Income. One size
never fits all
Ways to build income for different investment goals
Investing for income refers to investing in strategies designed to provide regular payments while keeping your money invested. For some, it is about making their cash work harder. For others, it is a way to create more regular cash flow to boost household finances, support retirement spending, or keep a portfolio invested for future growth. BlackRock offers a broad range of income funds across bonds and equities, helping investors build an approach that fits their goals.
Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.
Explore different approaches to income investing
Different income strategies can help meet different investment objectives. Explore our featured approaches below and discover the iShares ETFs and BlackRock funds that support them.
Plan for future expenses
Create a clearer cash flow timeline to help work towards a specific financial goal. Defined maturity and cash flow strategies can help you plan towards future financial goals with greater confidence. The aim is to put idle cash into a more deliberate plan.
May suit investors looking to:
- Plan for a future expense
- Move cash into investments
- Gain greater visibility over future cash flow
Explore this approach through iShares ETFs:
Explore more iBonds ETFs with different maturities and fixed income exposures to support your future investment goals.
Adapt to changing markets
Markets change, and your income strategy can too. Flexible bond strategies are designed to adapt across different types of bonds as interest rates and market conditions evolve while continuing to seek income.
May suit investors looking to:
- Generate bond income
- Manage changing market conditions
- Diversify fixed income exposure
Diversification and asset allocation may not fully protect you from market risk.
Explore this approach through iShares ETFs or BlackRock funds:
Grow while generating income
Looking for regular income while staying invested for growth? Equity income strategies invest primarily in shares and aim to provide investors with an income stream alongside the potential for capital growth over time.
Some strategies seek to generate income from both stock dividends and additional investment techniques or financial instruments. These approaches can provide an additional source of income, although they may involve different risks and return characteristics.
Other strategies focus primarily on the dividends paid by the companies they invest in. Income levels will vary depending on the companies held and market conditions, while investors remain exposed to the long-term growth potential of the underlying shares.
May suit investors looking to:
- Generate a regular income from their equity investments without having to sell shares
- Stay invested in global stock markets
- Balance income generation with the potential for long-term capital growth
Explore this approach through iShares ETFs or BlackRock funds:
ETF or mutual fund – which could be right for you?
Both ETFs and mutual funds can help you invest for income through professionally managed portfolios. ETFs trade on stock exchanges and can typically be accessed through online investment platforms, digital investing apps or a financial adviser. Mutual funds are usually bought through a fund provider, investment platform or financial adviser and are priced once each trading day.
A mutual fund pools money from many investors into a professionally managed portfolio of investments, such as stocks or bonds. Unlike ETFs, mutual funds are typically priced once each trading day.
The right choice depends on your investment goals, how you prefer to invest and the features that matter most to you.
Frequently asked questions
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Income investing is an investment approach focused on generating regular payments from assets such as bonds, dividend-paying equities, or multi-asset portfolios while keeping capital invested.
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ETFs typically trade throughout the day on an exchange, while mutual funds are generally priced once per day. Both can provide access to professionally managed income strategies.
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Income strategies can help investors generate regular payments, diversify income sources, support future cash flow needs, or complement growth-focused allocations depending on their objectives and risk tolerance.
1ETFGI Global ETF Industry Insights, as at 10 June 2026.
2BlackRock FP&A as of 10 June 2026 for BlackRock Mutual Funds. FundFile as of 10 June 2026 for competitor Mutual Funds. GBI as of 10 June 2026 for BLK & competitor ETFs. Includes EMEA domiciled products, excluding funds classified as “Institutional” by FundFile
Income defined as products investing into asset classes delivering a "natural" yield - - the product invests primarily into assets that deliver a natural coupon or dividend which is then passed on to an end-client via a distribution; and products targeting income by design - the product is designed with a primary objective or feature being to deliver a target income or distribution.
A natural coupon is income generated directly by an investment, such as interest paid by a bond or dividends paid by a company, without needing to sell the investment to generate income.
*Active investing is an approach where investment professionals choose and manage investments rather than simply tracking a market index. They can adjust the portfolio as markets change, aiming to meet a specific investment objective.
