The resurgence of inflation over the last few years has made us realize the adverse effects of rising prices on our lives. It’s important to consider inflation if you are retired or planning for retirement.

Newcomers to the high-yield realm often carry with them preconceived notions from other investment strategies, but the security of high-yield investments is unparalleled.

For my Dividend Hunter service, I have two goals concerning the recommended portfolio of high-yield investments. First, I pick and monitor investments for the sustainability of their dividend payments. For investors focused on income, dividend reductions cut the hardest. I constantly monitor the recommended stocks and funds for their ability to not only continue paying their current dividend rates, but also to grow their dividends in the future.

Second, given the limited number of types of high-yield investments, I recommend a portfolio that is as diversified as possible. The categories include REITs, energy midstream, BDCs, preferred stocks, high-yield bonds, and covered call ETFs.

I teach my subscribers that investing for income with high-yield stocks and ETFs works differently than what they may have learned about stock market investing.

You cannot earn dividends unless you own shares. But our focus on dividends means we don’t have to try to time the market. To get started earning dividends, you buy shares now, and then you will earn the next dividend payment and every dividend paid on those shares in the future, for as long as you own the shares.

The goal is to build an income stream by regularly purchasing the recommended investment. Cash to invest can come from adding money to your account, reinvesting earned dividends, or at least reinvesting a portion of your dividend income.

With this investment strategy, market or share price declines are opportunities, not signals to sell. Lower share prices mean higher current yields, and investing during market downturns can help you grow your income even faster.

Market declines are not to be feared, but rather seen as opportunities for growth. Lower share prices mean higher current yields, and you can accelerate your income growth by investing during market downturns. Remember, market declines eventually recover, and the shares you buy when prices are down will recover, too, building your wealth as well as income.

While we can’t dictate share prices, we have a significant influence over the amount of dividend income earned every quarter. I often remind subscribers that quarterly income is the primary tracking metric. As long as your dividend income is stable-to-growing (and it will be), you are in control and on track to reach your investment and retirement goals.

I just recorded a step-by-step video on how I’m using the Dividend Hunter strategy to beat inflation. Watch it here.