#dividend-risk

#dividend-risk

The Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares ( NASDAQ:QQQE) doesn't generate income the way traditional dividend ETFs do. With just $1.2 billion in assets and a 0.35% expense ratio, this fund tracks the NASDAQ-100 using equal weighting rather than market cap weighting. That structural difference means each of the 100 holdings gets roughly 1% of the portfolio instead of letting mega-caps dominate. The result is a growth-focused ETF where dividends are secondary.

The Global X SuperDividend ETF ( NYSEARCA:SDIV) generates its 8% yield by investing in 100 of the highest dividend-yielding equities across global markets. The fund holds stocks from developed and emerging markets spanning telecommunications, energy, materials, financials, and real estate. Income comes directly from dividends paid by underlying companies, making SDIV's distributions entirely dependent on whether holdings can maintain their payouts.

Dividend investing is tricky business. On the one hand, investors looking for yield are enticed to consider the highest-yielding names in a given group. That said, as a stock's overall dividend yield rises, its risk profile inherently rises. Any time an investor sees a company with a double-digit yield or something outside of what most would consider to be a "normal" range, it's probably a company that's at risk of a dividend cut or further downside. That's what the market is saying at least.