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

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYM returned +17.6% and ZMAR returned +6.0%, so SPYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, SPYM or ZMAR?

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

Are SPYM and ZMAR the same kind of fund?

No. SPYM is an index ETF and ZMAR 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 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

SPYM vs ZMAR: how they differ

Over the year SPYM returned more, +17.6% against +6.0%, and ZMAR charges 0.79% against 1.30%.

State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) ETF and Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr March.

SPYM and ZMAR on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	SPYM State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) ETF	ZMAR Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr March
Where it sits	Core index fund	Buffer ETF
Issuer	State Street	Innovator
What it is	S&P 500	Defined outcome, 100% on SPY
Total return, 1 year	+17.6%	+6.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.1 pts	−11.5 pts
Expense ratio	1.30%	0.79%
Holdings	507	not filed

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%.

ZMAR in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.7% for the period on Sep 13, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.1% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 3.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.2% 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. 170 days remained on Sep 13, 2026. On Feb 28, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, SPYM or ZMAR?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYM returned +17.6% and ZMAR returned +6.0%, so SPYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, SPYM or ZMAR?: SPYM charges 1.30% a year and ZMAR charges 0.79%, so ZMAR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are SPYM and ZMAR the same kind of fund?: No. SPYM is an index ETF and ZMAR 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 ZMAR, 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, SPYM against ZMAR, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spym-vs-zmar Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources