From $0 to $12,000 Monthly Income in 18 Months
After retiring from a 30-year engineering career, I was looking for ways to generate consistent income without depleting my retirement savings. Traditional dividend stocks were yielding 2-4%, which wasn't enough to maintain my lifestyle.
I discovered YieldMax ETFs in early 2023 through a finance forum. Initially skeptical of the high yields, I started small with a $50,000 investment split between TSLY and NVDY. The first monthly distribution exceeded my expectations.
Key Milestone: By month 6, I was generating $3,500 in monthly income. I gradually increased my position and diversified across 8 different YieldMax funds.
Today, my YieldMax portfolio of $320,000 generates approximately $12,000 per month. Yes, there's volatility, and I've seen my principal fluctuate by 20-30%, but the consistent monthly income has been life-changing.
My Current Portfolio Allocation
MSTY 25%
TSLY 20%
NVDY 20%
PLTY 15%
CONY 10%
Others 10%
My Top Lessons:
- Start small and learn how these funds behave in different market conditions
- Don't panic during principal drawdowns - focus on the income
- Diversify across multiple funds to reduce single-stock risk
- Keep 6-12 months of expenses in cash as a buffer
- Reinvest 20-30% of distributions during market dips