Which returned more over the last year, AJUL or SPYM?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AJUL returned +5.9% and SPYM returned +17.6%, so SPYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, AJUL or SPYM?

AJUL charges 0.79% a year and SPYM charges 1.30%, so AJUL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Are AJUL and SPYM the same kind of fund?

No. AJUL is a buffer ETF and SPYM is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

AJUL vs SPYM: how they differ

Over the year SPYM returned more, +17.6% against +5.9%, and AJUL charges 0.79% against 1.30%.

Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - Jul 2028 and State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) ETF.

AJUL and SPYM on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	AJUL Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - Jul 2028	SPYM State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) ETF
Where it sits	Buffer ETF	Core index fund
Issuer	Innovator	State Street
What it is	Defined outcome, 100% on SPY	S&P 500
Total return, 1 year	+5.9%	+17.6%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−11.6 pts	+0.1 pts
Expense ratio	0.79%	1.30%
Holdings	not filed	507

AJUL in plain words

From its price on Sep 13, 2026, the fund can gain about 17.5% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.3% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 100.0% of the 100.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 658 days remained on Sep 13, 2026. On Jun 30, 2028 the period ends and a new cap is set.

SPYM in plain words

SPYM is an index equity fund tracking the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 1.30% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 507 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AJUL or SPYM?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AJUL returned +5.9% and SPYM returned +17.6%, so SPYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, AJUL or SPYM?: AJUL charges 0.79% a year and SPYM charges 1.30%, so AJUL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are AJUL and SPYM the same kind of fund?: No. AJUL is a buffer ETF and SPYM is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

AJUL against SPYM, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, AJUL against SPYM, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ajul-vs-spym Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources