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What’s an ETF?

As a quick reminder, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a financial product that tracks an underlying index, sector, or asset class. If a stock were a fruit then buying an ETF is a bit like buying a fruit basket, you get many small pieces from lots of different fruits.

Many investors prefer buying ETFs because they help you easily diversify your portfolio. Buying shares of an ETF essentially means you never have to worry about picking the right stocks.

For example, let’s say that you’re bullish on the future of AI. But, you aren’t sure which company(s) will emerge as leaders in AI over the coming years and you don’t want to risk investing in the wrong companies. In this case, you could simply invest in an ETF that tracks a range of AI stocks instead of trying to handpick certain companies.

You can read more about how ETF investing works here. Now, let’s discuss Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD).

What is SCHD?

The Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF is a passive ETF whose goal is to “track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the total return of the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index.” This means that SCHD tracks the top 100 biggest, most reliable dividend-paying companies in America.

Buying shares in this fund is a low-cost and tax-efficient way for investors to get access to some of the most financially stable companies that pay consistent, reliable dividends. If you buy shares in SCHD then you won’t have to worry about researching individual dividend stocks. 

Additionally, an expense ratio of 0.06% means you will only pay $0.60 in fees for every $1,000 that you invest. This is much lower than many actively managed funds. But, still not as cheap as doing your own research.

The SCHD focuses on the quality and sustainability of dividends, mainly looking for companies that increase their dividends over time. Its five biggest holdings are:

1. Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) which makes up 4.12% of the index
2. AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) which makes up 4.11% of the index
3. Home Depot (NYSE: HD) which makes up 4.06% of the index
4. Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) which makes up 4.04% of the index
5. Chevron (NYSE: CVX) which makes up 4.04% of the index

This stock-based index is most concentrated in the following five industries:

1. Financials which makes up 17.42% of the index 
2. Healthcare which makes up 15.71% of the index 
3. Consumer Staples which makes up 13.89% of the index 
4. Industrials which makes up 13.51% of the index 
5. Energy which makes up 12.84% of the index 

Should You Buy SCHD?

This depends on your investment strategy and goals. However, if you’re an investor looking to get exposure to a wide range of high-quality dividend stocks then SCHD certainly presents a good solution. This fund has a long and proven history of consistently increasing its dividend payout. 

Here’s a quick snapshot of its dividend payments over the past few years (it pays dividends quarterly):

• Q1 2024: $0.8241 per share
• Q1 2023: $0.5965 per share
• Q1 2022: $0.5176 per share
• Q1 2021: $0.5026 per share
• Q1 2020: $0.4419 per share

You can see that the fund has consistently increased its dividend payments over the years. However, there were a few quarters where dividend payments dipped (mainly, in the wake of the 2020 pandemic). 

Since 2020, SCHD’s stock price has also increased by roughly 34%. This shows the year-over-year dividend and stock appreciation growth that you can expect to experience from this fund. But, remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

That said, a dividend ETF like SCHD might not be the best choice for investors with a longer time horizon. If you plan to keep your money invested for a longer period of time (say, 10 years or more) then you might be better off sticking with a regular ETF. 

Dividend ETFs Vs Stock Market ETFs

Dividend ETFs are popular for their ability to reliably pay money to investors via dividends. Some investors rely on these dividends for income. But, many investors choose to reinvest the dividends back into the fund. If your goal is long-term capital appreciation then you might be better off going with a general stock market ETF.

Stock market ETFs can often outperform dividend ETFs. For example, consider an ETF like the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (Nysearca: SPY) which tracks the overall performance of the S&P 500. Or, the Fidelity NASDAQ Composite Index ETF (Nasdaq: ONEQ) which tracks tech-centric NASDAQ index. Here’s how these two ETFs have fared against the SCHD since 2020:

• SCHD: 34%
• SPY: 70%
• ONEQ: 101%

Dividend ETFs are great because they reliably pay dividends. But, they also tend to track later-stage companies whose high-growth periods are behind them. This means that they could miss out on sector-specific rallies – such as the recent artificial intelligence rally. This is why dividend ETFs can often underperform the broader market, in terms of stock price appreciation. However, keep in mind that the above returns do not factor in reinvested dividends, so it’s not entirely an apples-to-apples comparison.

Ultimately, SCHD is a great choice for investors who are looking for an ETF that reliably pays increasingly growing dividends. But, it might not be the best idea for investors who prioritize stock price appreciation and have a longer time horizon.

You can learn more about ETF investing here:

1. 5 Monthly Dividend ETFs for Income Portfolios 
2. ETFs That Short the Market
3. ETFs: Pros and Cons

I hope that you’ve found this article valuable when it comes to learning about SCHD and whether or not you should buy it. If you’re interested in learning more then please subscribe below to get alerted of new investment opportunities from InvestmentU.

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational and educational purposes only. It should not be construed as financial advice as the author, Ted Stavetski, is not a financial advisor. Ted also did not own shares of SCHD at the time of writing.

The post SCHD: Should You Buy Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF? appeared first on Investment U.

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This year was a difficult one for Americans looking for work. Forecasters don’t see much improvement in their prospects coming in 2026.

The unemployment rate is set to remain elevated through almost all of next year despite solid economic growth, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg. That unusual combination owes to the growing role of investments in artificial intelligence in powering the expansion without boosting hiring, some say.

A stagnant labor market likely means another year of limited job opportunities and cooling wage increases, exacerbating affordability concerns for American families heading into the midterm elections. It also spells an even greater reliance on the health-care sector, which accounted for nearly all job growth in 2025.

“A lot of the GDP growth we’re getting is from AI infrastructure investments, which don’t generate very many jobs, and there’s some displacement from AI,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. “We don’t know how much that is yet. It looks like it’s only the beginning phases of it.”

While economists say the U.S. isn’t in a recession, the second half of 2025 probably felt like it for many job-seekers. In the five months from June to November, the unemployment rate rose half a percentage point, to 4.6% — a rare development outside of business-cycle downturns.

Those with four-year college degrees were hit particularly hard, reflecting an ongoing hiring freeze across so-called white-collar occupations. While their unemployment rate remains somewhat below that for lesser-educated workers, young college graduates have seen their historical advantage in the job search disappear this year.

Hiring rates, meanwhile, looked even worse — low enough that, in decades past, they would have been consistent with even higher levels of unemployment. And layoff announcements have picked up in recent months, adding to Americans’ malaise about the job market.

Workers outside of health care, in particular, have had a difficult go of it: Excluding that sector, nonfarm payroll employment actually fell in the first 11 months of 2025.

There are some positives for the outlook. The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates this year and is expected to continue doing so in 2026, and tax cuts alongside some potential easing in the Trump administration’s trade policies — a major source of uncertainty for small businesses this year — should also help, said Michael Pugliese, a senior economist at Wells Fargo & Co.

But first, there is “probably still a little more labor-market weakening to go, whether that’s another tick or two higher in the unemployment rate,” Pugliese said.

All of that has already added up to slower wage growth as the balance of power in the labor market has continued to shift from workers to employers. It’s a sharp turnaround from 2022 and 2023, when workers had the upper hand and employers were forced to offer higher pay to attract talent.

A Harris Poll conducted for Bloomberg News in October showed 55% of employed Americans were concerned about losing their jobs, and nearly half said they thought it would take at least four months to find a new job of similar quality if they lost their current position.

Various measures of wage growth show pay is now rising at the slowest rate in four years, and low-earners are seeing pay rise by less than top earners — worsening the so-called “K-shaped economy” trend of widening inequality this year.

That’s a risk for Republicans, who were elected to majorities last year in part due to widespread anger over rising prices that exacerbated cost-of-living concerns, as they head into the 2026 campaign season.

“Overall wage growth will likely come close to the pace of inflation, and likely maybe even go a little above overall inflation,” KPMG’s Swonk said. “But the problem is the distribution of wages.”

Black unemployment

Inequality is also increasingly noticeable in who is being hired in the first place. Black Americans have seen their unemployment rate shoot higher over the last several months — to 8.3% in November, from 6% in May — and the ratio of Black to white unemployment now matches the highest level since 2019.

While some of that increase reflects more Black Americans joining the labor force, Black workers historically have been disproportionately impacted whenever the U.S. job market loses steam. The Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce, where Black workers are overrepresented, has only added to the difficulties they’ve faced in an already-challenging employment landscape this year.

Michelle Holder, an economist who studies labor-market outcomes for Black Americans, said there is a risk Black unemployment continues to trend higher in 2026.

“Even if the overall unemployment rate continues to revolve around the same 4.6% level, trends are pointing that the fallout of a stagnant economy is increasingly falling more and more heavily on the shoulders of Black workers,” Holder said.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg said they expect gross domestic product to grow 2% in 2026, powered by solid consumer spending and strong business investment. Yet hiring is set to remain muted as in 2025, and the unemployment rate will be higher on average next year than this year, according to the median estimate.

While respondents said they anticipate the unemployment rate could fall slightly by the end of 2026, Veronica Clark, an economist at Citigroup Inc., warned the risks are “skewed toward worse outcomes” if hiring fails to pick up.

“This has been a very prolonged period of such low hiring that until that changes, you would be worried that the next step would be larger layoffs,” Clark said.

(With assistance from Dana Morgan.)

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

We techno geeks have probably been thinking about computer capabilities since we first laid eyes on HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Coincidentally, this movie came out only four years after the first supercomputer was developed in 1964.

And just recently our minds are blown once again…

If you caught Netflix’s new movie AfrAId this past weekend, AIA the digital family assistant (a supercomputer) tries to endear itself to the mother of the family by helping with her doctoral dissertation by reading her previous thesis… in .007 seconds.

How? Quantum computing.

The AI was calculating everything in the house using all the tech at its disposal … chores … schedules … even the hostile takeover of a company!

Watching the drama play out from the comfort of my living room, it struck me that even Hollywood was beginning to realize the world-changing potential of quantum computing…

Our Quantum Future Arrived Sooner than Expected

When I told the audience at our Total Wealth Symposium in Orlando this February that quantum computing would be the biggest breakthrough of the second half of this decade, I didn’t think the trend would take off as quickly as it did.

I underestimated the fact that technology comes at us faster than we can think…

During my presentation, I shared this key visual:

Source: IONQ Analyst Day 2023 Presentation

As you can see, human progress moved along at a glacial pace throughout most of our history.

Then it started to pick up during the Industrial Age, thanks to electric power, assembly-line manufacturing and automobiles.

The information age only increased the speed of progress from there — but that still pales in comparison to what’s coming once Quantum becomes a reality.

And tech giant Google just achieved what many thought impossible: a quantum computer that can complete calculations beyond the reach of traditional supercomputers.

Their latest machine, powered by a chip called Willow, performed a calculation in under five minutes that would take today’s most powerful supercomputer 10 septillion years — longer than the age of the universe itself.

This breakthrough ends years of debate over quantum supremacy, a milestone Google first claimed in 2019. Back then, critics questioned their achievement, and advancing classical computers eventually matched their quantum computer’s capabilities.

But this is a whole new kind of breakthrough — and the benefit benefit for investors will be enormous…

Google Turns Quantum Computing into A Reality

At the heart of this achievement lies the mind-bending world of quantum mechanics. While traditional computers process information in bits (1s and 0s), quantum computers use quantum bits, or “qubits.”

These qubits harness quantum mechanics’ strange properties, allowing them to exist in multiple states simultaneously. To make this work, Google chills exotic metals to nearly 460 degrees below zero.

More significant than raw computational power is Google’s mastery of error correction — a challenge that has plagued quantum computing since its conception in the 1980s. They’ve crossed the “error correction threshold,” a milestone scientists have pursued for decades.

In market terms, this is like moving from proof-of-concept to a scalable product.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. As Google pushes forward, other tech giants including Microsoft, Intel and IBM are developing their own quantum systems. There are also smaller startup companies nipping at their heels.

Meanwhile, China has committed over $15.2 billion to quantum research.

This isn’t just a technological race — it’s a battle for market dominance.

Each company takes a different approach. While Google, IBM and Intel work with superconducting qubits, other labs experiment with light particles or trapped ions.

From an investment perspective, this diversity of approaches presents both opportunities and risks.

Despite this breakthrough, we’re not quite there yet.

The calculation Google’s machine performed was designed specifically to test quantum capabilities — not to solve real-world problems. The technology still makes too many errors for practical applications.

Yet as Harvard physics professor and QuEra co-founder Mikhail Lukin stated: “What has happened over the last year shows that it is no longer science fiction.” When quantum computers reach their potential, they’ll revolutionize everything from drug discovery to artificial intelligence.

They might also crack current encryption methods, adding urgency to the global race for quantum supremacy.

As I told my audience in Orlando, quantum computing represents the next great technological frontier.

And the smart money is already positioning for this shift. The quantum future isn’t some distant possibility — it’s unfolding right now, and the market implications are impossible to ignore.

Until next time,

Ian King
Chief Strategist, Strategic Fortunes

As income-focused investors look for ways to generate higher returns in a volatile market, the question often arises: What is a high yield ETF, and how does it compare to owning individual stocks? One category gaining attention is option income ETFs — particularly the YieldMax suite, which includes ETFs like MSTY, based on MicroStrategy (MSTR).

In this article, we’ll examine what high yield ETFs are, how the YieldMax strategy works, and how MSTY has performed over the last year compared to directly holding MSTR stock. The goal is to understand the trade-offs between high monthly income and total return, especially in a year marked by market volatility.

Understanding High Yield ETFs

A high yield ETF is an exchange-traded fund that prioritizes income generation, typically offering annualized yields that far exceed those of traditional dividend-paying funds. These ETFs may invest in high-yield corporate bonds, preferred stocks, or, in the case of YieldMax ETFs, use options-based strategies to enhance income.

YieldMax ETFs do not own the underlying stocks directly. Instead, they use derivatives to simulate long exposure to a stock and then generate income by systematically selling call options. This strategy produces steady monthly cash flow but limits upside participation if the stock rises sharply.

The Strategy Behind MSTY

MSTY, the YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF, is designed to deliver income by writing call options on a synthetic long position in MicroStrategy (MSTR). This approach enables the fund to:

• Generate monthly option premium income

• Distribute that income to shareholders as high-yield monthly dividends

• Mitigate capital requirements by not holding the underlying stock

This is an appealing strategy for income-focused investors, especially when the underlying stock is volatile — which MicroStrategy is, due to its significant Bitcoin exposure.

Performance Comparison: MSTY vs. MSTR (April 2024 – April 2025)

Over the past 12 months, both MSTY and MSTR delivered strong returns, but for different reasons. Here’s a breakdown of their performance:

While MSTY provided significant income that helped smooth out volatility, its capped upside resulted in lower total return than owning MSTR outright. Investors who held MSTR captured more of the stock’s sharp rise, especially during Bitcoin rallies.

Key Trade-Offs: Income vs. Growth

The primary difference between MSTY and MSTR lies in income generation versus growth potential. MSTY is built for consistent yield through options premiums, while MSTR is a volatile asset with high potential upside — and high downside risk. Importantly, MSTY’s performance will lag significantly if the underlying stock makes a sustained breakout due to the call option caps.

For instance, when MicroStrategy surged over 70% during Bitcoin’s rise from late 2023 into early 2024, MSTY captured only a portion of that rally due to the option overlay. However, in periods of flat or declining markets, MSTY’s income-generating strategy may outperform pure equity exposure on a risk-adjusted basis.

Tax Considerations and Risks

Investors should be aware that high yield ETFs using options may introduce complex tax implications. Distributions may not qualify as qualified dividends and could include return of capital or short-term capital gains.

Additionally, the risk of capital loss remains. If the underlying stock declines significantly, the income from selling options may not be enough to offset portfolio losses. This makes risk management and proper position sizing crucial when investing in ETFs like MSTY.

Conclusion: Is MSTY a High Yield ETF Worth Considering?

To answer the question, “What is a High Yield ETF?” — MSTY represents a modern, options-based answer. It fits within a growing category of derivative-enhanced income ETFs that aim to provide high monthly payouts in exchange for limited price appreciation.

In the past year, MSTY performed admirably, delivering over 45% total return, even amid market fluctuations. However, it underperformed the underlying stock, MSTR, which gained nearly 74% due to the full benefit of rising Bitcoin prices and investor sentiment.

For income-focused investors who prefer a rules-based, option-selling approach with limited upside and enhanced cash flow, MSTY can be a useful tool. For those seeking full exposure to high-growth, high-volatility assets like MicroStrategy — and who are willing to accept the risks — direct stock ownership remains the better path.

The post What Is a High Yield ETF? appeared first on Investment U.

These stars are given to restaurants with exceptional food. Out of over 15 million restaurants worldwide, fewer than 16,000 have earned a Michelin star — just 0.10%.

Michelin-star chefs like Alain Ducasse, Gordon Ramsay and Massimo Bottura are not just cooks. They are global celebrities who have transformed fine dining.

What fascinates me is how these chefs take simple, everyday ingredients and turn them into masterpieces. Even if you had their recipes, recreating the same dishes would be extremely difficult.

Why?

Because great chefs don’t just follow recipes — they adapt as they cook.

They tweak flavors, adjust techniques and make decisions based on years of experience. Many of these steps come naturally to professionals but are unknown to most home cooks.

The same idea applies to system trading.

Build Systems That Adapt

When I started building rules-based trading systems in the early 1980s, I was lucky to meet Bruce Kovner (net worth $7.7 billion), a hedge fund manager.

Kovner founded Caxton Associates in 1983 and grew to manage over $14 billion at its peak. Since 1992, the firm has been closed to new investors.

I met him through his brother Richard, who I worked with. When Richard introduced us, I had no idea who Bruce was. He seemed like a college professor — calm and unassuming.

But after just a few minutes of talking, I realized he was a market wizard.

I asked him if he had any advice for a young man in his 20s who was trying to build trading systems.

He smiled and said, “A great system is one that constantly adapts.”

At the time, I didn’t fully understand what he meant, but I never forgot it.

Over the years, his advice proved to be brilliant. Financial markets are always changing and trading systems must evolve to keep up.

Beating the Market

When I built my newest system, Profit Accelerator, I tested its rules on 20 years of historical data.

It performed incredibly well in the lab, but the real challenge was determining how it would perform in real-world conditions.

Now, it’s approaching its one-year anniversary. And the system is outperforming expectations. It’s up more than 104%, beating the S&P 500 by 3.5X.

Profit Accelerator was built using publicly available research.

The idea that momentum outperforms in markets is well-known, as is the fact that smoother momentum (rather than jumpy momentum) tends to be more predictive.

These concepts are backed by Nobel Prize-winning research and are available to anyone willing to dig into them.

But just as a home cook can’t perfectly replicate a Michelin-star chef’s recipe, the same is true for building and executing trading systems.

The difference lies in the small details and expert tweaks that only come with years of experience.

It’s not just about following the rules — it’s about knowing when to adjust them to maximize performance. Those fine-tuned decisions make all the difference.

If you want a chance to look over my shoulder while you try out my newest trading system, go here and I’ll show you how to get started.  

Regards,

Charles Mizrahi
Founder, Alpha Investor