My Uncle Barry, a man whose financial advice peaked with a disastrous foray into Beanie Babies, once told me the key to investing was “finding the things nobody else wants.” He’d lost a fortune, naturally, but the sentiment stuck. It’s why I find myself, somewhat reluctantly, looking at mid-cap dividend ETFs. They’re not flashy. They don’t inspire breathless CNBC segments. They’re the beige cardigans of the investment world. And that, I suspect, is precisely the point.
Everyone’s chasing the S&P 500 Aristocrats, those blue-chip companies with decades of steadily increasing payouts. Very respectable. Very crowded. It’s like waiting in line for a particularly popular pumpkin spice latte. The ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL +0.38%), though? It’s the slightly less-trafficked coffee stand down the block. And, surprisingly, it’s been beating the market this year. By a couple of percentage points, which, let’s be honest, is enough to cover my increasingly expensive habit of buying artisanal cheese.
It’s eleven years old, this ETF. Which, in internet years, is practically prehistoric. It holds 51 stocks, all mid-cap companies that have managed to raise their dividends for at least fifteen years. Fifteen years! That’s a commitment. My marriage hasn’t lasted that long. The fund is equal-weighted, meaning no single company dominates. It’s a sensible approach, like ensuring everyone at the potluck brings a dish that isn’t potato salad.
Mid-caps, historically, have outperformed both large and small companies. Less volatile than the small guys, more growth potential than the behemoths. It’s a Goldilocks scenario, if Goldilocks was a shrewd, long-term investor. I’m not. I mostly just panic-sell during market dips and then regret it immediately. But the idea of long-term buy-and-hold is appealing. It suggests a level of discipline I rarely achieve.
Right now, everything feels… precarious. The news is a relentless barrage of bad omens. So, a fund that derives over 80% of its revenue from the U.S. feels… comforting. If the White House decides to engage in another round of tariff shenanigans, these companies might fare better than those heavily reliant on exports. It’s a small shield, perhaps, but I’ll take any protection I can get. My therapist says I have a tendency to catastrophize. She’s probably right.
And there’s something to be said for companies that continue to raise dividends, even during uncertain times. It signals confidence, a willingness to share the wealth. It’s a quiet message, but it’s a powerful one. It suggests a level of stability that’s increasingly rare. My neighbor, bless his heart, keeps promising me he’s on the verge of a breakthrough with his cryptocurrency scheme. I’m politely nodding and backing away slowly.
The expense ratio is 0.40%, or $40 for every $10,000 invested. It’s not cheap, but it’s a reasonable price to pay for a bit of peace of mind. And, frankly, I’m willing to pay a premium for anything that doesn’t involve explaining blockchain to my elderly aunt. She still thinks email is magic.
REGL isn’t going to make me rich. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s just a solid, sensible fund that’s quietly going about its business. And in a world filled with noise and chaos, sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
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2026-02-15 17:32