ASX passive income ideas can be some of the best ideas for generating cash returns because of how they can provide large and growing dividend payouts.

Dividends aren’t guaranteed, but some investments can provide payout guidance that can give us a high level of confidence of what the payment may be for the coming financial year.

I’ll run through two of my favourite picks for payouts.

Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP)

I think this is one of the best options in the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector for payouts because of the tailwinds it’s benefiting from and the rising distributions.

It describes itself as Australia’s largest domestic pure-play industrial REIT and is in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). It wants to provide investors with income and an opportunity for capital growth.

The properties are located in key metropolitan areas throughout Australia and it’s underpinned by a quality and diverse tenant base.

In FY26, the business experienced like-for-like net operating income (NOI) growth of 5.2%. There are a number of drivers increasing the rent value of industrial real estate such as data centres, e-commerce adoption, a growing population, the onshoring of logistics, and refrigerated storage for food and medicine.

The ASX passive income idea also reported in FY26 that it saw 30% positive re-leasing spreads – its rental income is seeing a big jump, with new contracts generating much stronger rent than the old rent. The REIT reckons that its portfolio is, on average, 17% under-rented, suggesting further strong growth as leases come up for renewal in the coming years.

Centuria Industrial REIT has provided guidance that its FY27 distribution will grow by 3% year-over-year to 17.3 cents per security, while net rental profit could grow by up to 5.5% per unit.

At the time of writing, the FY27 distribution guidance translates into a forward yield of 5.8%.

WCM Quality Global Growth Fund (ASX: WCMQ)

I think plenty of Australian investors could benefit from owning quality exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that give exposure to global shares. However, not many of those ETFs have a good dividend yield.

I believe the WCMQ ETF can provide a pleasing mixture of capital growth and dividends, which is why I think it’s a top option to consider.

WCM is a California-based fund manager. It has two criteria for including any company in its portfolio. The company must have a growing competitive advantage (or expanding economic moat) and a corporate culture that supports expanding the moat.

WCM believes the direction of a company’s economic moat is more important than the actual current size of its moat. It focuses on companies with a positive moat ‘trajectory’, measured by rising return on invested capital (ROIC), rather than those with a large but static or deteriorating moat.

Since the ETF’s inception in August 2018, its portfolio has returned an average of 15.2% per year.

The fund aims to provide investors with a minimum annualised cash yield of 5% per year, based on the net asset value on 30 June 2026.

It has provided guidance that it will pay quarterly distributions of 53.6 cents over the next year, which is a yield of around 5.3% at the time of writing.

$300 per month from these ASX passive income ideas

At the time of writing, the distribution guidance for these two ideas comes to an average dividend yield of 5.55%.

They don’t pay monthly, but they do pay quarterly. So, I think it’s better to think of the target as an annual goal and then split that into a monthly amount.

Achieving $300 per month translates into an annual target of $3,600. To deliver that goal at an average of 5.55%, we’re talking about investing approximately $64,900 across these two names. But I’d ensure I spread my money across more than just two names for good diversification.

The post 2 ASX passive income ideas I’d use to generate $300 a month in 2027 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much do I need to retire on $120,000 a year at 55?
• How much is needed in superannuation to target a $5,500 monthly passive income?
• How much is needed in superannuation to target a $40,000 annual passive income?
• Buy, hold, sell: Centuria Industrial REIT, Endeavour, Wildcat Resources shares
• How much do I need to retire on $100,000 a year at 60?

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Wcm Quality Global Growth Fund. 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.

The McMillan Shakespeare Ltd (ASX: MMS) share price is in focus today after the company delivered a record net profit after tax of $106.7 million for FY26, up 11.4%. Group revenue also climbed 6.8% to $602.1 million.

What did McMillan Shakespeare report?

• Revenue up 6.8% to $602.1 million
• Statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) from continuing operations up 11.4% to $106.7 million
• Underlying net profit after tax and amortisation (UNPATA) up 13.8% to $107.9 million
• Underlying EBITDA grew 14.1% to $180.7 million
• Fully franked final dividend of 70 cents per share, total FY26 dividend 132 cents per share
• Return on capital employed (ROCE) rose to 62.1%

What else do investors need to know?

McMillan Shakespeare saw healthy growth across all segments in FY26, with novated leases under management surging 13.5% to 90,000 and salary packaging customers up 7.1% to 402,000. The plan and support services business also expanded its customer base, and productivity gains were delivered through ongoing investments in technology, automation, and artificial intelligence.

The company reported a strong balance sheet, with net assets of $126.4 million and a low debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 0.4x. MMS also announced an on-market share buyback of up to $10 million to be executed over 12 months.

What’s next for McMillan Shakespeare?

The company enters FY27 from a position of strength, expecting the supportive environment for novated leasing to continue, helped by ongoing electric vehicle incentives and cost-of-living pressures. Demand is anticipated to remain steady across salary packaging and fleet management, while the plan and support services segment is well placed for regulatory changes in the NDIS.

MMS plans to deliver productivity gains, broaden sales capability, and invest selectively in customer propositions as it continues to focus on growth, digital innovation, and enhancing customer experience.

McMillan Shakespeare share price snapshot

The McMillan Shakespeare share price has outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) over the past 12 months with a gain of almost 8%.

View Original Announcement

The post McMillan Shakespeare shares on watch on strong FY26 profit and 70c dividend appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Virgin Australia posts robust FY26 results and first dividend since re-listing
• Channel Infrastructure secures $130m bp storage contract in Marsden Point growth plan
• Why I think this is a top ASX tech share to buy today
• 3 high-yield ASX dividend shares to buy with $10,000
• Sky New Zealand FY26 earnings: Profit up 190%, dividend jumps 45%

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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 McMillan Shakespeare. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

Building a $1 million share portfolio can sound like a goal reserved for people starting with a lot of money.

But time and consistency can change the picture considerably.

If I were aiming for that target over the next 20 years, this is how I would approach it.

Start with $20,000 and keep adding

Let’s assume I begin with a $20,000 ASX share portfolio and invest another $1,500 each month.

That works out to $18,000 of new money every year.

If the portfolio produces an average return of around 9% per annum, those contributions could grow to approximately $1 million over 20 years.

I should point out that there are no guarantees the market will deliver 9% annually. Returns will vary considerably from year to year, but 9% is roughly in line with the historical average annual return.

I think this example shows why I would focus less on finding one spectacular investment and more on keeping money invested for a long time.

I would also reinvest dividends where appropriate and give successful investments time to grow rather than constantly trading in and out of the market. This will allow compounding to do its work.

Focus on quality businesses

If I were choosing individual ASX shares, I would want companies capable of becoming more valuable over many years.

That means looking for strong competitive positions, healthy balance sheets, capable management, and genuine opportunities to keep growing.

This could mean ASX shares like Goodman Group (ASX: GMG), Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH), TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE), and Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG).

The goal would not be to predict which share performs best next month. I would be trying to assemble a collection of businesses capable of compounding earnings and value throughout much of the 20-year period.

Diversification would also be important. It is worth remembering that even businesses that look excellent today can disappoint. So, having a portfolio with sufficient diversification could offer some downside protection.

Consistency could be the biggest advantage

I think the $1,500 monthly contribution into ASX shares is just as important as the return assumption.

There will inevitably be periods when markets fall sharply and investing feels uncomfortable.

Those could actually be some of the most valuable months to keep contributing, because the same $1,500 buys more shares at lower prices.

Foolish takeaway

I would not expect the journey to $1 million to be smooth.

But starting with $20,000, investing $1,500 each month, and targeting a long-term return of around 9% gives the goal a realistic foundation.

For me, the strategy comes down to three things: quality investments, consistent contributions, and enough patience to let compounding do its work.

The post How I’d aim to build a $1 million ASX share portfolio in 20 years appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Where I’d invest $10,000 in ASX shares in September
• How I’d use ASX shares to build a second source of wealth
• Two ASX data centre stocks rated a buy
• 3 ASX shares I’d buy if I were a beginner today
• 2 ASX shares highly recommended to buy: Experts

Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Cochlear, Goodman Group, and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear, Goodman Group, and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.