The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF ( SCHD 0.57%), JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF ( JEPI 0.43%), and Vanguard Real Estate ETF ( VNQ -0.07%) are three great ETFs for generating passive income. They pay higher-yielding dividends that have grown over the years.

Six top exchange-traded funds (ETFs) make sense for investors looking for dependable, often monthly instead of quarterly, distributions.

Its smart to seek income from your investments -- whether it's because you need that income to support yourself in retirement, or whether you want to use it to invest in more stocks. It's also a fine idea to seek that passive income from exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that are focused on dividend-paying shares.

The JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF holds 103 stocks that closely mirror the Nasdaq-100 index. It writes covered calls on the Nasdaq-100 each month, it pays its distributions monthly, and it currently has a 30-day SEC yield of 9.76%. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.35%.