ASX dividend shares are a popular way for Aussie investors to earn an easy passive income on the side of their monthly wage. 

There is a huge variety of reliable dividend-paying ASX shares available. But the problem is that their yields vary wildly, and therefore so will their payouts. This makes it very difficult to work out which is the best fit for your portfolio.

On one hand you have major Australian blue-chip businesses, defensive assets like energy infrastructure or utility operators, and popular bank stocks. These typically yield somewhere between 3% and 6%.

And on the other hand you have your much riskier high-yield shares. These could be cyclical businesses that fluctuate significantly with market cycles, niche companies with strong cash conversion, or they have discounted share prices. 

But if you have the stomach for this type of risk, these shares also pay out a much higher dividend to their shareholders. And some offer over 11%. 

Here are two of them.

GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG)

GQG is a boutique asset management company focused on active equity portfolios. It offers investment advisory and portfolio management services for investors. Clients include pension funds, sovereign funds, wealth management companies, and individual investors. 

The company is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but GQG also has operations in New York, Seattle, London, Sydney, and other locations. 

Despite its global reach, the company is exclusively listed on the ASX.

The company is able to pay a high yield to its shareholders because it has a high payout ratio (of around 50% to 95% of distributable earnings). The business model is also capital-light and cash-generative, and its share price has fallen steeply (by around 31%) over the past year after clients withdrew funds earlier this year.

GQG also pays more regularly than a lot of other ASX dividend shares. The company has historically paid four unfranked shareholder dividends a year in March, June, September, and December.

The asset management business currently pays approximately 90% of its distributable profit to shareholders. The ASX shares are due to pay an interim dividend of 3.5 cents per unit later this month, unfranked. At the time of writing, this translates into an annualised dividend yield of around 16%.

IPH Ltd (ASX: IPH)

IPH is an intellectual property (IP) services provider. Because IP protection is a legal necessity regardless of economic cycles, the company benefits from consistent cash flow and solid earnings visibility, even when share markets are volatile.

Again, the company is able to pay a high yield to its shareholders for the same reasons: a capital-light business model, a high payout ratio, and a falling share price.

As an IP services provider, it essentially owns a group of patented and trademarked firms. This means it can generate substantial revenue without requiring physical capital.

IPH shares performed well in the first half of 2026, before declining in August amid investor concerns about weaker revenue growth. 

The company also changed its dividend policy to target 70% to 90% of statutory EPS from FY27 onwards, down from the previous 80% to 90% range. The move is expected to give the company more flexibility, but investors were a little spooked.

The good news is that IPH has a long history of consistent dividend payments. The ASX dividend shares have paid regular semi-annual dividends to shareholders since 2006, increasing the payout nearly every year.

IPH is due to pay its shareholders a final dividend of 19.5 cents per share, 30% franked, later this month. At the time of writing, that implies an annualised dividend yield of around 12%.

The post 2 ASX shares with dividend yields above 11% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Gqg Partners and IPH Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Income investing involves targeting strong dividend shares to generate passive income. 

Having a reliable passive income stream can be a pathway to early retirement, provide funding for holidays or big purchases, or to supplement your superannuation.  

What kind of investor should be targeting passive income?

Passive income is often a key priority for retirees, particularly those looking to supplement their superannuation and create a more reliable income stream. 

However, income-focused investing isn’t just for retirees.

Investors at other stages of life may also benefit from building a portfolio that generates regular dividends and distributions, whether to help fund living expenses, reinvest and compound returns, or create greater financial flexibility over time. 

For ASX investors, companies with a track record of paying sustainable dividends can therefore appeal to a broad range of investors – not just those already relying on their investments for income.

With that in mind, here is a hypothetical pathway to generating $2,000 a month in passive income with just two trades.

The portfolio 

Generating $2,000 a month in passive income will require some significant capital investment. 

However, it is certainly achievable with a combination of two ASX ETFs. 

The strategy is to target high-yield ASX ETFs that pay monthly distributions. 

The two that stand out are BetaShares Australian Top 20 Equities Yield Maximiser Complex ETF (ASX: YMAX) and Betashares Australian Dividend Harvester Fund (ASX: HVST). 

The YMAX fund aims to generate attractive monthly income and reduce the volatility of portfolio returns by implementing an equity income investment strategy over a portfolio of the 20 largest blue-chip shares listed on the ASX. 

Meanwhile, the HVST fund follows a rules-based ‘dividend harvest’ strategy that seeks to maximise its exposure to dividend-paying Australian shares.

The YMAX fund currently offers a 12 month gross distribution yield of 8.6%. 

The HVST fund currently offers a 12 month gross distribution yield info 7.1%. 

How much do you need to invest?

For a simple hypothetical calculation, we can assume the portfolio is split equally between the two ETFs. 

A split allows some breathing room should one fund reduce its distribution.

With an average gross distribution yield of 7.85%, an investor would need around $305,700 invested to generate $24,000 a year, or $2,000 a month, in gross income. 

Put simply, $152,850 invested in each fund would generate approximately $12,000 per year from each fund, assuming the stated yields were maintained. 

Of course, distributions can change over time, and this example doesn’t account for tax, franking credits, brokerage or changes in the ETFs’ market prices.

Foolish takeaway 

Most investors won’t have $300,000 or more sitting around ready to invest, and that’s okay. 

Building a meaningful passive income stream is typically a long-term process rather than something that happens overnight. 

By making consistent contributions to income-generating investments and reinvesting distributions, investors can gradually build their capital base and move closer to their passive income goals.

The post How to earn $2,000 a month in passive income with this simple portfolio appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much passive income can I earn off a $630,000 superannuation balance
• 2 ASX dividend shares I’d buy right now for passive income
• 2 ASX dividend shares yielding 8% (or higher)
• How much is needed in superannuation for $2,500 in weekly passive income?
• How much superannuation is needed to target a $50,000 annual passive income?

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) shares are back under pressure, falling 5% to $37.65 on Wednesday and wiping out a large chunk of August’s gains.

For much of August, it looked like WiseTech shares couldn’t be stopped. During the first three weeks, the technology stock surged 25%, reaching $45.47 on 25 August.

Then came the FY26 result and the rally quickly lost momentum. Since that result, WiseTech shares have fallen around 17%, leaving them a long way from the $100 level reached a year ago.

The ASX tech stock is now down 45% year to date and 62% over the past 12 months. So, has the rally run out of road?

WiseTech’s numbers weren’t disastrous

WiseTech reported a 46% increase in EBITDA to US$558.4 million for the year to 30 June. That landed within management’s US$550 million to US$585 million guidance range, although it fell slightly short of the US$569.5 million market forecast.

For FY27, management of WiseTech shares expects total revenue growth of 6% to 10%, reaching US$1.48 billion to US$1.54 billion. Underlying EBITDA is forecast to grow 12% to 21%, with margins improving to 49% to 51%.

Global leader with big issues

That outlook is important because the collapse in WiseTech shares hasn’t simply been about deteriorating demand.

WiseTech’s CargoWise platform remains a major logistics software system used by the world’s top 25 freight forwarders, including Toll and DHL. It helps freight forwarders, customs brokers and supply-chain operators manage increasingly complex global trade.

That gives WiseTech exposure to powerful long-term trends, particularly the digitalisation of global trade and growing demand for sophisticated logistics technology.

The bigger issues for WiseTech shares have been investor confidence, governance concerns and regulatory matters.

What do brokers think about WiseTech shares?

Several brokers remain firmly bullish. Morgans retained its buy rating with a trimmed $62.50 price target, while Morgan Stanley maintained its buy rating and $70 target. The latter implies potential upside of around 86% from Wednesday’s share price.

Bell Potter also remains bullish, despite cutting its target from $71.75 to $65. Citi lifted its target from $55.05 to $58.75, while UBS reduced its target from $65 to $56 but retained its buy recommendation.

But there is plenty of scepticism. Jefferies downgraded WiseTech shares to hold with a $45 target, while JP Morgan also has a hold rating, with a $40 target.

At $37.65, the huge gap between those valuations tells investors something important: the market remains deeply divided over WiseTech’s recovery.

Foolish takeaway

Is the WiseTech rally over? It’s too early to say, but Wednesday’s decline shows just how fragile the recovery remains.

The underlying business continues to generate strong earnings growth, and management is forecasting further EBITDA growth in FY27. But investors are clearly demanding more than good financial numbers.

WiseTech needs to rebuild confidence around its strategy, governance and long-term growth prospects. Until that happens, the shares could remain volatile.

For investors willing to look beyond the recent weakness, the bullish broker targets suggest significant upside if WiseTech can deliver. But the wide valuation gap also highlights the risk: the market is far from convinced that the company’s comeback is complete.

The post WiseTech shares are turning red again. Is the rally over? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why I think Zip and WiseTech shares could be buys in September
• WiseTech shares had their best month in a year. Is this a buying opportunity?
• 5 things reporting season taught ASX investors about FY27
• WiseTech shares enjoy best month in over a year. More to come?
• 5 ASX 200 shares with 33% to 61% upside post-results: experts

Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has positions in WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.