Investing early and often can be an effective way to set yourself up for a great retirement.
Living off dividend income can be a great goal to strive for in retirement. Expenses are often lower during your retirement years, and generating $50,000 in annual dividends can help you live comfortably.
And while that is not a small amount of dividend income, generating that much in the future may not be as daunting of a challenge as it appears to be. Here's a look at how investing $50 per week can help fund your retirement years.
Investing in growth is the best option to build up your portfolio
Dividend stocks can be safe options for investors on a fixed income who need stability. But if you're looking at an investing period the spans decades, then growth stocks can be a much better option for you. That's because while there might be volatility and bad years along the way, that should balance out over the long term.
A great example is the performance of the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ 0.15%), which gives investors exposure to the top 100 nonfinancial stocks on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The tech-heavy fund includes big names such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. Over the past 10 years, its total returns (including dividends) have totaled 407%. That averages out to a compounded annual growth rate of 17.6% -- well above the long-run average of the S&P 500, which is close to 10%.
The fund is a good place to invest, especially if you're unsure of which stock(s) to put your money into. It can simplify your investing strategy, making it easier to set aside money every week into the fund.
Getting your portfolio to $1 million is the key
Before you can rely on dividend income, you first need a fairly large portfolio balance. And you can build it up over the years by investing just $50 per week (assuming minimal or no commission costs).
This chart shows you how, over a period of 30 years, investing $50 every week could grow your portfolio to more than $1 million.
Chart by author.
Assuming a 15% annual growth rate (on average), a $50 per-week investment could grow to a value of more than $1.5 million after 30 years. And it would take a little more than 27 years for it to hit the $1 million mark.
Averaging such a high growth rate may be challenging, but even if it's not quite that high, you could still end up close to or over $1 million. And with a growth-focused fund such as the Invesco QQQ Trust, you can maximize your odds of achieving those kinds of returns without having to take on much risk in the process.
The next step is to invest in dividend stocks
If you get your portfolio to $1 million or more, you've accomplished the hard part. Once you've got a balance that high, you can put it to work by investing it into high-yielding dividend stocks. During your retirement years, you'll likely want to move away from growth stocks anyway, and into less volatile investments. And the higher that balance gets, the less of a dividend yield you'll need to generate some significant income.
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. With a lower portfolio balance of $1 million, you would need to target an average yield of 5%.
Invest early and often for the best results
Amid inflation and rising interest rates, it's not an easy time to find money to invest in stocks. But if you can find a way to cut $50 per week out of your budget to invest into a diversified fund such as the Invesco QQQ Trust, it can pay off in droves for you later in life.
John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends Nasdaq. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
FAQs
And if you've got a large portfolio totaling more than $1.1 million, your dividend income could come in around $50,000 per year. By then, there could be other dividend-focused ETFs to choose from.
How do you get 50k dividend? ›
Assuming the average annual dividend yield to be 7%*, you would need to invest INR 85,00,000 to get approximately INR 50,000 per month. *The average dividend rate is calculated from the top 15 dividend-yielding stocks.
How to invest $50,000 dollars for quick return? ›
5 ways to invest $50,000 right now
- Build a diversified investment portfolio. ...
- Invest in real estate. ...
- Invest in stocks and shares. ...
- Open a high-interest savings accounts. ...
- Invest your money for your retirement.
How to invest $50,000
- Look into investment accounts. ...
- Explore low-cost investments. ...
- Consider diversifying your assets. ...
- Max out your retirement accounts. ...
- Optimize for tax implications. ...
- Invest for more than retirement. ...
- Chat with an advisor.
If it means to pay for 'all' expenses, then no for the 'average' person. For the wealthy it is possible. so at $3025/mo you would need * 12 months = $36,300 of yearly dividends to cover your living. so with investment of $1,210,000 and an average of 3% in dividend payments this is possible.
How much will I need to invest to live off dividends? ›
How Much Money You Need to Retire on Dividends. As a rough rule of thumb, you can multiply the annual dividend income you wish to generate by 22 and by 28 to establish a reasonable range for how much you need to invest to live off dividends.
Are dividend stocks worth it? ›
Yes, there are a lot of advantages. However, there's also a price to pay for those benefits. The most obvious advantage of dividend investing is that it gives investors extra income to use as they wish. This income can boost returns by being reinvested or withdrawn and used immediately.
Are dividends free money? ›
Dividends might feel like free money, but they're not. They're paid out of a company's earnings, which means a dividend reduces the company's ability to fund future investment—including research, equipment upgrades, development of new products, and employee compensation.
How do you get paid dividends every month? ›
You can earn monthly dividend income in a few ways:
- Buy an ETF that pays monthly.
- Buy a stock that pays monthly.
- Stagger quarterly paying dividend stocks.
If you're investing for a near-term goal, you'll likely want to have more exposure to safer investments such as bonds and bond funds, CDs and high-yield savings accounts. These alternatives offer regular income and help reduce the risk and volatility in your portfolio.
A sum of $50,000 in cash can earn about $195 a year in an average bank savings account or as much as $2,300 if you put it into a high-quality corporate bond fund. Other options include money market accounts, money market funds, certificate of deposits and government and corporate bonds.
How to earn $500 per day with investment? ›
Tracking daily news and comprehending the same will help traders to pick stocks with momentum and place their trading bets accordingly. Trading in momentum stocks will increase the probability of making profits, thus adding to their daily income. This is another way one can earn Rs. 500 daily from the stock market.
What is the smartest thing to do with a lump sum of money? ›
Saving with a savings account
Cash savings are always popular with people who want to put away a lump sum and earn interest over a long period of time. This can be a very good way to save for things without taking on bigger levels of risk.
Where is the best place to put a lump sum of money UK? ›
By holding your lump sum in a cash savings account, as opposed to investing it in the stock market, you won't run the risk of your money falling in value just before you need to access it.
Where is the safest place to put a large sum of money? ›
Storing your lump sum wisely
A savings account is a common choice, offering a secure place to keep your money while earning some interest. There are several types of savings accounts designed to cater to different needs and goals.
How much capital do you need to live off investments? ›
Generally, financial advisors suggest having enough invested to generate 25 to 30 times your annual living expenses. For example, if you aim to cover $50,000 in yearly expenses, you might need $1.25 million to $1.5 million in investments.
Can a dividend be made out of capital? ›
A capital dividend is a type of dividend that is drawn from a company's capital base, as opposed to its retained earnings. Regular dividends are paid from earnings, representing a share of the profits, and are a sign of good financial health as the company has the ability to distribute additional earnings.
How is capital dividend account calculated? ›
The non-taxable portion of the total gain realized by the company is then added to the capital dividend account (CDA), which is then distributed to shareholders. The balance in the CDA increases by 50% of any capital gains a company makes and decreases by 50% of any capital losses incurred by the company.
