Can you live off dividend income?
But with the right stock portfolio, you can enjoy peace of mind as you live entirely off the dividend payments you earn. It sounds too good to be true – but it's entirely possible, and people around the world are doing it right now. You can too – it just takes a bit of education and the right tools.
If, for example, your portfolio gets to a value of $1.5 million, you could invest in a fund or multiple investments that yield an average of 3.3%. At that rate, you could generate $50,000 in annual dividends.
Once you have $1 million in assets, you can look seriously at living entirely off the returns of a portfolio. After all, the S&P 500 alone averages 10% returns per year. Setting aside taxes and down-year investment portfolio management, a $1 million index fund could provide $100,000 annually.
For example, say I need to earn $50,000 a year to live comfortably and my average dividend yield is 5%. So, I would need to own $50,000 / 0.05 = $1 million worth of shares to meet my income needs.
To generate $5,000 per month in dividends, you would need a portfolio value of approximately $1 million invested in stocks with an average dividend yield of 5%. For example, Johnson & Johnson stock currently yields 2.7% annually. $1 million invested would generate about $27,000 per year or $2,250 per month.
But the truth is you can get a 9.5% yield today--and even more. But even at 9.5%, we're talking about a middle-class income of $4,000 per month on an investment of just a touch over $500K. Below, I'll reveal how to start building a portfolio that could get you an even bigger income stream than this today.
Look for $12,000 Per Year in Dividends
To make $1,000 per month in dividends, it's better to think in annual terms. Companies list their average yield on an annual basis, not based on monthly averages. So you can make much more sense of how much you might earn if you build your numbers around annual goals as well.
In fact, statistically, around 10% of retirees have $1 million or more in savings. The majority of retirees, however, have far less saved.
Around the U.S., a $1 million nest egg can cover an average of 18.9 years worth of living expenses, GoBankingRates found. But where you retire can have a profound impact on how far your money goes, ranging from as a little as 10 years in Hawaii to more than than 20 years in more than a dozen states.
If you have $3 million saved, it's likely that you'll be able to retire comfortably. You'll need to factor in your living expenses, inflation and the expected rate of return on your investments.
Can I retire at 55 with 300k?
Can I retire at 55 with £300k? On average for a comfortable retirement, an individual will spend £43,100 a year, whilst the average couple in retirement spends £59,000 a year. This means if you retire at 55 with £300k, an individual will run out of funds in approximately 7 years, and a couple in 5 years.
The 4% rule says people should withdraw 4% of their retirement funds in the first year after retiring and remove that dollar amount, adjusted for inflation, every year after. The rule seeks to establish a steady and safe income stream that will meet a retiree's current and future financial needs.
A solid strategy is to pick somewhere between 20-40 different dividend stocks to start your portfolio with. This will help you eliminate company-specific risks. Furthering your diversification efforts, make sure no more than 25% of your portfolio is invested in any single sector.
Combined with the other investments on this list, the total you would need to invest to secure $500 in monthly dividends would be approximately $90,000.
Dividend-paying Stocks
Shares of public companies that split profits with shareholders by paying cash dividends yield between 2% and 6% a year. With that in mind, putting $250,000 into low-yielding dividend stocks or $83,333 into high-yielding shares will get your $500 a month.
With a 10% yield and monthly payout schedule, you can get to $500 a month with only $60,000 invested. That is, $6,000 per year paid on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, most stocks don't have yields anywhere near 10%. Many do have high enough yields to get you to $500 a month with diligent savings, but don't pay monthly.
A well-constructed dividend portfolio could potentially yield anywhere from 2% to 8% per year. This means that to earn $3,000 monthly from dividend stocks, the required initial investment could range from $450,000 to $1.8 million, depending on the yield.
If you were to invest in a company offering a 4% annual dividend yield, you would need to invest about $900,000 to generate a monthly income of $3000. While this might seem like a hefty sum, remember that this investment isn't just generating income—it's also likely to appreciate over time.
Portfolio Dividend Yield | Dividend Payments With $100K |
---|---|
1% | $1,000 |
2% | $2,000 |
3% | $3,000 |
4% | $4,000 |
- ARR. ARMOUR Residential REIT Inc. 19.44. -0.33. ...
- ORC. Orchid Island Capital Inc. 8.78. ...
- AGNC. AGNC Investment Corp. 9.88. ...
- OXSQ. Oxford Square Capital Corp. 3.16. ...
- EARN. Ellington Residential Mortgage REIT. 6.91. ...
- SLRC. Solar Capital Ltd. 15.36. ...
- PFLT. PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd. 11.14. ...
- MAIN. Main Street Capital Corporation. 47.32.
Do you pay taxes on dividends?
Dividends can be classified either as ordinary or qualified. Whereas ordinary dividends are taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividends that meet certain requirements are taxed at lower capital gain rates.
Stock | Forward dividend yield |
---|---|
Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) | 3.5% |
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) | 3% |
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) | 2.3% |
Home Depot Inc. (HD) | 2.4% |
While having a net worth of about $2.2 million is seen as the benchmark for being rich in America, it's essential to remember that wealth is a subjective concept. Healthy financial habits and personal perspectives on money are crucial in defining and achieving wealth.
What is the average and median retirement savings? The average retirement savings for all families is $333,940 according to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances.
Based on this, if you retire at age 65 and live until you turn 84, $1 million will probably be enough retirement savings for you. However, it's important to remember there is no one-size-fits-all amount.