Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Income ETFs

BALQ vs LJUL: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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BALQ and LJUL both write options for income.

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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $9.0m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - July.

At a glance
10.0%
BALQ cash paid, since launch, Dec 3, 2025
5.2%
LJUL cash paid, 1 year
+15.6%
BALQ total return, since launch, Dec 3, 2025
+5.3%
LJUL total return, 1 year
BALQ · since launch to Nov 4, 2026 4.1 pts ahead of QQQ
BALQ
+15.6%
QQQ
+11.5%

4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+11.5%

BALQ

+15.6%

10.0% of it arrived as cash

4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+11.5%

BALQ

+15.6%

10.0% cash

4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

10.0% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.
LJUL · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 9.5 pts behind VOO
LJUL
+5.3%
VOO
+14.8%

9.5 pts behind VOO

LJUL over 1 year: paid 5.2%, price 0.0%, total +5.3%, VOO +14.8%, −9.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

LJUL

+5.3%

5.2% of it arrived as cash

9.5 pts behind VOO

Total return, distributions reinvested

9.5 pts behind VOO

LJUL over 1 year: paid 5.2%, price 0.0%, total +5.3%, VOO +14.8%, −9.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

LJUL

+5.3%

9.5 pts behind VOO

5.2% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +15.6%. LJUL over 1 year: paid 5.2%, price 0.0%, total +5.3%, VOO +14.8%, −9.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +15.6%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

BALQ costs 0.44 points a year less; BALQ is 4.8 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALQ vs LJUL: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureBALQLJUL
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 yearnot published+5.3%
Price changerose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025)fell 0.0% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment40% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkNasdaq-100, measured through QQQVanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.35%0.79%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$43m$8.9m
Holdings
Holdings in common0%

Method

What they share

0%

By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and LJUL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BALQ LJUL
Only in one fund ↓
Only in BALQ
NVIDIA 8.33%
APPLE 7.82%
MICROSOFT 7.46%
AMAZON.COM INC 5.04%
MICRON TECHNOLOGY 4.74%
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.10%
COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP 3.46%
META PLATFORMS CLASS A 3.09%
Only in LJUL
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly LJUL Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - July · Buffer with income on VOO, paying monthly
Strategy covered call buffer with income
Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 8.5% 5.3%
Expense ratio 0.35% 0.79%
Cash paid, 1 year 10.0% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 5.2%
Price change, 1 year +5.1% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 0.0%
Total return, 1 year +15.6% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +5.3%
Benchmark return, 1 year +11.5% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +14.8%
Ahead or behind +4.1 pts (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −9.5 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 97% 40%
Age 336 days 2.3 years
Net assets, BALQ as of Nov 3, 2026 and LJUL as of Nov 4, 2026 $43m $9.0m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price. Payout rate: the latest payment, annualized, over today’s price.

Window by window

Window by window: BALQ vs LJUL: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowBALQLJULBALQLJULBALQLJUL
3 months−3.8%+1.1%2.1%1.3%−0.3 pts+1.3 pts
6 months+1.3%+2.8%5.2%2.6%+1.7 pts−2.3 pts
1 year–+5.3%–5.2%–−9.5 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · LJUL Jul 2024+15.6%+14.0%10.0%12.6%+4.1 pts−30.5 pts

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About each fund
BALQ

Over the period from its first trade on Dec 3, 2025 to Nov 4, 2026, BALQ paid 10.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 5.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +11.5% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.5%, paid monthly. iShares estimates that 97% of the distribution paid Nov 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

LJUL

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, LJUL paid 5.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.3%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.5 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 5.3%, paid monthly. Innovator estimates that 40% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, BALQ or LJUL?
BALQ charges 0.35% a year and LJUL charges 0.79%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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ETFIQ, BALQ against LJUL, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-ljul

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