VYM and VNQ deliver 8 combined quarterly dividend payments from blue-chip stocks and REITs, covering a property tax bill without selling shares. SGOV pays roughly the Fed funds rate monthly on ultra-short Treasury bills, making it the ideal parking spot for cash earmarked for taxes. Fed rate cuts drove SGOV's monthly payout from roughly $0.44 to $0.30 per share by 2026, a meaningful income drop for retirees depending on it.
The most widely read finance newsletter on Substack isn't published by a bank, it's Doomberg, where 383,000+ readers get the energy and macro analysis the mainstream press misses. 24/7 Wall St. readers save 17% on their first year here. A paid-off mortgage can feel like a finish line. Property taxes are a reminder that homeownership still comes with recurring costs.
Whether the bill arrives once a year or is split into multiple payments, it tends to increase over time. Three exchange-traded funds can help generate income for that expense: Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (NYSEARCA:VYM), Vanguard Real Estate ETF (NYSEARCA:VNQ), and iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (NYSE:SGOV). The goal is straightforward: generate a predictable stream of cash that can cover some or all of the property tax bill without forcing you to sell investments at an inconvenient time.
Using several income sources also reduces your dependence on any single asset class. VYM owns a broad portfolio of large U.S. companies selected for above-average dividend yields. Its largest position is Broadcom at roughly 8.0% of the portfolio, followed by JPMorgan Chase, Exxon Mobil, and Johnson & Johnson.
Utilities including Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, and American Electric Power provide additional exposure to traditionally defensive dividend-paying businesses. Before Doomberg published a word, its team spent long careers in heavy industry, private equity, and the hard sciences. They take no advertisers and serve no institution — which is why their lateral-thinking coverage of energy, finance, and geopolitics reads nothing like consensus financial media.
Doomberg has set aside a discounted rate exclusively for 24/7 Wall St. readers — it isn't available on their main page. The trailing 12-month distribution came to $3.6303 per share, with a forward annualized estimate of $3.918. Against a current price near $166.67, that provides a relatively consistent income stream while maintaining exposure to the broader equity market.
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