A Pension With No Raise and Groceries Up 25% Since 2020: 3 ETFs That Give You the Raise It Never Will

Your pension check hasn’t budged since the day you retired, yet everything else has. Your grocery bill and other costs of living tell the real story, and Social Security’s 2027 COLA is only tracking toward 3.1%. If your pension has no raise mechanism, your portfolio has to fill that role. Three ETFs can do that job in different ways: the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (CBOE:NOBL) for annual pay increases from blue-chip companies, the Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF (NYSEARCA:VPU) for defensive, regulated income, and the iShares TIPS Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:TIP) for bond exposure that literally tracks the CPI.

The broader consumer price index has climbed sharply since 2020, reaching 333.918 in July 2026. Grocery prices have risen even faster than headline inflation during parts of that period. For retirees living on a fixed pension, persistent inflation steadily reduces the purchasing power of that income, which is why we made the case for an income-focused retirement strategy in a free guide here. Supplementing a fixed pension with income that can grow over time can help offset that loss of purchasing power.

NOBL: The Raise Your Pension Won’t Give You

Dividend aristocrats are S&P 500 companies that have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. Miss a hike, and you’re out of the index. That single rule turns NOBL into a portfolio of businesses contractually married to giving shareholders a raise.

Top holdings include names like Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, McDonald’s, Walmart, Realty Income, and Chevron. NOBL pays quarterly distributions, with a trailing 12-month total of $2.025885 per share. The fund manages roughly $11.07 billion in net assets, and shares have returned 14.12% over the past year and 37.66% over five years.

VPU: Regulated Income From Companies That Pass Inflation Through

Utilities are legally allowed to raise rates when their costs rise. That regulatory pass-through is exactly what a fixed-income retiree wants sitting inside a stock fund. VPU tracks the U.S. utilities sector at an expense ratio of 0.09%, meaning $9.99 of every $10 you invest stays working for you.

The fund pays quarterly and has produced a trailing 12-month distribution of $5.1678 per share, with the two most recent quarterly payments at $1.3009 and $1.2769. On a share price near $184.76, that’s a meaningful, steady cash stream from boring businesses that keep the lights on whether the market is up or down. Total return has been quieter, at 3.43% over the past year, which is the point — you’re buying income.

TIP: A Bond That Adjusts to Inflation

With Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, the principal amount of the bond is revised up when CPI rises. Your coupon is a fixed percentage of that adjusted principal, so when inflation climbs, both the principal and the interest payment climb with it. TIP holds a broad portfolio of these bonds, with $14.75 billion in net assets spread across U.S. Treasury inflation-linked issues.

TIP pays monthly, with variable amounts and a trailing 12-month total of $5.321874 per share. Real yields are actually attractive right now. The 10-year TIPS real yield stood at 2.42% on August 28, 2026, meaning you’re locking in a return above inflation, not just matching it.

Trade-Offs to Weigh

Each of these funds carries real trade-offs. NOBL leans large-cap value and can lag when growth stocks lead the market. VPU is rate-sensitive; when long yields spike, utility prices often fall, and the fund is down 4.5% over the past month. TIP’s market price can drop when real yields rise, even while its principal is quietly adjusting upward. Its five-year price change is just 0.76%, a reminder that price appreciation is not the point.

Blended together, though, these three funds answer the question your pension refuses to: where does next year’s raise come from? Dividend aristocrats deliver dividend hikes, utilities deliver steady regulated cash, and TIPS deliver a coupon tied directly to the same CPI that’s inflating your bills. That is the raise your pension will never write you.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.