Claim Social Security at 62 and Keep Working, and They Claw Back $1 of Every $2 Over the Limit. These 3 ETFs Replace the Job Instead

JEPI pays monthly at a high single-digit yield while RDVY has compounded 352% over 10 years, and both are invisible to the SSA earnings test. VPU adds defensive utility income at roughly 3% yield and 0.09% in fees, holding steady when chip cycles or rate spikes hit growth funds. It sounds nuts, but SoFi1 is giving new Active Invest users up to $3,000 in stock for a limited time, and all it takes is a $50 deposit to get started.2 See for yourself (Sponsor) You did the math and claimed Social Security at 62.

Then you kept working and ran into the Social Security earnings test. Before full retirement age, Social Security can withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above the annual limit. That can significantly reduce the benefit you expected to collect alongside your paycheck.

Investment income is different. Dividends, interest, and capital gains generally do not count as earnings for the test. That creates another option for workers who claimed early but still want additional income: build a portfolio that generates cash without increasing earnings subject to the limit.

Three ETFs can fill different roles in that strategy: JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NYSEARCA:JEPI), First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (NYSEARCA:RDVY), and Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSEARCA:VPU). The 2027 cost-of-living adjustment is tracking toward 3.1%, which helps a little, but that bump does nothing if the earnings test is taking half your excess wages right now. You need income that shows up on a 1099-DIV, not a W-2.

That is what these three ETFs are built to deliver: dividends and distributions that replace the wages the earnings test is clawing back, without the SSA counting a penny of it against your benefit. SoFi Active Invest is offering a limited-time promotion. Open an account, fund it with $50 or more, and you could receive up to $3,000 in complimentary stock for Active Invest accounts.

See for yourself by clicking here now. JEPI writes covered calls against a portfolio of low-volatility large caps and sells equity-linked notes for extra premium. In 2025, JEPI distributed $4.79992 per share across 12 payments.