Dividend ETF Update: 9 Months In – Portfolio Hits £1,081
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Dividend ETF Investing: Passive Income experiment on InvestEngine!
This dividend ETF update covers 9 months of progress. If you’re new here or need a refresher, check out my previous August 2025 post here:
For the full setup, detailed methodology, initial plan, and ongoing portfolio overview, head over to the experiment page.
Dividend Portfolio Snapshot: £1,081 and Counting
I started this experiment back in April 2025 with an initial £100 investment and £100/month Autoinvest, targeting steady passive income through a balanced mix of high-yield and growth ETFs.
We’re now at mid-January 2026 (about 9 months in), and the portfolio has grown to £1,081.49 — up +£81.49 (+21.62%) on top of contributions.
Total dividends received: +£15.23 (all auto-reinvested), with payouts ramping up nicely.
Here’s the current breakdown of holdings and performance (as of 14 Jan 2026):
- VHYL – Vanguard FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield: £447.30 (+£40.68, +26.34%)
- VUSA – Vanguard S&P 500: £247.79 (+£19.07, +32.17%)
- JEQP – JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income: £208.44 (+£6.13, +6.56%)
- JEGP – J.P. Morgan Global Equity Premium Income: £177.96 (+£0.41, -0.22%)
The overall portfolio yield is around 4.59%, with a low TER of 0.26% — still great for long-term compounding.
This dividend ETF update shows how even a small starting portfolio can build steady passive income over time.
Mid-Experiment Adjustment: Adding JEQP in September 2025
Back in September 2025, the portfolio looked like this (total ~£424.88 before the change):
- VHYL: 50.4% (£214.09) — core stability
- VUSA: 26.2% (£111.34) — US growth
- JEGP: 23.4% (£99.43) — global income via covered calls
The overall yield was ~3.63%, but JEGP was lagging (-1.18% return at the time) in a strong bull market. Covered-call strategies like JEGP prioritize steady income over capital growth, which can underperform when markets (especially tech) are surging higher.
To introduce a tech/growth tilt without selling any existing holdings (keeping things simple and fee-free on InvestEngine), I topped up £100 directly into JEQP (the Nasdaq-focused version). JEGP’s global covered-call approach delivers consistent income but limits gains in bull runs — it simply hadn’t kept pace. In contrast, JEQP uses a similar covered-call overlay on Nasdaq-100 stocks, targeting high yields (often 9–11%+ based on recent data) while capturing more upside from AI and tech trends.
This adds Nasdaq exposure (heavy in growth names driving long-term compounding, historically ~12–15% annualized) without abandoning the income focus. It’s a balanced diversification move: more growth kick, same high-yield philosophy, and still just 4 ETFs total — true “brick by brick” building for a small portfolio.
Dividends Received: £15.23 Total – Ramping Up Nicely!
The real star of this dividend ETF update? The dividends! I’ve received a total of £15.23 in dividends since starting. It’s not life-changing yet, but these dividends from a small starting pot will compound as the portfolio grows. And the dividend bar chart — exciting to see those bars getting taller month by month!
Key Change Now: Dropping to £50/Month Autoinvest
I’ve recently reduced my monthly Autoinvest contributions from £100 to £50.
This frees up cash to start three new, higher-risk/higher-reward dollar-cost-averaging (DCA) experiments:
The dividend ETFs are still my core, safe foundation — low-maintenance, reliable compounding, and perfectly suited for building meaningful passive income over the next 10+ years.
However, my overall portfolio across all experiments is still relatively small, so right now I want to allocate more capital toward assets with stronger potential for quicker capital appreciation in the short-to-medium term.
It’s all about balance: a solid dividend base that grows steadily over time + growth accelerators to build the overall pot faster in these early stages.
What’s Next for the Experiment?
With auto-reinvestment and the portfolio still growing slowly, I’m looking for monthly dividends to gradually increase toward £5–£10/month in the next 12–18 months, then potentially higher as the base expands.
Monitor allocations — VHYL is absolutely crushing it right now, so I’ll keep an eye on drift and make sure things stay roughly aligned with the 40/25/20/15% targets
Quarterly check-ins and possible rebalance — I’ll review the whole portfolio every 3 months, tweak Autoinvest if needed, and share any adjustments.
Share progress on the new DCAs — Bitcoin, Ethereum, and NVIDIA updates will come in separate posts — early days, but already some fun volatility and growth to track!
Try It Yourself
Ready to build your own dividend machine like mine? Pick based on your location, claim a bonus, and replicate my setup (check the full experiment for steps). Start small — compounding turns modest beginnings into real passive income over time!
| Your Location | Recommended Platform | Minimum Deposit | Bonus |
| 🇬🇧 UK | InvestEngine | £100 | £20–£200 |
| 🌍US, Australia, EU, etc. | eToro | $50–$100 | Free $100k demo + cashback |
As always, this is my personal experiment. Results can vary, and investing involves risks like market volatility. Do your own research! What do you think, ready to start your dividend journey? Drop a comment below or hit me up on X @MarsMoneyLab.
I love hearing your strategies and thoughts — your input often shapes the next steps.
Let’s make passive income happen! 🚀💸
