and just send it as estimated tax and be done with it (this is very easy online). Or you could use the dividends to buy VTI. Or a combination. Whatever works.

False_Objective2576

I have VOO VUG VIG VBR VDE VHT VBIAX MGC VTI and a-lot of Schawb, T Rowe Price, Fidelity, Janus, and a couple other M/F that the name escapes me. Vanguard funds with very low expenses along with Schwab would provide you with a great diversifacation.

Efficient_Pomelo_583

There are a lot of dividend founds. You can't just put every one in the same basket. Look at VIG for example, it seeks to increase the dividends but without sacrificing growth (it holds MSFT, V, MA...)

Newbiewhitekicks

Remove JEPI, SCHD, and VIG. SPY and VOO are the same thing. Keep VOO. Add a small cap and an international and you’ll have a fairly diversified portfolio without the performance and tax drag.

therealjerseytom

I'd drop JEPI, SCHD, and VIG. Especially if this is a taxable account, but in general really. VOO and SPY are the same thing, just pick one or the other. If you want to be all-in on the US, you could just be all VOO.

Extra-Ad-1513

Pulled 275k at the end of 2024. Have put about 35k back in to VTI/SCHG/VGT/VIG/BX/IBIT. Will just keep bolstering those positions like a motherfucker when I see red.

False_Objective2576

Go with Vanguard, look at VOO, VIG, VUG , VTI, VBIAX. A starter Kit, maybe a conservative approach with a $1,000 each along with a $100 per monthly auto investment to dollar cost average into the possible volatile market. When the market is down you are buying in cheap, and it could be a slow growth for years is perfect for young long term investors. It is like a race and if you have children definitely go with VOO for them, all of that birthday or rewards money right in.

Initial-Resist-9774

Its volatility fills me with anxiety. After I get our brokerage back to 100k in VGT/VTI/VIG I’m going to take some risks for sure. Made a decent chunk off OKLO and the PLTR dip this year.

Initial-Resist-9774

Pulled 275k for a bit of a gain. Put it all into SNSXX. Earning about a grand a month. Using that interest to build a 3 fund with 40/40/20 VGT/VTI/VIG along with any additional money from paychecks. Will start pulling 5k a week to put into those three funds as soon as the tariff pause ends 7/9

Emotional_Mud9557

I sort of agree. I am waiting until the numbers come out for the Summer. Either it will be good and stocks will go up, or it will be disappointing and I can buy cheaper. I plan on having my finger on the buy button when the big box numbers start coming out. If it is disappointing I am waiting a few weeks, if they are good and have good future expectations I will hit the buy button. I like personally like VIG which is income and growth combined with reinvestment (DRIP) turned on. After a year, I can start selling some that were purchased over a year ago and pay less in taxes due to long-term appreciation. Definitely important since it is not in an IRA. This is not investment advice and I am not a licensed broker.

Merchant1010

For the younger age people, I would like to suggest rather than going for $VOO and $VIG, until you are 30s or have kids, you should go for ETFs like JEPQ and JEPI. Good luck, glad that you are starting on the path of investing early.

sirzoop

VIG and VIGI are probably the best. Add some SCHD Reinvesting the dividends depends on the broker you use. Do you have an account set up already?

GaylrdFocker

>VOO, VTI, VOOG, VIG - yes there will be some overlap Add in the Small cap and REIT they have and it would all balance out the same as having only VTI. If Value is up, but Growth is down then the total market fund goes up a portion, or vice versa. If you want to overweight 1 sector sure, but when you buy all the sectors separately it makes no sense over just a Total Market fund.

cheekytikiroom

I read the overlap argument all the time, but index funds are predominant for a handful of companies anyways. So there will very often be overlap, although in varying percentages. VOO, VTI, VOOG, VIG - yes there will be some overlap, some companies in all 4. But at different percentages with different goals, and different levels of volatility.

Matt2_ASC

I moved some investments from VIG to VGK. That gave me a +20% difference YTD. I also moved some VXF to CDs and Bonds at 4.5% rates. VXF is down YTD so I have saved myself some percentage points there too. I've continued to buy S&P funds in my 401k (got my annual bonus in April). So I'm very happy with my moves. I figure I gave myself an additional year of retirement.

helpwithsong2024

So it doesn't really provide income. I used to have like 20% of my investments in VIG and VYM but after some research I realized dividends are just forced distributions I have to pay tax on. Not fun. I love when I get them, makes me feel giddy, but it's all reinvested and I'd only start using it as income in retirement.

KPS-UK77

Nothing at the moment but probably just the VGT or VIG It doesn't but its a little difficult to get excited about less growth when you've seen btc do a 9000% growth in 8 years and was dumb enough to miss it even though you knew about it.

DifferentSwing3149

Retired and my Dividend ETF's are VIG, SCHD, JEPI AND JEPQ. Plus I have VZ stock.

Sensitive_Ganache_27

Came back to stock and my portfolio is pretty similar, only missing QQQ. Coworkers told me to add VGT, VUG, VYM, and VIG. I'm more heavily invested in crypto, lol.

ace_OO7_

I’m not a big fan of tesla and I dumped my only defense stock, Lockheed Martin. Costco is good. I got the idea for it from Charlie Munger. I bought a very small handful of shares a while ago and it’s up about 70%. They are still adding new stores and it’s an international company. They have stores in several countries. I have a bunch of VOO, VIG, and am building up a position in XLK. I had some SCHD but after learning how to analyze companies I realized they are mostly terrible companies and I dumped the entire position at the bottom of the tariff panic to buy other stuff. I have a small number of other individual stocks too most of which have treated me very well. I don’t really have any plans for adding new stocks, just adding to existing ones when I can get a good deal. I also have a bunch of TBIL. I’m kind of ADD when it comes to investing.

RenataRomano21db

VIG or SCHD are good options for diividend-focused ETFs.

VendaGoat

Imagine you're a gambler. And for years you go through whomever to take your bets. Years upon decades of good faith between the two of you. You pay what you owe, they charge you a service fee to hold your debt. Interest or VIG, in other words. For whatever reason, you decide to go balls deep into some whack job of a fucking bet, you now owe huge. (YUGE!) Now your creditors are still ok, because hey, you're still paying them. But they notice you just sold your boat. Your motorcycle is on the front lawn with a for sale sign on it. They dig a little deeper and find out you sold your vacation home at a discount, quickly. And then you don't return their phone call, in a timely fashion. That's about where we are at right now. Now, these are not dumb people. These are very serious, sound minded people, who really only care about their money. They've seen this a thousand times before. Again, they are still getting paid, but they want to know for how long that is going to last. What happens when you don't pay the book keeper their money? Welcome to the bond market.

Lanky-Custard-3410

Fully in on the AI hype and read some article talking about quantum computing and what it could potentially do. Bought a couple of boomer stocks like HON and IBM, IONQ and RGTI I think are newer. Bought META because of some schizoid rationalization. COST because of the hotdogs. SCHD and VIG to temper the irrational thoughts. MGIC, I honestly have no idea what they do, but I think it has something to do with computers.

Dizzy_Win_

If you're asking that question you have some research to do before you put any money into the market. VOO or SPY if you don't want anything specific. QQQ if you want tech stock growth specifically. VUN if you don't trust the ridiculous growth of the top stocks and prefer the stability of the total US market. VOOG if you're young and want long term growth over the next 40 years. VIG for dividends and stability if you're approaching retirement (50+ years old). Or just put it all into Tesla and join 90% of this sub behind your local Wendy's in a few months.

Apprehensive_Row6320

I’m 38. I have about 50k invested this way. 30k Money market account 15k in these three funds: schg, VIG , qqm And 5k in my personal play stock fund I am thinking of getting rid of the mma and putting it into more high growth funds. Thoughts and recommendations ?

Apprehensive_Row6320

I put my long term savings into these 3 funds: VIG SCHD QQQM I’m thinking about dis investing from VIG and putting it into VOO or another growth fund. Thoughts and recommendations?

Good-Bid-7325

With oil prices being down temporarily, it's actually a great time to be investing into oil and gas stocks. Even if you don't care about the timing, the big energy companies reliably pay out great dividends and they partly act as a proxy for energy prices which can work well for diversification outside of equities. Meanwhile VIG's top 3 positions are AAPL, MSFT and AVGO. They are great companies with solid share price appreation and dividend growth. But their starting yield is so low that you can barely consider them as dividend stocks.

NoMorning5015

SCHD gets all the love around here, I'm going to put in a plug for VIG. SCHD has a huge exposure to oil and gas and VIG is more diversified.

ILuvAnneHathaway

5% SCHD - dividend value 5% VIG - dividend growth 10% VB - small cap blend 10% AVUV - small cap value 10% BND - bonds 15% SCHG - tech growth 20% VXUS - international 25% VTI - total market How’s this ?

ILuvAnneHathaway

How’s this new one ? 5% SCHD - dividend value 5% VIG - dividend growth 10% VB - small cap blend 10% AVUV - small cap value 10% BND - bonds 15% SCHG - tech growth 20% VXUS - international 25% VTI - total market

CanYouPleaseChill

You can invest in a dividend growth ETF like VIG instead. It only holds companies that have consistently raised their dividends for at least a decade.

nancy_necrosis

Exactly. I would argue that Trump is killing the economy because no one will do business in the US while he is in charge. Partly because he is so erratic, partly because he will destroy businesses who don't bend the knee, and partly because he wants his VIG. No one wants to hold onto dollars because he is intentionally weakening it. No one wants to spend money because the future seems so unstable and dark. He is the problem.

Dagobot78

Ok so i just looked up some quick dividend aristocrat ETFs…. I don’t like the expense rations on any of these… even vanguards. Yes it’s only 0.06%… but with 1.8% dividend, that’s 3% of your growth gone…. But you have options: NOBL, SDY, VIG, DGRO… to name a few. I personally would look at the list of companies and pick the top 5 in familiar with that are close to best of breed.

LettersFromTheSky

I have most of mine in VIG stock, an index fund. Up still quite a bit. It's basically a monthly amount and forget about it type investing.

Street-Wear-2925

Well, there's also the US National Debt which is held by Foreign countries. (8.5 trillion) China alone holds almost 800 billion. It's being weaponized against the tariffs, if I'm reading correctly. I wonder what the VIG is? Ha, ha,, ha!

Dysentery--Gary

I'm doing 80% cash, 20% SPLV, VIG, and SPYD.

SnS2500

\> I don't really know what my portfolio should look like in a buy and hold scenario That's what you have to figure out. 85%+ or so of funds and retail investors underperform VOO, so if you choose something other than VOO at this point, you should have a strong conviction in that thing. VIG is useless to someone your age. Dividends themselves don't matters. After tax total return does. Getting dividends and having to pay taxes on them is inevitable, but you should not be seeking them out, not for 45 years or so anyway...

ralphy1010

vanguard has a cash plus account with a pretty good rate on the MM if you pick VSUXX, only a $3k min for the MM option vs the high yield that has zero min balance. , cd would lock in the rates but I dont see them going down much just yet, similar for tbills. tbh something like SCHD or VIG might be the way to go and drip the dividends back into the etf for more shares. This market might be a giant fucking crab party the next few years with limited growth overall in the markets both are down about 12% at the moment over the last month, where the bottom is only can only speculate.

BurnBabyBurn54321

The current market notwithstanding, I did very well with Vanguard’s Dividend appreciation fund VIG. I made sure to select reinvesting any dividends. I am not saying to only buy this, buy. I have this and some targeted index funds.

ViskaRodd

In my traditional, long term portfolio (401k), the way I buy the dip is just rebalancing the portfolio. When things were expensive after election and everything ran up (bitcoin included), and everyone was super bullish, I sold growth (QQQ) and bought dividends (VIG). To buy the dip, you simply reverse this. Same can be done for under or overallocating to fixed income. When things are expensive, allocated to a shorter term target date fund. Or 30% to bonds instead of 20%, then during periods of panic, buy a longer dated target date fund or allocate 10% to fixed income instead of 20%. You don’t need to have cash to buy the dip. There are other ways to shift exposures.

JustAnotherBoomer

I am 70 and still in the market. So far, I have lost 50k during this downturn and would not be surprised if I lose 50k more. My biggest worry is that it will stay down for years. We in the USA have really stepped in it this time. I did sell 180k worth of VOO in 2024 and spent it all on SCHD. I still have about 280k of VIG and about 75k of VOO. Across all three ETFs, I still have 700k. But now, the portfolio is more dividend focused, and I will getting about 5k per quarter. So far, I have been reinvesting it, but that could change. I need to see this country change course. However, it is important to remember my house is paid off,.. I receive a government pension and SS. So I should be OK.

JustAnotherBoomer

I am 70 and still in the market. So far, I have lost 50k during this downturn and would not be surprised if I lose 50k more. My biggest worry is that it will stay down for years. We in the USA have really stepped in it this time. I did sell 180k worth of VOO in 2024 and spent it all on SCHD. I still have about 280k of VIG and about 75k of VOO. Across all three ETFs, I still have 700k. But now, the portfolio is more dividend focused, and I will getting about 5k per quarter. So far, I have been reinvesting it, but that could change. I need to see this country change course. However, it is important to remember my house is paid off, I receive a government pension and SS. So I should be OK.

deciquio76

VIG and VXF ETFs are on my shopping list.

NoMorning5015

there's more diversity, especially in the top 10, of the VIG than schd. schd is 20% oil, compared to 3% in vig. I also like the top 10 companies inVIG a lot more than SCHD--I think there's better overall capital appreciation in there.

NoMorning5015

doing some window shopping for dividend etfs and I know schd is likely the popular choice around here, but VIG looks really good to me. anyone in it?

Unusual_Fun_5241

With $505,000, aiming to generate $3,000/month in passive income, you could consider diversifying across a mix of investments. Since you're already using Treasury Bills, which offer safety but lower returns, you could also invest in Dividend ETFs like Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) or Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) for reliable income, along with REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) for higher yields, such as Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ). Adding bond ETFs like Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) can provide stability. A balanced portfolio, for example, 30% in T-Bills, 30% in Dividend ETFs, 20% in REITs, and 20% in bonds, could help meet your income goals while preserving capital.

Zoltarswim

You might want to look into some CEFs (closed end funds). There are a couple that are pretty stable and pay a monthly dividend. GOF has a fantastic yield with pretty good stability. BST also pays 8%, however it has moved around a lot more. At 505k, GOF would pay $5914 per month. Of course taxes would be due. I don't believe it is a qualified dividend. BST would pay $3704 per month if you put your full value into it. Maybe find another two or a combination of these with some better growth/dividend options like VIG or VYM(less beta) to hit your targets. Do your research. I have watched GOF for 10 years,and it is in my longterm plan for yield without principal degradation. I have held both of these in 3-4 year stints as well(not a true longterm test, but the charts hold up). Run your compounding numbers as well. If you hit your yield goals and you don't pull out the full dividend, you will see the snowball grow. Good luck.

Party_Shoe104

Who cares about interest rates.? Buy a $350K property in cash, turn it into an AirBnB/vacation rental (use $50K to do that) or a long-term rental, and dump the remaining $100K into an ETF fund. ETFs are less risky than purchasing 1 stock, as they are a basket of companies. By definition, ETFs are diversified. Top 10 dividend paying ETFs according to GROK: SCHD VIG DGRO FDVV DLN SPHD VYN DVY JEPI FDV

Lingweenie2

It’s always best for new investors to focus on ETF’s/index fund. If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically many companies inside of one stock. It depends on your risk tolerance in terms of selection. Higher risk? VGT, SCHG, QQQ. Stuff like that. Moderate risk? VOO, VT, VTI. A bit more mild risk? SCHD or VIG. And the lowest risk would be maybe bonds or just straight up savings accounts with high yields. I’d focus on more aggressive ETF’s but maybe something more stable to offset volatility with it. It’s best to diversify to an extent anyway. Stick to a small handful of these for the foreseeable future. I wouldn’t test your luck with individual companies yet. After you get a solid foundational setup of ETC’s backing you up maybe. But you need to really learn a lot more about investing before. At least it would be very wise to.

Historyissuper

Something like VIG.VI will go boringly up. While something like TKD.DE can go 50% in either direction any day. This is not investment advice. Do not listen to me.

skilliard7

the data in OP is wrong then, because neither VIG nor VTV hold Nvidia/Google.

skilliard7

Neither VIG or VTV have Nvidia, where did you get these numbers?

SphincterPolyps

The portfolio is two etfs: 70% VIG, 30% VTV. I believe the table is just the top holdings in VOO compared to the top holdings of his two two funds combined. I don't think OP actually holds individual shares in any of the individual companies.

sirzoop

SCHD VIG JEPQ no

bmeisler

I sold my VOO and bought VIG. Performs about the same, if you include the higher dividend. But it doesn’t include TSLA, PLTR, META or AMZN. I agree, there’s no such thing as ethical investing - shit, I own some tobacco stocks! All corporations are immoral to some extent. But I prefer not to support fucking Nazis, or those who aid and abet them. Actually, I can think of one major corporation that might be ethical, and OP owns some - COST. They pay their employees well, and stood up to the bullies and retained their DEI policy.

Skol-Man14

Should I sell my entire personal account? Selling my personal account and moving it into my Roth? Looks like I'd have a small loss of $25 and I'd hold onto a few specific stocks like Visa and NVDA in my personal account so I don't trigger any tax events. Then I'd max out the Roth IRA at 90% VOO, 5% NVDA, 2.5 % VIG, 2.5% FBTC I have less than $4k in the personal account and haven't maxed out the roth yet, so i should be okay. Also, I wasnt the greatest investor starting out and have some overlap id get rid of this way.

Ok-Race-4452

My favorites are: VOO, VTV, VV, VUG, VYM and VIG..... I

Florlawless

The most durable industries over the next 20–30 years will be tech (AI, cloud, semiconductors) with Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Nvidia leading, alongside Apple for consumer tech. Retail giants like Walmart and Costco will dominate physical commerce, while healthcare and biotech (UnitedHealth, Eli Lilly, Moderna) will thrive as populations age. Energy is a wildcard, but renewables (NextEra, Brookfield), electrification (Schneider Electric), and oil (Exxon, Chevron) will stay relevant. Defense and cybersecurity (Lockheed, Palantir, CrowdStrike) will grow due to global tensions, while water (American Water Works) and logistics (Prologis, Equinix) are essential. VOO remains a strong core, while QQQ offers tech growth, and SCHD/VIG provide dividend stability.