The size of your nest egg matters less than the yield you chase, and picking the wrong number could leave your income flat while prices keep climbing through your 80s.
Life After Work desk. Editor: David Beren.
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A 70-year-old seeking an extra $3,600 a month beyond Social Dividend Yield ETF (NYSEARCA:VYM) yields closer to 2.3% and spreads your money across hundreds of large dividend payers. iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:SGOV) pays about 3.6%, while T-bills currently yield between 4% and 4.5%.
The tradeoff: this approach requires the largest upfront investment, and in return, your income is least likely to be interrupted. The stocks in these funds tend to raise their dividends over time. T-bill income works differently. SGOV’s monthly payout dropped from $0.458 in early 2024 to $0.30 this month as short-term rates came down.
Moderate Tier: $720,000 at 6%
At a more moderate level, $43,200 divided by 0.06 equals $720,000. REITs, preferred shares and covered call funds make up this level. Realty Income (NYSE:O) yields about 5.7%, pays every month, and recently made its 115th consecutive quarterly dividend increase. The increases are modest, though. Its monthly distribution rose from $0.264 in January 2025 to $0.2715 today.
JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NYSEARCA:JEPI) sells call options on its stock holdings to generate income. It yields about 8% on trailing payouts and about 7.2% based on its current run rate, with a 0.35% expense ratio. Its checks change from month to month: $0.448 a share in May, then $0.341 in October. Selling calls also caps the fund’s upside, so over a long retirement this income is less likely to keep up with inflation.
Aggressive Tier: $432,000 at 10%
For those willing to tolerate plenty of risk, start by taking $43,200; divided by 0.10, that’s $432,000.
BDCs, mortgage REITs, leveraged covered call funds, and high-yield bond funds typically carry high yields. You need about a third of the capital in the conservative tier. In exchange, you accept frequent dividend cuts and a share price that often drifts lower. In practice, you are spending down the asset, and at 70 you have less time to recover from a cut.
What a Five-Fund Blend Requires
Put 30% in SCHD, 20% in VYM, 20% in JEPI, 15% in Realty Income, and 15% in SGOV, and the combined portfolio pays about 4.4%. Producing $43,200 a year at that yield takes roughly $990,000. The mix gets about a fifth of its income from JEPI’s option premiums and keeps a T-bill buffer that holds steady when stocks fall. Our free guide lays out the mix, payment calendar, and withdrawal order for turning a lump sum into a monthly paycheck.
Why the Smallest Yield Can Pay the Most by 80
Say the 3.5% portfolio raises its dividends 8% a year. By age 79, it pays about $86,400 a year, roughly double what it started at. At 6% annual growth, it still reaches about $77,400 by age 80. The 10% portfolio pays $43,200 at best, and inflation shrinks what it buys each year, even as Social Security checks get a cost-of-living raise. Flat portfolio income stays fixed as prices rise.
Three Moves Before You Put Money In
- Figure out your after-tax gap. In 2026, married couples pay 12% on taxable income over $24,800 and get a $32,200 standard deduction. Qualified dividends from SCHD and VYM are taxed at lower rates. REIT dividends, option income, and T-bill interest are mostly taxed at your regular income rate, so those holdings fit best inside an IRA.
- Many retirees keep one to two years of withdrawals in T-bills. That buffer lets you avoid selling shares at low prices during a downturn.
- Check how each fund’s payout has grown. VYM’s March payout rose from $0.656 in 2021 to $0.862 in 2026. Run the same five-year comparison on every fund you plan to own.
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David Beren has been a Flywheel Publishing contributor since 2022. Writing for 24/7 Wall St. since 2023, David loves to write about topics of all shapes and sizes. As a technology expert, David focuses heavily on consumer electronics brands, automobiles, and general technology. He has previously written for LifeWire, formerly About.com. As a part-time freelance writer, David’s “day job” has been working on and leading social media for multiple Fortune 100 brands. David loves the flexibility of this field and its ability to reach customers exactly where they like to spend their time. Additionally, David previously published his own blog, TmoNews.com, which reached 3 million readers in its first year. In addition to freelance and social media work, David loves to spend time with his family and children and relive the glory days of video game consoles by playing any retro game console he can get his hands on.
