What I earned
July came out swinging. Between 1 – 19 July I collected AU$4,605 in dividend and interest income — already 3.2× June’s AU$1,092 haul with almost half the month still to run.
The heavy‑lifters this period were:
- Vanguard Australian High Yield ETF (VHY) – AU$1,843
- Vanguard Australian Shares ETF (VAS) – AU$1,232
- Vanguard Small‑Caps ETF (VSO) – AU$618
That cash dropped straight into the brokerage account and funded my latest nibble (see below).
Portfolio snapshot
| Category | 30 Jun 2025 (AU$) | 19 Jul 2025 (AU$) | Δ (AU$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passive Funds | 229,105.38 | 232,834.07 | +3,728.69 |
| Income Funds | 163,031.48 | 163,607.90 | +576.42 |
| Direct Shares | 116,058.20 | 119,516.04 | +3,457.84 |
| Credit & Alternatives | 98,828.29 | 100,894.49 | +2,066.20 |
| Cash | 950.30 | 990.78 | +40.48 |
| Total | 607,973.65 | 617,843.28 | +9,869.63 |
A quick mid‑month revaluation adds nearly AU$10k to the headline number — mostly market appreciation across the board.
Changes made (new shares purchased or sold)
I kept things quiet on the trading front, making just a handful of strategic top‑ups:
| Ticker | Action | Qty | Est. Price | Outlay (AU$) | Rationale |
| DDR.ASX | Buy | +120 | ~8.68 | ~1,041 | Boost exposure to sticky MSP channel and juicy 6% yield |
| La Trobe 12‑Month | Add | +60 units | 1.00 | 60 | Add to private credit investments |
| Plenti P2P loans | Add | +18.7 units | 1.00 | 18.7 | Add to private credit investments |
No positions were sold, trimmed, or abandoned.
Plans for next month
- Re‑deploy some of July’s distributions – eyeing AGL.ax to add to my dividend payers
- Allocate fresh capital (if markets co‑operate) toward passive ETFs to keep the core/core‑satellite balance intact.
Market view
Volatility has eased as the RBA held rates steady in July, but sticky services inflation means we’re not out of the woods. Credit spreads remain attractive, supporting my overweight in private credit funds. On the equity side, cyclicals like APE and infrastructure names such as APA showed resilience. I’m staying cautiously constructive: harvesting income, reinvesting selectively, and keeping a modest cash buffer.
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