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

In the year to Sep 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYM returned +16.6% and XBJA returned +11.1%, so SPYM returned more.

Which is cheaper, SPYM or XBJA?

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

Are SPYM and XBJA the same kind of fund?

No. SPYM is an index ETF and XBJA is a buffer 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 21, 2026.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

SPYM vs XBJA: how they differ

Over the year SPYM returned more, +16.6% to XBJA's +11.1%, and XBJA charges 0.79% to SPYM's 1.30%.

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF and Innovator U.S. Equity Accelerated 9 Buffer ETF - Jan.

SPYM and XBJA on the fields both publish, as of Sep 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	SPYM State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF	XBJA Innovator U.S. Equity Accelerated 9 Buffer ETF - Jan
Where it sits	Core fund	Buffer ETF
Issuer	State Street	Innovator
What it is	Tracks the S&P 500	Defined outcome, 9% on SPY
Total return, 1 year	+16.6%	+11.1%
S&P 500 over the same days	+16.6%	+16.6%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.1 pts	−5.5 pts
Expense ratio	1.30%	0.79%
Holdings	508	not filed
Net assets	$172.2bn	$93m

SPYM in plain words

SPYM tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 it returned +16.6% with distributions reinvested, against +16.6% for the S&P 500 and +21.8% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 1.30% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 508 positions, with the top ten at 38.6%.

XBJA in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +11.9% for the period on Sep 21, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.5% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 8.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.9% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 9.0% of the 9.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 101 days remained on Sep 21, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, SPYM or XBJA?: In the year to Sep 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYM returned +16.6% and XBJA returned +11.1%, so SPYM returned more.
Which is cheaper, SPYM or XBJA?: SPYM charges 1.30% a year and XBJA charges 0.79%, so XBJA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are SPYM and XBJA the same kind of fund?: No. SPYM is an index ETF and XBJA is a buffer 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.

SPYM against XBJA, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 21, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, SPYM against XBJA, data as of Sep 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spym-vs-xbja Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources