Retirement may not be a great time to experiment with your investments. Those who have entered retirement often depend on their investment portfolio to cover monthly expenses; groceries, property taxes, medical costs, and more. Consistency and reliability from your portfolio are essential at this stage in life. That consistency is the standard Harvest Income Leaders™ ETFs are built to meet.

The Income Leaders™ ETFs invest in businesses that have earned the right to be called leaders. These are companies with dominant market positions, the ability to adapt and innovate over decades, and the financial strength to perform across market cycles. At Harvest, this is paired with an active option writing strategy. Harvest Income Leaders™ ETFs seek to deliver what retirees need most; regular monthly cash distributions.

Canadian retirees are balancing OAS, CPP, and frequent volatility in the market. The Income Leaders™ suite aims to deliver a level of reliability that retirees may find valuable. Let’s look at the sectors these ETFs cover and why each can play a meaningful role in a retirement income plan.

Healthcare: A Staple to Consider in Every Retirement Portfolio

There are few sectors that align as naturally with the needs of Canadian retirees as healthcare. The companies in this space make products and provide services that people use regardless of interest rates, trade tensions, or economic turbulence. The structural tailwinds for this sector are only strengthening as we move further into this century.

Three long-term forces underpin healthcare for years to come:

• Aging Populations | The 65+ demographic is projected to double between 2024 and 2054. As the developed world ages, healthcare spending is set to rise exponentially, creating durable demand for companies in this space
• Technological Innovation | From GLP-1 therapies and robotic surgery to wearable health monitoring, the pipeline of medical advancement is robust and shows no signs of slowing
• Emerging Markets | As wealth rises in developing economies, healthcare spending follows. This creates a global runway for leading healthcare businesses well beyond the domestic market

 

The Harvest Healthcare Leaders Income ETF (TSX: HHL) is Canada’s largest healthcare ETF, boasting over $1.8 billion in assets under management. HHL provides exposure to 20 large-cap global healthcare companies spanning pharmaceutical, biotech, medical devices, and insurance sub-sectors. This diversification across sub-sectors helps smooth the ride when policy or regulatory noise affects one area more than another.

HHL has paid consistent monthly cash distributions every month over its 10+ year history. For a retiree building an income ladder, that kind of unbroken track record speaks loudly. A consistent track record can often be more meaningful than projections.

For those looking to dial up income further, the Harvest Healthcare Leaders Enhanced Income ETF (TSX: HHLE) accesses the same portfolio of healthcare leaders while applying modest leverage to enhance both monthly income and growth potential.

Technology; Income from the Infrastructure of Tomorrow

Technology was long viewed as too volatile for a retirement portfolio. That view has evolved significantly in recent years. In 2026, investing in technology is no longer about betting on the next breakthrough, it is about owning the infrastructure that the global economy runs on, and collecting income while you do it.

Artificial intelligence has shifted from a speculative theme to a capital investment cycle. The world’s largest technology companies – Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta – have committed hundreds of billions in annual capital expenditures to data centres, GPUs, and model infrastructure. The value of global IT spending is projected to exceed US$6 trillion in 2026 alone. Cybersecurity, edge computing, and enterprise AI are adding further layers of growth.

The Harvest Tech Leaders Income ETF (TSX: HTA) provides access to a portfolio of dominant large-cap technology companies with global reach. With a track record of over a decade and six distribution increases since inception, HTA has demonstrated an ability to support income growth across different market cycles, , including the ones that shook out many other technology investments. That kind of consistency is a welcome outcome for retirement planning.

For retirees seeking a higher level of monthly income from the technology sector, the Harvest Tech Leaders Enhanced Income ETF (TSX: HTAE) may be of interest, it applies modest leverage to HTA, targeting higher monthly distributions while retaining exposure to the same portfolio of quality companies.

Utilities: Defensive Income Meets a Powerful New Catalyst

Utilities have long been a staple of Canadian retirement portfolios. These businesses have unique defensive properties. Electricity, water, and heating are consumed by households and businesses regardless of what the economy is doing. These are not discretionary purchases, but the foundation of our modern life.

The extraordinary surge in power demand is a new and exciting phenomenon, driven by the buildout of generative AI infrastructure. Goldman Sachs projected in late 2025 that data centre power demand could increase by 175% by 2030 compared to 2023 levels. That is the equivalent of adding an entirely new top 10 power-consuming country to the planet. Utilities companies, particularly those with global footprints, are well-positioned to benefit from this explosion in power demand.

Energy Consumption of Generative AI Models

The Harvest Utilities Leaders Income ETF (TSX: HUTL) is distinct in that it focuses on a diversified portfolio of global utilities companies, rather than limiting exposure to a single country or regulatory regime. This geographic diversification helps reduce exposure to region-specific policy risk and natural disaster events. As many retirement portfolios may be designed to last 20 to 30 years, this a consideration that matters.

The Harvest Utilities Leaders Enhanced Income ETF (TSX: HUTE) offers the same global utilities exposure with modest leverage applied, targeting higher monthly income and growth potential for income-focused investors and retirees.

Industrials: Canada’s Neighbour is Building Again

The industrial sector is often overlooked by retirees focused on dividends, but conditions today make a compelling case for attention. Renewed U.S. manufacturing activity, post-pandemic reshoring trends, major infrastructure stimulus, and a manufacturing technology boom have transformed industrials from a legacy sector into a key engine of economic transformation.

The Harvest Industrial Leaders Income ETF (TSX: HIND) holds 20 equal-weight industrial securities spanning aerospace and defence, electrical components, rail transportation, industrial machinery, and trading companies. That sub-sector diversification within industrials is meaningful. It helps reduce the volatility that comes with any single industrial cycle, while still capturing the broad growth story.

One thread within this story worth noting is the semiconductor industry. Analysts at Deloitte project the global semiconductor industry could reach US$2 trillion by 2040. This space is powered by generative AI and data centre build-outs. Industrial companies that supply, manufacture, and distribute equipment into these supply chains are well-positioned to benefit.

U.S. Banks: Strength and Income South of the Border

American financial institutions remain among the most powerful in the world. The first quarter of 2026 served as a reminder of their resilience. Despite broader economic uncertainty, many top U.S. banks posted impressive earnings, driven by resilient net interest margins, improving regulatory sentiment, trading strength, and ongoing capital return programs.

For Canadian retirees seeking income with exposure to large U.S. financial institutions, the Harvest U.S. Bank Leaders Income ETF (TSX: HUBL) offers a portfolio of large-cap U.S. banks and financial stocks, combined with an active covered call strategy to generate high monthly distributions. Names like JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup bring deep diversification across consumer banking, investment banking, and trading revenues.

Investing at Home: Canada’s Dividend Kings

Canada punches well above its weight as an investment destination. The country’s largest companies – the Big Six Banks, energy producers, utilities, telecoms, and a growing technology sector – operate in markets with oligopolistic characteristics. Competition is limited, pricing power is strong, and dividend growth records are remarkable.

For context, a “dividend king” is a company that has delivered at least 50 consecutive years of dividend growth. These businesses have paid and grown their dividends through recessions, bear markets, financial crises, and global pandemics. That durability is rare and may be a valuable component of a retirement portfolio.

53 Consecutive years of dividend growth – Canadian Utilities Ltd.

51 Straight years of dividend growth – Fortis Inc.

Both of Canada’s dividend kings – Canadian Utilities and Fortis – are held within the Harvest Canadian Dividend Leaders Income ETF (TSX: HLIF). This ETF captures the powerful dividend growth characteristics of Canada’s leading companies and combines them with an active covered call strategy with the aim to generate high levels of monthly cash distributions.

U.S. Equity Giants: Global Brands, Decades of Dividends

The U.S. equity market is home to some of the most iconic consumer and industrial names on the planet. These are companies with the size, financial strength, and brand equity to dominate through economic cycles. Many of these businesses have a history of strong dividend growth:

• Procter & Gamble – nearly 70 consecutive years of dividend growth
• The Coca-Cola Company – 63 straight years of dividend increases

The Harvest US Equity Leaders Income ETF (TSX: HBF) is an equally weighted portfolio of 20 large-cap U.S. companies selected from among the country’s leading corporations. The equal weighting approach means no single company can dominate performance, and the covered call overlay generates consistent monthly income for Canadian retirees seeking U.S. equity exposure without sacrificing cash flow.

Why Track Records Matter in Retirement

Several Harvest Income Leaders™ ETFs, including HHL, HBF, and HTA, carry over a decade of uninterrupted monthly cash distributions. That represents 120+ consecutive monthly payments made through bear markets, a global pandemic, inflationary shocks, and rising rate environments.

For Canadian retirees, that history is the foundation of income planning. This may allow for more informed planning around drawdowns, taxes, and spending. These ETFs have delivered even in times when markets and the broader economy tested them hardest.

The Income Leaders™ also includes the Harvest REIT Leaders Income ETF (TSX: HGR), the Harvest Travel & Leisure Income ETF (TSX: TRVI), and the Harvest Low Volatility Canadian Equity Income ETF (TSX: HVOI), providing further options for diversified monthly income across sectors.

Summary

Retirement income planning is deeply personal. The right allocation depends on your income needs, existing sources like CPP and OAS, risk comfort, and the role you want income to play in your overall plan. A qualified financial advisor can help you determine which Income Leaders™ ETFs are appropriate for your situation.

To learn more about the Income Leaders™, visit https://harvestportfolios.com/income-leaders-etfs/.

Endnotes
1 Formerly Harvest Tech Achievers Growth & Income ETF
2 Formerly Harvest Tech Achievers Enhanced Income ETF
3 Formerly Harvest Equal Weight Global Utilities Income ETF
4 Formerly Harvest Equal Weight Global Utilities Enhanced Income ETF
5 Formerly Harvest Canadian Equity Income Leaders ETF
6 Formerly Harvest Brand Leaders Plus Income ETF
7 Formerly Harvest Global REIT Leaders Income ETF

Disclaimer

For Information Purposes Only. All comments, opinions and views expressed are of a general nature and should not be considered as advice and/or a recommendation to purchase or sell the mentioned securities or used to engage in personal investment strategies.

Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in Harvest Exchange Traded Funds (managed by Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.). Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

Distributions are paid to you in cash unless you request, pursuant to your participation in a distribution reinvestment plan, that they be reinvested into the Class of units that you own of the Fund. If the Fund earns less than the amounts distributed, the difference is a return of capital. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made with guidance from a qualified professional.

Certain statements included in this communication constitute forward-looking statements (“FLS”), including, but not limited to, those identified by the expressions “expect”, “intend”, “will” and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Fund. The FLS are not historical facts but reflect Harvest’s, the Manager of the Fund, current expectations regarding future results or events. These FLS statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Although Harvest, the Manager of the Fund, believes that the assumptions inherent in the FLS are reasonable, FLS are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Harvest, the Manager of the Fund, undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any FLS or information whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information, except as required by law.