4 Equity ETFs to Consider for Retirement Income

This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com.

2022 put immense pressure on retirement portfolios as equity all around fell, and bond yields rose. While many of the challenges of the last year are anticipated to begin leveling off in 2023, there are still a great number of unknowns that could see volatility continue into at least the first few months of the year. Risk-managed strategies will likely remain an attractive choice for advisors and investors in 2023 while inflation slowly falls, but interest rates remain high and the U.S. inches closer to recession potential.

For advisors looking beyond fixed income options for retirement income needs, Nationwide offers a suite of ETFs that seek high current income within the major equity indexes. They carry a measure of downside protection, each with a different type of exposure depending on the assets and strategy investors are looking for. The distribution yield percentage is a key metric to utilize when looking at funds. It is calculated by dividing the fund’s most recent distribution (annualized) by the fund’s most recent NAV. It isn’t an indicator of the fund's total return, as it is a singular distribution from the fund, but it can be a significant one.

The Nationwide Nasdaq-100® Risk-Managed Income ETF (NUSI) follows a rules-based options trading strategy that seeks to generate high current income every month and invests in stocks included in the Nasdaq-100® Index. The Nasdaq-100® Index consists of 100 of the largest non-finance securities that trade on the Nasdaq exchange and is a rules-based, market capitalization-weighted index.

The Nationwide S&P 500® Risk-Managed ETF (NSPI) is an actively managed fund that invests in a portfolio of securities included in the S&P 500® Index. The S&P 500® Index is weighted by market capitalization and comprises approximately 500 of the top U.S.-listed companies that make up most of the U.S. equity market cap (80%).

The Nationwide Dow Jones® Risk-Managed Income ETF (NDJI) is an actively managed fund that invests in a portfolio of securities included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The Dow Jones is weighted by price and comprises 30 well-established U.S. companies, referred to as blue-chip companies.

The Nationwide Russell 2000® Risk-Managed Income ETF (NTKI) is an actively managed fund that invests in a portfolio of securities included in the Russell 2000® Index. The Russell 2000® tracks approximately 2,000 U.S. small-cap companies.

The distribution yields for all four Nationwide ETFs were above 7% for the third quarter of 2022, making them a strong option as a replacement for or complement to dividend strategies.