Which paid more, FGSI or JEPQ?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and JEPQ paid 11.9%, so JEPQ paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, FGSI or JEPQ?

With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and JEPQ +10.4% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FGSI or JEPQ?

FGSI charges 0.85% a year and JEPQ charges 0.35%, so JEPQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FGSI vs JEPQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JEPQ paid 11.9% of its price in cash against FGSI’s 8.3%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $2.0m for FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF and $42.1bn for JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF.

FGSI on its own →JEPQ on its own →

At a glance

8.3%

FGSI cash paid, 1 year

11.9%

JEPQ cash paid, 1 year

+9.0%

FGSI total return, 1 year

+10.4%

JEPQ total return, 1 year

FGSI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 About even with FTGS

FGSI

+9.0%

FTGS

+8.8%

About even with FTGS

FGSI over 1 year: paid 8.3%, price +0.2%, total +9.0%, FTGS +8.8%, +0.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

FTGS

+8.8%

FGSI

+9.0%

8.3% of it arrived as cash

about even with FTGS

Total return, distributions reinvested

About even with FTGS

FGSI over 1 year: paid 8.3%, price +0.2%, total +9.0%, FTGS +8.8%, +0.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

FTGS

+8.8%

FGSI

+9.0%

8.3% as cash

about even with FTGS

8.3% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. FGSI over 1 year: paid 8.3%, price +0.2%, total +9.0%, FTGS +8.8%, +0.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

JEPQ · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 1.9 pts behind QQQ

JEPQ

+10.4%

QQQ

+12.3%

1.9 pts behind QQQ

JEPQ over 1 year: paid 11.9%, price −1.9%, total +10.4%, QQQ +12.3%, −1.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

JEPQ

+10.4%

11.9% of it arrived as cash

1.9 pts behind QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

1.9 pts behind QQQ

JEPQ over 1 year: paid 11.9%, price −1.9%, total +10.4%, QQQ +12.3%, −1.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

JEPQ

+10.4%

11.9% as cash

1.9 pts behind QQQ

11.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. JEPQ over 1 year: paid 11.9%, price −1.9%, total +10.4%, QQQ +12.3%, −1.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

JEPQ costs 0.50 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.4 points; JEPQ is far larger, $42.1bn against $2.0m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FGSI vs JEPQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FGSI	JEPQ
Paid and earned
Measure	FGSI	JEPQ
Total return, 1 year	+9.0%	+10.4%
Price change, 1 year	rose 0.2%	fell 1.9%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	53% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FGSI	JEPQ
Benchmark	First Trust Growth Strength ETF, measured through FTGS	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	FGSI	JEPQ
Expense ratio	0.85%	0.35%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$2.0m	$42.1bn
Holdings
Measure	FGSI	JEPQ
Holdings in common	13%

ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · FGSI scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

IQ Income Score63.2FGSI50JEPQ

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 167 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

FGSI 63.2

JEPQ 50

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Method

What they share

13%

By the books each fund has filed, FGSI and JEPQ hold 13% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

13% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FGSI JEPQ

Broadcom Inc. 2.02% 1.95%

NVIDIA Corporation 1.93% 7.09%

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 1.73% 2.70%

Palantir Technologies Inc. (Class A) 1.88% 1.25%

Seagate Technology Holdings Plc 1.90% 1.20%

Netflix, Inc. 1.79% 1.13%

Marvell Technology, Inc. 1.51% 0.80%

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. 2.06% 0.69%

Monster Beverage Corporation 2.06% 0.53%

Intuit Inc. 2.11% 0.48%

Mastercard Incorporated 2.10% 0.28%

Applovin Corp. (Class A) 1.83% 0.26%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FGSI

Vertiv Holdings Co (Class A) 2.28%

Eli Lilly and Company 2.25%

United Therapeutics Corporation 2.25%

Blackstone Inc. 2.21%

Delta Air Lines, Inc. 2.20%

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. 2.18%

General Dynamics Corporation 2.16%

S&P Global Inc. 2.16%

Only in JEPQ

APPLE INC COMMON STOCK 6.76%

MICROSOFT CORP COMMON 5.61%

MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC 4.19%

ALPHABET INC-CL C 4.10%

AMAZON.COM INC COMMON 3.98%

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 3.31%

TESLA INC COMMON STOCK 2.40%

WALMART INC COMMON STOCK 2.03%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FGSI FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF · Writes calls on the S&P 500, measured against The Growth Strength Index, paying monthly JEPQ JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF · Writes calls through equity-linked notes (ELNs) on the Nasdaq-100, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust JPMorgan

Strategy option income covered call

Benchmark First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 8.3% 11.3%

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.35%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.3% 11.9%

Price change, 1 year +0.2% −1.9%

Total return, 1 year +9.0% +10.4%

Benchmark return, 1 year +8.8% +12.3%

Ahead or behind +0.2 pts −1.9 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 53% not published

Age 1.4 years 4.5 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $2.0m $42.1bn

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: FGSI vs JEPQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FGSI	JEPQ	FGSI	JEPQ	FGSI	JEPQ
3 months	−2.2%	−0.9%	2.0%	3.0%	+0.6 pts	+2.6 pts
6 months	+6.3%	+2.3%	4.3%	6.2%	+0.2 pts	+2.6 pts
1 year	+9.0%	+10.4%	8.3%	11.9%	+0.2 pts	−1.8 pts
3 years	–	+66.7%	–	38.3%	–	−24.7 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FGSI Jun 2025 · JEPQ May 2022	+13.6%	+85.2%	11.3%	51.4%	−0.7 pts	−30.6 pts

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Alert

About each fund

FGSI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.0%. First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) returned +8.8% over the same days, so a holder was about even. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.3%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 53% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

JEPQ

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JEPQ paid 11.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +10.4%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 1.9 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.3%, paid monthly.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FGSI or JEPQ?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and JEPQ paid 11.9%, so JEPQ paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, FGSI or JEPQ?: With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and JEPQ +10.4% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FGSI or JEPQ?: FGSI charges 0.85% a year and JEPQ charges 0.35%, so JEPQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FGSI vs IQQQ FGSI vs QQQI FGSI vs QYLD FGSI vs GPIQ JEPQ vs TPAY JEPQ vs ODTE JEPQ vs KIQQ JEPQ vs XVSP

Where to next

First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →FGSI on its own →JEPQ on its own →FGSI dividend history →FGSI holdings →JEPQ dividend history →JEPQ holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

FGSI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FGSI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

FGSI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for FGSI ↗

JEPQ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

JEPQ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

JPMorgan website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, FGSI against JEPQ, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fgsi-vs-jepq

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