A $30,000 investment from your Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) may not look large enough to create a healthy monthly income at first. But when that money is placed in reliable monthly dividend stocks, it could begin sending cash back to you without triggering tax on the distributions.
But to achieve that, instead of chasing the highest yield available, you may want to focus on finding businesses with solid operations, dependable payouts, and room to keep growing over time.
Based on current yields, splitting $30,000 equally between two monthly income stocks could generate around $140 per month. In this article, I’ll highlight two TSX-listed dividend stocks that could help build that cash flow.
Cardinal Energy stock
The first monthly income stock that could help turn your TFSA into a cash-producing account is Cardinal Energy (TSX:CJ).
This Calgary-based company produces oil and natural gas across Western Canada, with a focus on low-decline oil assets. After rallying 58% over the last 12 months, Cardinal stock now trades at $11.23 per share with a market cap of about $2 billion. At this market price, it offers a 6.5% annualized dividend yield, paid monthly.
These recent gains in CJ stock have been supported by its record production and stronger oil prices. In the first quarter, Cardinal’s production rose 18% year-over-year (YoY) to 25,948 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The Reford 1 steam-assisted gravity drainage project was the main driver, producing more than 6,700 barrels per day and exceeding its 6,000-barrel nameplate capacity.
As a result, its revenue increased 11% YoY to $166.6 million. While its adjusted funds flow slipped 3% from a year ago to $60.5 million, its netback improved 7% YoY to $37.50 per barrel of oil equivalent with the help of lower royalties and operating costs.
Notably, Cardinal’s Reford 2 project is also progressing toward first steam in summer 2027, which should accelerate its financial growth further.
Dream Industrial REIT stock
Adding a real estate investment trust (REIT) like Dream Industrial REIT (TSX:DIR.UN) could make that TFSA income even more dependable.
This REIT owns and manages industrial properties across Canada, Europe, and the United States. After surging by 25% over the last year, its units currently trade at $14.70 per share with a market cap of $4.1 billion. The stock offers a 4.7% annualized distribution yield, with monthly payouts.
Dream Industrial’s recent performance reflects strong leasing activity and rising rents. In the first quarter, its comparative property net operating income rose 9% YoY to $99.6 million, while net rental income climbed 6.6% to $97.8 million.
The trust also signed more than 1.8 million square feet of leases at an average rental spread of 26.4%. Meanwhile, its Canadian committed occupancy reached 96.8%, while available liquidity climbed to $604.9 million after asset sales reduced leverage.
Dream Industrial continues to recycle capital, repurchase units, and pursue more than $500 million of acquisitions. These efforts could support future rental income and distribution stability.
Get $140 a month in TFSA monthly passive income
Here is how the math works. If you split $30,000 equally between these two monthly income stocks, you would invest $15,000 in each. Based on their current annualized yields of 6.5% and 4.7%, Cardinal Energy could generate about $80.1 in monthly dividend income, while Dream Industrial REIT could add around $59.5 in monthly distributions. That works out to roughly $140 a month, or about $1,676 every year.
And if you reinvest those payouts instead of spending them, your share count will gradually grow, giving you the chance to earn even more monthly income over time.
