Increasing your monthly income with financial trading

A lot goes into making a success of your investments – from a careful reading of bull and bear markets to the smart choice of trading vehicles that work for you. But, the end goal has to be about money. You’re only ‘doing it right’ if you are growing the amount of money you have.

Many investors want to get a regular source of income from their portfolio – supplementing their salary with a timely boost.

But, how can you make this work for you?

Monthly income funds

First of all, those seeking a regular return from their investments need to search out a high performing monthly income fund. As the name suggests, these are set up with this in mind  and tend to promise 11 identical payments, with a 12th that then varies depending on market conditions.

Trustnet pinpoints AXA Framlington Monthly Income, Jupiter Monthly Income and Threadneedle Monthly Extra Income as three funds that pay a good monthly income and have some of the highest FE Crown Ratings. It notes that a £10,000 investment in AXA Framlington, for example, would have delivered almost £3,000 in total returns over the last five years.

However, it is worth noting that such funds do sometimes suffer from restrictions when it comes to their investments – with pressure to search out assets that deliver income at different times of the year in order to keep up regular payments. This means that the calendar – rather than simply returns – is guiding their thinking.

Alternatives to monthly income funds

You can, as the Telegraph notes, choose to bypass this and set up a holding account to manage a number of funds. From this, you can then set up your own monthly income payment.

James Baxter, of adviser Tideway, told the Telegraph: “Most will be better off buying a few funds that generate good, sustainable yields and having the dividends paid into a holding account that contains some cash, too. The holding account can then be used to pay a regular income.”

In this instance, you still need to think in the long-term so that you tap into funds that can deliver the sort of returns that can sustain your monthly income goal.

You could also build a portfolio of different funds that provide returns at different times of the year. It might take some working out to make this work for every month – and to plot out a consistent income – but if you’re prepared to put in the work it can be done.

Finally, of course, there’s always the option of a cash investment – such as a fixed-rate bond. With interest rates low, it’s tough to get these to deliver strong returns, but they are still an option for those who are less confident about dabbling in the markets and can still work if you have enough money to set aside. Check out this roundup from Money Facts for a look at six savings accounts that will give you a monthly interest payment.