Q2 2026 Dividend Portfolio Update

With another action packed quarter in the books it’s time for the Q2 2026 dividend portfolio update!

After Q1 ran red hot, before eventually cooling off in March, the markets were at a crossroads. Would they rebound with investors buying the dip? Or, would there be more profit taking and in turn more panic selling that would take us lower?

Those questions were quickly answered as investors bought the dip and pushed the markets to new highs once again.

While my dividend portfolio finished in the positive for all three months of Q2, it was a hell of a ride. Most of this volatility was driven by geopolitical headlines and social media posts. It seemed like everyday was a rollercoaster. It didn’t matter if the markets opened up big or down big because any headline or social media post could whipsaw the markets at any moment. We are not talking small moves either. Some headlines moved the markets at a 1% or 2% clip in either direction within minutes. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Social media has certainly exacerbated these moves. In case you hadn’t noticed, there is a war going on. Some of the negotiations and posturing are playing out in a very public way. Both sides are also waging a PR campaign, albeit for different reasons.

The U.S. is negotiating to win concessions while the Iranian tyrants are negotiating for their very survival. As such, they are using social media to posture, push propaganda and to keep up appearances. They have to project strength because their survival depends on it. Any sign of weakness and the repressed population will end them. Thus the laughable saber rattling social media posts.

Anyone else remember Baghdad Bob? It’s the same vibe, just on a different medium. Also, not quite as funny.

With that, it seems that every asshole who has a finance or so called “news” related X account wants to be the first to post some dramatic market moving headline. It doesn’t matter if it’s unverified or straight up propaganda they push it out as quickly as possible.

Every post starts with “Breaking News” or “Boom” or some other attention grabbing slop. The goal is to get it out there quickly so they can get their rage bait engagement. Often another headline comes out later that completely contradicts the original headline and the cycle starts over again.

Personally, I don’t care what people do or how they try to make a buck. But, if you are going to engage these folks you need to take it with a grain of salt. They are not there to inform the public, they are there to push engagement and make money. Their clickbait shouldn’t be a catalyst to make investment decisions one way or another.

Unfortunately, there is a portion of society today that is short on brain cells and long on hate. This appears to be the target audience for some of these so called “news” accounts. If they can put out a post and get these minions worked up into a lather their engagement goes through the roof as does their X payments.

I don’t fault them however. They know that these angry basement dwellers have nothing else to do but click, cry and complain. All day, every day. Their lack of understanding of what a high stakes negotiation looks like, susceptibility to propaganda and inability to control their emotions makes them the perfect marks. It’s actually quite impressive that they know their audience so well.

Anyway, let’s get back on track here.

In our last update I started trimming some holdings and exited VTRS in Q1. During Q2 I took another step and exited AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ). AT&T was one of my original holdings and by far one of my biggest disappointments.

Despite starting off well the company has been dead money for years. They cut their dividend and split into two companies. While things appear to finally be stabilizing and some growth has returned I’m no longer willing to continue on the ride. Too much disappointment for far too long. Once the stock reached a decent exit point I decided it was time to get out. In fact, I exited telecom entirely which is why VZ was also axed.

This actually turned out to be good timing. Newly public Space X decided to throw out a nugget about creating a satellite phone network which tanked these two stocks. I don’t know how it will turn out, but I’m happy to be free from whatever is coming.

With some cash in hand it was time to put it back to work.

Dividend Portfolio As Of 6/30/2026

TICKER	COMPANY	SHARES HELD	CHANGE FROM LAST UPDATE (3/31/26)
ABBV	ABBVIE INC	15.5987	0.1273
BKH	BLACK HILLS CORP	8.0722	0.0789
DOW	DOW INC	11.7388	0.1203
EPD	ENTERPRISE PRODS PART LP	9.5455	0.1329
FRT	FEDERAL RLTY INVT TR NEWREIT	7.1848	0.0731
GIS	GENERAL MILLS INC	8.0682	0.1373
IBM	IBM CORP	3.6302	0.0219
IRM	IRON MTN INC NEW REIT	14.5635	0.1206
JEPI	JPMORGAN EQUITY PREMIUM INCOME ETF	26.0427	3.5148
JEPQ	JPMORGAN NASDAQ EQUITY PREMIUM INCOME ETF	53.6256	1.5402
JNJ	JOHNSON & JOHNSON	6.8930	0.0388
KDP	KEURIG DR PEPPER INC	12.3882	0.1069
KHC	KRAFT HEINZ CO	6.3793	0.1060
KMB	KIMBERLY CLARK CORP	3.3942	1.0315
KO	THE COCA-COLA CO	2.3205	0.0161
MAIN	MAIN STR CAP CORP	13.9364	0.2018
MO	ALTRIA GROUP INC	17.4308	0.2490
O	REALTY INCOME CORP REIT	17.7237	0.2274
PYPL	PAYPAL HLDGS INC	5.3982	0.0175
QQQI	NEOS NASDAQ-100(R) HIGH INCOME ETF	28.8464	3.9190
SCHD	SCHWAB U.S. DIVIDEND EQUITY ETF	144.2024	13.0529
SO	SOUTHERN CO	2.4130	0.0197
T	AT&T INC	0.0000	-19.2992
VICI	VICI PPTYS INC REIT	14.6525	1.2168
VZ	VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS	0.0000	-3.5806
XOM	EXXONMOBIL HLDGS CORP	5.9142	0.0401

As you can see above most of the proceeds from our sells went back into the old reliable ETF’s. I boosted SCHD by 13 shares, QQQI by 3 shares, JEPI by 3 shares and JEPQ by 1 share in Q2.

Additionally, I added a share of KMB when it got ridiculously into the low $90’s. Good timing again as they blew out their earning report and the stock soared back into the $100’s. I also added a share of VICI as it continues to flounder in the mid to upper $20’s which has been a good place to add in the past.

There are a couple of individual stocks I’m interested in, but I decided to hold off and shore up the core holdings a little more. Depending on available funds or other moves I could be adding a new position in Q3. I still hold two positions I would like to exit and there could possibly be a third if they don’t get their act together.

In Q2 I received $365.58 in dividend payments! This is an increase of $64.90 or 21.58% when compared to Q2 2025. Another very nice year over year increase!

Year to date I have received $700.02 in dividend payments. This is an increase of $117.56 or 20.18% when compared to the first half of 2025. That puts me on track to hit $1,400 for 2026!

Month	Portfolio Value	YOY % Change
March 2026	$25,653.70	8.54%
June 2026	$27,844.04	8.54%

After the roller coaster ride of Q2 my portfolio closed up 8.54% and nearly took out the $28k mark. Another excellent quarter which makes for an increase of $4,026.31 or 16.90% year to date 2026.

As of the end of Q2 2026 my divided portfolio will provide projected annual dividend income (PADI) of $1,440.03. This equates to an average of $120 per month. That’s an increase of $58.76 annually or $4.90 per month from our Q1 update.

Year to date my PADI has increased $152.36 annually or $12.70 per month from the end of 2025. A nice 11.83% increase in PADI at the half way point of the year!

While I’m still on track to reach my end of year PADI goal of $1,600, I did fall off the pace a little bit. To keep pace I need to increase PADI by an average of $78.25 per quarter to make the goal. In Q2 I only increased it by $58.76 so I fell a little short.

I did start the year strong with $112 out of the gate for Q1. So I was ahead of the game going into Q2. This shortfall however has taken away a lot of that cushion so I will need to try and step it up in Q3.

This is where the challenge will be, at least for Q3. Personally there is a lot, and I mean A LOT, of things going on right now. Until there is some clarity and relief on the home front I’m not sure how much time and financial resources I can dedicate to my dividend portfolio at this time. It’s important to me, but not as important as everything else I’m dealing with.

Q3 might be a lost quarter in the growth department depending on how long everything drags out. On the bright side, once everything settles down I should be able to really light a fire under this portfolio. That gets me excited, but I have to deal with life in the present.

One last thing of note regarding options trading. In the last update I mentioned that I started selling options and it was going quite well. Despite some recent challenges, getting assigned shares, I still continue to make some good money.

As of the end of Q2 I have netted $3,674 in profit for 2026. May was my best month so far as I netted $1,437 in profit. In June I made a horrible mistake which cost me a little, but I still netted $889 in profit.

For the 5 months I’ve been selling options I’m averaging over $735 per month. That’s a heck of a lot better than I thought I was going to do when I started this. Also, the first two months I was overly cautious and just trying to feel out the process.

I feel like I could average around $1k a month if I stick to the plan and don’t get overly aggressive. Unfortunately, I have done just that lately which is why I was assigned shares. The good part is you can make money both ways and I’m doing just that.

I don’t know about you, but making an extra grand a month is something I enjoy. Add to that the $120 per month in dividend payments from this portfolio and that’s a pretty sweet deal! Who doesn’t like an extra $13k a year in their pockets?

Happy Investing!

Joe

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