Traditionally, investors who have wanted yield have needed only to look at what a company has paid in the past and the consistency with which they have paid it in order to construct a fairly high-yielding and robust portfolio.

But with share prices surging and earnings not growing as fast, it's not so simple anymore. Take the poster child for the movement, Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA), as an example. When it was first listed, its yield was north of 7%. Today, it hovers around 3%. 

Many would point to the fact that the CBA share price has risen circa 50% in the past 12 months as adequate compensation for the lower yield, but for many investors, there is not even an inkling of selling to crystallise those gains. 

"Been in CBA since 2014. I'm not going anywhere", was the comment from Tom, a Livewire reader, on a recent wire about CBA's valuation. Imagine if you bought in the IPO in 1991 - "they'll have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands" was the comment from another reader. 

Some investors rely on suitable yields to fund their retirements, and a sub 4% average yield on the ASX All Ordinaries doesn't cut it. So, how are the professionals hunting for yield in the current environment? Are they sticking to the tried and tested methods, believing this is just another part of the cycle, or have they changed tack?

To answer those questions, Livewire's Sara Allen is joined by Michael O'Neill from IML and Ben Clark from TMS Private Wealth. For good measure, our guests each bring along their top income stock for the year ahead. 

Note: This episode was recorded on Wednesday, 12 February 2025.