Weekly-paying ETFs are exploding in popularity — but most investors don’t understand what they’re actually buying.

In this episode, we analyze 19 high-yield weekly dividend ETFs across YieldMax Roundhill, Defiance, Tuttle, Granite Shares, and Nicolas Global products to answer one question:

👉 Which weekly ETFs are worth your money — and which function more like Ponzi schemes?

We break each ETF down using:

• Total return (price + dividends)
• NAV erosion and price decay
• Return of Capital (ROC) percentages
• ETF structure (synthetic vs covered call vs 0DTE)
• Performance vs the underlying benchmark

This isn’t theoretical. We’re managing $50,000+ in a weekly income ETF portfolio, and this episode reflects what we've learned after owning these assets over 2+ years.

You’ll learn:

• Why 90–100% ROC is a massive red flag
• Which weekly ETFs are structurally broken
• The “sweet spot” for sustainable high yield (25–40% with 30–60% ROC)
• Why synthetic ETFs decay faster than covered call ETFs with real holdings
• How to use weekly ETFs for bridge income, not long-term retirement
• When to turn DRIP on — and when it makes things worse

We also explain how we personally use weekly ETFs:

• DRIP off until capital is recouped
• Diversification across structures (not tickers)
• Expecting some ETFs to decay — and planning for it
• Using macrotrends for better odds

This episode is for income investors who want cash flow without self-inflicted losses.

Questions? Email Tim at debrine9@gmail.com

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**DISCLAIMER**
Ticker metrics change as markets and companies change, so always do your own research. The content in this podcast is based on personal experience and is for educational purposes, not financial advice. See full disclaimer here.

Episode music was created using Loudly.

Most investors obsess over what to buy.
In 2026, the real edge is when and where you buy it.

In this episode, we break down the valuation-driven framework we actually use to decide whether something is a buy — across:

• Individual stocks
• REITs
• BDCs
• Closed-end funds
• ETFs (including the S&P 500)

We walk through real examples like UPS, Realty Income (O), Main Street Capital, USA CEF, and VOO to show:

• How entry price impacts total return more than exit timing
• Why yield and dividends act as downside protection
• Which valuation metrics matter for each asset type
• How to spot overvalued “favorites” before they correct
• Where income investors can still find margin of safety

This episode isn’t about predictions or hype — it’s about having your own valuation framework, so you’re not relying on analysts, headlines, or hope.

If you’re preparing for a volatile 2026 and want to protect capital while still getting paid, this is our playbook.

Questions? Email Tim at debrine9@gmail.com

Want FREE weekly market updates, Tim's top 10 dividend picks, and our portfolio updates delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to our email list.

Stay connected. Follow us on social!

**DISCLAIMER**
Ticker metrics change as markets and companies change, so always do your own research. The content in this podcast is based on personal experience and is for educational purposes, not financial advice. See full disclaimer here.

Episode music was created using Loudly.

2025 looked like a great year on paper — but most investors didn’t experience those returns.

In this episode, we break down what really happened beneath the indexes, why passive investing masked widespread underperformance, and how a dividend-first, total-return strategy quietly outperformed the market.

We walk through:

• Why the S&P 500’s gains were driven by ~7 stocks
• Which unexpected sectors crushed it (utilities, REITs, commodities)
• Why many “obvious” AI and tech plays underperformed
• The biggest winners, losers, and surprises across 46 real holdings
• How dividends changed the math in flat and down positions
• Why total return matters more than price return
• How we rebalance without chasing winners or panic selling
• What these results mean for positioning in 2026

We also explain how we track everything manually using spreadsheets, why DRIP isn’t always your friend, and how income investing reduces emotional mistakes when markets get choppy.

If you care about real performance, not marketing returns, this episode will change how you look at your portfolio.

Questions? Email Tim at debrine9@gmail.com

Want FREE weekly market updates, Tim's top 10 dividend picks, and our portfolio updates delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to our email list.

Stay connected. Follow us on social!

**DISCLAIMER**
Ticker metrics change as markets and companies change, so always do your own research. The content in this podcast is based on personal experience and is for educational purposes, not financial advice. See full disclaimer here.

Episode music was created using Loudly.

How We Invested $150,000 for Monthly Income | Dividend Portfolio Breakdown

In this episode, we break down exactly how we invested a $150,000 lump sum across 2 portfolios with one primary goal: reliable monthly income without reckless risk.

We walk through how we structured the portfolios, why certain stocks and ETFs made the cut, and how we’re building a dividend stream that functions like a paycheck — with flexibility, downside protection, and upside optionality.

What we cover:

• How we split $150K across income and our conservative fallback portfolio
• Why undervalued dividend growers matter more than yield chasing
• Using covered call ETFs responsibly for income
• Preferred shares, utilities, packaging, semiconductors, banks, and data centers
• Turning DRIP on and off strategically based on valuation
• How we’re targeting $2,500+ per month in dividends in our income portfolio
• Backup cash flow plans if our income portfolio underperforms
• Where excess cash goes when there’s nothing to buy

If you’re trying to understand how dividend income actually works in practice, this episode lays it out step by step.

Questions? Email Tim at debrine9@gmail.com

Want FREE weekly market updates, Tim's top 10 dividend picks, and our portfolio updates delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to our email list.

Stay connected. Follow us on social!

**DISCLAIMER**
Ticker metrics change as markets and companies change, so always do your own research. The content in this podcast is based on personal experience and is for educational purposes, not financial advice. See full disclaimer here.

Episode music was created using Loudly.

2026 Market Predictions (Part 2) | Crypto, Housing, Healthcare + Valuation Targets (80+ Tickers)

This is Part 2 of our 2026 market outlook — same format as Part 1, we just split the episode because it was long.

We continue walking through the 2026 themes and we keep tying each theme to actionable ideas: what we’d buy, what we’d wait on, what we’d use for income, and what looks over/undervalued right now.

Part 2 picks up with:

• Crypto rebound thesis (beyond just Bitcoin) + income angles
• Housing cooling + rate cuts + mREIT ideas
• Healthcare + AI integration (who benefits, who lags)
• Metals / gold / “how do we get income from this trend?”
• Rare earths + longer-cycle macro tailwinds
• Defensive positioning + dividend growers when volatility spikes
• Bond funds and rate-cut beneficiaries
• The valuation chart discussion: entry ranges, buy-up-to prices, and target prices

📌 The spreadsheet includes ~80 tickers referenced across both parts, with entry/target guidance to reduce the odds of chasing or giving back gains.

Click HERE

Questions? Email Tim at debrine9@gmail.com

Want FREE weekly market updates, Tim's top 10 dividend picks, and our portfolio updates delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to our email list.

Stay connected. Follow us on social!

**DISCLAIMER**
Ticker metrics change as markets and companies change, so always do your own research. The content in this podcast is based on personal experience and is for educational purposes, not financial advice. See full disclaimer here.

Episode music was created using Loudly.

2026 Market Predictions (Part 1) | Macro Trends + Top Ticker Picks

This is Part 1 of our 2026 market outlook. We didn’t split this because the strategy changes — we split it because the episode got long.

In this series we’re doing what most “predictions” don’t: showing our work. We walk through the major themes we expect to drive 2026 and we layer in how we’re thinking about positioning as we go — income vs growth, risk mitigation, and valuation discipline.

Part 1 covers themes like:

• AI continuing to dominate (and the next wave: agentic + physical + sovereign AI)
• Data center exposure (including “outside-the-box” income angles)
• Robotics + automation
• Quantum computing
• Interest rate cuts + a softer labor market (and what that means for income sectors)
• Defensive positioning for volatility / “cra-cra” market days
• Stagflation risk and inflation hedges
• Dividend-first strategy when price appreciation may be limited

📌 We also included a spreadsheet with ~80 tickers, plus entry ranges and target prices to help you avoid the “good pick, bad entry” problem.

Click HERE

Part 2 picks up later in the list (crypto onward), plus the valuation/chart discussion.

Questions? Email Tim at debrine9@gmail.com

Want FREE weekly market updates, Tim's top 10 dividend picks, and our portfolio updates delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to our email list.

Stay connected. Follow us on social!

**DISCLAIMER**
Ticker metrics change as markets and companies change, so always do your own research. The content in this podcast is based on personal experience and is for educational purposes, not financial advice. See full disclaimer here.

Episode music was created using Loudly.

This episode is our yearly investing accountability report — the “Whoopsie Daisies” review where we openly break down the trades and decisions that didn’t go to plan.

We cover:

• Dividend suspensions and cuts that blindsided us (and what we do now when income goes to zero).
• Selling too early on winners and how we’re changing our profit-taking rule so we stop prematurely ejecting from huge runners. (Last year's keep going up! WTF)
• High-yield ETF experiments that didn’t behave the way they should (and which YieldMax ETFs aren't absolute garbage).
• Overpaying for great long-term holdings (UPS, LYB, TRMD) and how we use valuation, bands, and DCA to repair a bad entry without panic-selling.
• How we manage risk with a max position-size rule and why that one rule prevents a single holding from turning into a portfolio hostage situation.

This is our real process for how we navigate investing to reduce risk and keep compounding even when the market humbles us.

***NOTE***

We did live streams on Thursday 12/18/2025 (today) and Friday 12/19/2025 on Our YouTube Channel to show where we allocated our $150,000 in condo sale proceeds.

Watch the replays below.

Thursday 12/18 Livestream --> watch here

Friday 12/19 Livestream --> watch here

Questions? Email Tim at debrine9@gmail.com

Want FREE weekly market updates, Tim's top 10 dividend picks, and our portfolio updates delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to our email list.

Stay connected. Follow us on social!

**DISCLAIMER**
Ticker metrics change as markets and companies change, so always do your own research. The content in this podcast is based on personal experience and is for educational purposes, not financial advice. See full disclaimer here.

Episode music was created using Loudly.

This episode is our Q4 dividend update for the Vanning Portfolio—our main income engine as we transition into living off dividends full-time.

We share every number openly so investors can follow along, compare progress, and see how an income-first portfolio adjusts in real time to dividend cuts, bad news, market swings, and valuation changes.

Here’s what we cover:

• Q3 vs Q4 dividend totals
Q3 brought in $5,561.84, while Q4 delivered $5,497.18, a small dip mostly caused by weaker payouts from four weekly income ETFs (AMZY, CONY, USOY, YMAX).

• Full-year income
We collected $21,760.81, averaging $1,813.40 per month—right on target for our income plan as we prepare to scale using our condo sale proceeds next week.

• Portfolio moves this quarter
Sold: RWAY, RYLD
Started: BMY, ULTI, WPAY, WLKP
Adjusted DRIPs, shifted risk, and monitored payout sustainability.

• Valuation alerts
Overvalued: AB, BMY, CONY, JEPQ, NBXG, QQQI, QVCGP, UAN & WNTR
Deeply Undervalued (15%+): YBTC, WLKP, LFGY, KRP, IEP, CWH, ARLP

• The DRIP Strategy
We now have DRIP turned off on 14 investments, positioned to become pure profit within 24 months if trends continue.

• Stocks flashing turnaround potential
Yes, even IEP and MPW are showing early—and shocking—signs of recovery.

We also walk through:
• How we track dividend trends to catch red flags early
• When we pause a position, trim, or pivot entirely
• How to align buys with value, safety margins, and 2026 macro trends
• What we’re watching next as income becomes our primary paycheck

If you're building an income-focused portfolio you actually want to live off, this is the blueprint—warts, wins, pivots and all.

Dividend Spreadsheet

Buy-Up-To Price Spreadsheet

Questions? Email Tim at debrine9@gmail.com

Want FREE weekly market updates, Tim's top 10 dividend picks, and our portfolio updates delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to our email list.

Stay connected. Follow us on social!

**DISCLAIMER**
Ticker metrics change as markets and companies change, so always do your own research. The content in this podcast is based on personal experience and is for educational purposes, not financial advice. See full disclaimer here.

Episode music was created using Loudly.