There are not many ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that provide a good dividend yield, so I will highlight two that I believe are promising for generating high-yield passive income.
Most investors have probably heard of the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) and the Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF (ASX: VHY). They own plenty of ASX blue-chip shares in their holdings. They certainly do offer a good dividend yield, but they're largely focused on ASX bank shares and ASX mining shares.
I think if investors are requiring passive income, it could be a good idea to get more diversification, which could help protect against any particular risks for a specific sector. That's why I like the look of the below two ASX ETFs.
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SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (ASX: WDIV)
For investors concerned about possible dividend cuts, this fund could be an effective option.
The WDIV ETF aims to own approximately 100 relatively high dividend-yielding companies that have increased or maintained their payouts for at least 10 consecutive years.
The number of stocks from each country is capped at 20, while the weighting for each individual stock is capped at 3%. A maximum of 25% is allowed for each sector (at the rebalancing date).
It has an annual management cost of 0.35%, which I think is reasonable for how much work has gone into constructing this portfolio.
Currently, the fund has double-digit exposure to four sectors: financials (25.4%), utilities (16.8%), real estate (14.3%), and industrials (10.2%).
According to the ETF's provider, the dividend yield for the WDIV ETF is currently 5.6%, which I'd describe as impressive for a high-yield passive income option.
Betashares FTSE 100 ETF (ASX: F100)
This ASX ETF gives investors exposure to 100 of the biggest companies on the UK stock market.
UK shares typically trade at a fairly attractive price-earnings (P/E) ratio, which enables a reasonably high dividend yield.
According to Betashares, as of 31 December 2024, the F100 ETF had a distribution yield of 3.4%. I think that's appealing compared to most other internationally focused ASX ETFs (which aren't specifically created to hunt for dividends).
Investors may recognise some of the biggest positions in the portfolio, including AstraZeneca, Shell, HSBC, and Unilever. These are strong, global businesses that just happen to be listed in London.
Pleasingly, in the past three years to 31 January 2025, this ASX ETF has returned an average of 10.3% per annum. Within that, it has provided a decent level of dividends, so I think it's a solid high-yield passive income option.
