50-Year-Old Investor Craves 8%+ Yield, Snubs Ford, Chases Durable Dividends – 'I Am Willing To Consider Anything' For Monthly Income

In today's unpredictable market, investors seeking high yields need to balance risk and reward carefully. With rising volatility, inflation concerns, and fluctuating interest rates, a well-diversified portfolio is crucial to sustaining durable income.

For income-focused investors, especially those nearing, or in retirement, capital preservation and dividend sustainability are just as important as yield. A mix of low-volatility assets, tax-efficient strategies, and recession-resistant sectors can help counter market turbulence while delivering consistent cash flow.

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Reddit has witnessed this balance struggle in a post an investor has created. The 50-year-old poster has spent years building a high-yield portfolio in a brokerage account, but now his main goal is reliable monthly income without sacrificing the principal.

The investor is open to various asset classes such as stocks, bonds, real estate investment trusts, closed-end funds, and/or business development companies but wants to avoid yield traps and foreign stocks due to tax complications.

“I need durable income. [Ford Motor Company F] is a no, it's a yield trap and has been for years. [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF SCHD] and [Schwab U.S. REIT ETF SCHH] are great funds, but the yield is too low. I own SCHD in my growth portfolio but continue to sell some every year as I convert to income. Also want to diversify away from options. They are great for income but tend to fluctuate as supply/demand does in down markets,” he said.

His questions to Reddit investors are what high-yield – over 8% – stocks, ETFs, or funds can sustain payouts long-term, whether there are low-risk business development companies or closed-end funds that won't cut dividends in a downturn, and how can he further diversify beyond his current holdings.

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Redditors have offered a mix of ETF recommendations, individual stock picks, and broader portfolio strategies, so let’s dive into those.

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Investor Seeks 8% or More High-Yield Holdings For Durable Income – Reddit Suggests Assets

Focus on High-Quality BDCs and CEFs for Steady Income

Several commenters recommended business development companies and closed-end funds as core holdings for high, sustainable yields.

“Two closed-end funds that I like a lot are [Eaton Vance Enhanced Equity Income Fund EOI] and [Eaton Vance Enhanced Equity Income Fund II EOS]. They have been around since 2005, have mostly favorable tax treatment on their distributions, and have had better total returns than [JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF JEPI​] and [JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF JEPQ​],” a commenter suggested.

Without adding anything else, this Redditor shared several assets for the investor to research: “[Ares Capital Corp. ARCC], [Blue Owl Capital Corp. OBDC], [Blackstone Secured Lending Fund BXSL], [Capital Southwest Corp. CSWC], [Hercules Capital HTGC], [Barings BDC BBDC], [Bain Capital Specialty Finance BCSF], [Fidus Investment Corp. FDUS], [Carlyle Secured Lending CGBD], [Sixth Street Specialty Lending TSLX].”

“On the same boat (53 years old). Started late but trying to catch up with high-yield stocks. My stocks are: [Ares Capital Corp. ARCC], [Main Street Capital Corp. MAIN​], OBDC, HTGC, [Realty Income Corp. O], [VICI Properties VICI], [Altria Group MO], and [British American Tobacco BTI]. The last two are the best performers so far,” a Reddit user wrote.

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Consider Covered-Call ETFs for Tax-Efficient Monthly Income

Given the poster’s preference for tax-efficient income, several commenters highlighted covered-call ETFs as strong options.

“[Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF KBWY], [VanEck Mortgage REIT Income ETF MORT], [NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF QQQI], JEPQ, [Goldman Sachs Nasdaq-100 Core Premium Income ETF GPIQ], [NEOS S&P 500 High Income ETF SPYI], JEPI, [Goldman Sachs S&P 500 Core Premium Income ETF GPIX], and [NEOS Russell 2000 High Income ETF IWMI] are a few. They will probably stay lower during the current volatile cycle, but should do well long term I would think,” a commenter recommended.

A user mentioned a real estate investment trust option, noting that it pays around 9.5% yield and has a 0.50% expense ratio.

“Aside from the covered call funds like JEPQ, QQQI, [TappAlpha SPY Growth & Daily Income ETF TSPY], and the like, there’s a [real estate investment trust] ETF from Hoya Capital called [Hoya Capital High Dividend Yield ETF RIET] with a 0.50% expense ratio that pays about a 9.5% yield and seems pretty steady.”

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