In 2008, I lost everything except my house.
I had built the first packaged curry sauce sold in America, gotten into Whole Foods, and made appearances on FOX, CBS, and CNBC. Then the dollar collapsed against the Thai Baht, my margins disappeared, and every account I owned went negative.
That experience changed how I think about money forever. It's the reason I now own 200 shares of an ETF called QQQI that pays me roughly $130 a month.
And it's also the reason I'm telling you — if you only see the yield on this thing and nothing else, you're about to make a mistake.
In this post, I'm breaking down the bull case and the bear case for QQQI, sharing my exact position, and explaining the trap most new investors fall into when they chase double-digit yields.
The full breakdown is in the video below.
What Is QQQI?
QQQI is the NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF. The simple version: it gives you exposure to the Nasdaq-100 — companies like NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet — and runs a covered call options strategy on top of that exposure to generate monthly income.
That's it. Big tech exposure plus an income engine. On the surface, that sounds amazing. Monthly checks. Nasdaq names you already know. A distribution rate that runs into double digits.
This is exactly where people get themselves in trouble.
QQQI is not a savings account. It is not a CD. It is not guaranteed income. It is a stock market ETF that happens to pay you monthly.
The share price can go up. The share price can go down. And the money you receive each month can come from option premiums, dividends, capital gains, interest, or return of capital — and that last source is one most YouTube videos gloss over.
My QQQI Position (Real Numbers)
I believe in showing real numbers, not theory. Here is exactly where I stand on QQQI at the time of writing:
- Shares owned: 200
- Average cost basis: $51.31
- Approximate monthly distribution: $130
- Reinvesting distributions? No
Is $130 a month going to change my life? Not even close. But that is not the point. Every income position starts small. The way you scale income investing is not by getting lucky on one ETF — it is by stacking positions over years, redeploying cash flow strategically, and being patient enough to let it compound.
Here is what is different about how I use QQQI compared to most people. I do not reinvest the distributions back into QQQI. Instead, that $130 a month becomes ammunition for other parts of my portfolio.
Sometimes it goes into a growth ETF like SCHG. Sometimes it goes into a different dividend stock. Sometimes I let it sit in cash if I think the market is overheated.
That is what cash flow gives you — options. It lets you stay strategic instead of forced.
The Bull Case for QQQI
Here is what I genuinely like about QQQI, and why it has earned a spot in my portfolio.
1. You Are Not Buying Garbage
A lot of high-yield ETFs are stuffed with companies you have never heard of, or they are the kind of weekly-paying funds that erode in net asset value until your principal is half of what you started with.
QQQI is built on the Nasdaq-100 — NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and the rest of the names actually driving artificial intelligence, cloud computing, semiconductors, and software.
The income comes from real underlying businesses, not a basket of unknowns.
2. Monthly Income Hits Differently
Quarterly dividends are fine.
Monthly distributions are psychologically different. When you are building multiple positions over time, getting cash every 30 days instead of every 90 days speeds up the entire compounding game.
I am not going to pretend the notification on my phone when a distribution lands is not a great feeling — because it is.
3. You Are Not Completely Giving Up Growth
QQQI is not pure income. You still have exposure to the Nasdaq going up. Will it match QQQ in a screaming bull market?
No — and we will get to why in the bear case. But it is not a dead-weight bond either. For someone like me, 49 years old and still actively building businesses, that hybrid is what I want.
Not ready to be fully defensive, but not pretending I am 25 anymore.
4. Every Investment in My Portfolio Has a Job
This is the mindset shift that has saved me more money than any single trade ever made me. Some positions are for growth.
Some are for income. Some are for stability. Some are for speculation. QQQI's job is income. That is it. I am not asking it to outperform NVIDIA. I am not asking it to be my best-performing growth investment.
When you give each investment a clear job, you stop panicking when it does not do something it was never built to do.
The Bear Case for QQQI
This is the section most YouTube videos either skip or rush through.
Skipping it is how people lose money. There are four real risks you need to understand before you put a dollar into QQQI.
1. You Are Capping Your Upside
Because QQQI uses an options strategy to generate income, it has to give up some upside when the Nasdaq runs hard.
If artificial intelligence keeps ripping and tech keeps pushing higher, QQQI will go up — but not as much as QQQ. You are trading future upside for current income. That is not bad. That is a choice. But you have to make it on purpose.
2. The Downside Is Still Real
QQQI is still a market ETF.
If the Nasdaq drops 20 percent, QQQI is going to drop too. The monthly distribution does not protect your account from losses. This is the trap of income ETFs — the cash flow makes them feel safer than they actually are.
You see money coming in every month and you feel like you are winning. But if the share price drops 15 percent in the same period, your total return is still negative. Income is not the same as total return.
3. Return of Capital
Part of QQQI's distribution can be classified as return of capital.
That is not automatically a red flag — sometimes it is part of a tax-efficient strategy. But you need to know it is happening, because return of capital can reduce your cost basis. That can have tax consequences down the road when you sell.
Do not let anyone on YouTube tell you return of capital does not matter. It might not be a deal-breaker, but it is a thing you have to understand about what you own.
4. Most People Use QQQI Wrong
This is the biggest risk of all. QQQI should not be your entire portfolio.
I like it, I own it, I plan to buy more — but I would never dump everything I have into one income ETF because the yield looks pretty. That is how people get hurt. They chase yield, they ignore concentration risk, and six months later they are confused about why they are down. The warning signs are always there before the loss.
You just have to be willing to look.
QQQI vs QQQ — The Wrong Question
The question I see in the comments on every QQQI video is: which is better, QQQI or QQQ?
That is the wrong question.
QQQ is a pure growth ETF. You buy it because you want full Nasdaq exposure and maximum long-term upside. It does not pay you much. It is not supposed to. QQQI is an income ETF with Nasdaq exposure.
You buy it because you want monthly cash flow with some growth attached. They are different tools for different jobs.
For my growth allocation, I personally own SCHG. That is where I get my no-compromise growth exposure. QQQI sits in a different bucket — it is income. The real question is not which one is better.
The real question is: what do you need this investment to do?
Who Should Own QQQI (and Who Should Not)
QQQI probably makes sense if you want monthly income, you understand the distribution is not guaranteed, you are okay giving up some upside in exchange for cash flow, and you already have growth positions established elsewhere in your portfolio.
It probably does not make sense if you are buying it just because you saw the yield. Or if you think the distribution is guaranteed. Or if you are treating it like a savings account. Or if you are a younger investor with 30 to 40 years of compounding still ahead of you and your only goal is maximum growth.
I help my 19-year-old niece with investing. I would not have her buy QQQI right now. Not because it is a bad ETF — it is not — but because at her age, the math of compounding favors pure growth.
Chasing income too early can quietly cost you a lot of money over a long timeline. Different tools, different jobs, different stages of life.
Where I Stand Right Now
I plan to buy more QQQI. But I am not buying more this week.
Tech has been hot. Artificial intelligence has been a massive theme. The Nasdaq has had a serious run. Personally, I would rather wait for things to cool down a little before adding more.
Could I be wrong? Absolutely.
I have been wrong plenty of times in 30 years of investing. The market could rip another 20 percent from here and I will be sitting on the sideline saying I should have bought.
That happens. Every investor has those moments. You wait for a pullback that never comes. You buy too early. You sell something the day before it doubles. That is investing. Nobody catches every entry.
For now, I am comfortable holding 200 shares, collecting roughly $130 a month, and redeploying that cash into other positions while I wait.
QQQI FAQ
What does QQQI invest in?
QQQI invests in the Nasdaq-100 — large-cap U.S. stocks like NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet — and uses a covered call options strategy to generate monthly income on top of that exposure.
Is QQQI a good investment?
QQQI can be a good investment if your goal is monthly income with some Nasdaq exposure, and if you understand the trade-offs: capped upside in strong bull markets, real downside risk in corrections, and distributions that can include return of capital. It is not a good fit if you want maximum long-term growth or if you treat it like a guaranteed-income product.
How often does QQQI pay distributions?
QQQI pays distributions monthly.
What is the difference between QQQI and QQQ?
QQQ is a pure growth ETF tracking the Nasdaq-100 with minimal income. QQQI tracks the same underlying companies but adds a covered call options strategy to generate monthly income, which caps some of the upside in exchange for cash flow.
Does QQQI use return of capital?
Yes, part of QQQI's distribution can be classified as return of capital. This is not automatically negative — it can be part of a tax-efficient strategy — but it can reduce your cost basis and create tax implications later when you sell. Always check your year-end 1099 to understand how distributions are classified.
Is QQQI better than JEPQ?
They are similar concepts — both are Nasdaq-focused covered call income ETFs — but they use different strategies and have different distribution profiles. The right question is not which is better, but which fits the job you need an income position to do in your portfolio.
The Bigger Picture
I do not see QQQI as a magic money machine.
I do not see it as risk-free income. I do not see it as a replacement for growth. I see it as one tool, with one specific job, inside a much bigger plan.
That plan is the reason I started documenting all of this publicly. I am 49 years old, turning 50 this September. I lost everything in 2008 building a business I loved. I rebuilt. I have spent the last decade buying real estate, building businesses, and now launching GLZD — which I believe will be one of the biggest things I have ever built.
At the same time, I am rebuilding a stock portfolio I want to eventually cover all my expenses with cash flow. Not paper gains.
Cash. Coming in every month. So that one day I get to choose what I work on, not because I have to.
If you have never had financial support, if you started from zero, if you are trying to figure this stuff out the way I had to — this is the journey I am documenting. Subscribe on YouTube, follow me on TikTok, and come back to the blog as I keep adding positions, sharing wins, and being honest about the mistakes.
What is the highest-yielding ETF or stock you own? Drop me a comment on the YouTube video — I want to see how other retail investors are actually using these.
Disclaimer
This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. I am not a financial planner, financial advisor, or registered investment professional. Everything shared here reflects my personal opinions and experiences as a retail investor. Always do your own research and consult a licensed professional before making any investment decisions.