Which paid more, FGSI or JULJ?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and JULJ paid 5.6%, so FGSI 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 JULJ?

With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and JULJ +5.4% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FGSI or JULJ?

FGSI charges 0.85% a year and JULJ charges 0.79%, so JULJ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FGSI vs JULJ: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its price in cash against JULJ’s 5.6%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $2.0m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF, and $14m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator Premium Income 30 Barrier ETF - July.

FGSI on its own →JULJ on its own →

At a glance

8.3%

FGSI cash paid, 1 year

5.6%

JULJ cash paid, 1 year

+9.0%

FGSI total return, 1 year

+5.4%

JULJ 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% 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.

JULJ · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 9.4 pts behind SPY

JULJ

+5.4%

SPY

+14.8%

9.4 pts behind SPY

JULJ over 1 year: paid 5.6%, price −0.4%, total +5.4%, SPY +14.8%, −9.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

JULJ

+5.4%

5.6% of it arrived as cash

9.4 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

9.4 pts behind SPY

JULJ over 1 year: paid 5.6%, price −0.4%, total +5.4%, SPY +14.8%, −9.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

JULJ

+5.4%

9.4 pts behind SPY

5.6% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. JULJ over 1 year: paid 5.6%, price −0.4%, total +5.4%, SPY +14.8%, −9.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

JULJ costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.6 points; JULJ is 7.0 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FGSI vs JULJ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FGSI	JULJ
Paid and earned
Measure	FGSI	JULJ
Total return, 1 year	+9.0%	+5.4%
Price change, 1 year	rose 0.2%	fell 0.4%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	53% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	39% of the Oct 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FGSI	JULJ
Benchmark	First Trust Growth Strength ETF, measured through FTGS	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	FGSI	JULJ
Expense ratio	0.85%	0.79%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$2.0m	$14m
Holdings
Measure	FGSI	JULJ
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score63.2FGSI54.2JULJ

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

JULJ 54.2

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

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

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FGSI JULJ

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 JULJ

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 JULJ Innovator Premium Income 30 Barrier ETF - July · Defined income on SPY, paying quarterly

Issuer First Trust Innovator

Strategy option income defined income

Benchmark First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) S&P 500 (SPY)

Pays monthly quarterly

Payout rate, annualized 8.3% 5.4%

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.79%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.3% 5.6%

Price change, 1 year +0.2% −0.4%

Total return, 1 year +9.0% +5.4%

Benchmark return, 1 year +8.8% +14.8%

Ahead or behind +0.2 pts −9.4 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 53% 39%

Age 1.4 years 3.3 years

Net assets, FGSI as of Nov 3, 2026 and JULJ as of Nov 4, 2026 $2.0m $14m

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 JULJ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FGSI	JULJ	FGSI	JULJ	FGSI	JULJ
3 months	−2.2%	+1.3%	2.0%	1.3%	+0.6 pts	+1.5 pts
6 months	+6.3%	+2.6%	4.3%	2.7%	+0.2 pts	−2.4 pts
1 year	+9.0%	+5.4%	8.3%	5.6%	+0.2 pts	−9.4 pts
3 years	–	+18.6%	–	17.3%	–	−64.3 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FGSI Jun 2025 · JULJ Jul 2023	+13.6%	+21.3%	11.3%	19.0%	−0.7 pts	−58.5 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.

JULJ

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, JULJ paid 5.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.4%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 5.4%, paid quarterly. Innovator estimates that 39% of the distribution paid Oct 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FGSI or JULJ?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and JULJ paid 5.6%, so FGSI 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 JULJ?: With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and JULJ +5.4% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FGSI or JULJ?: FGSI charges 0.85% a year and JULJ charges 0.79%, so JULJ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FGSI vs JULH FGSI vs NLSI FGSI vs TPRY FGSI vs JOYT JULJ vs TPAY JULJ vs ODTE JULJ vs KIQQ JULJ vs XVSP

Where to next

First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) →S&P 500 (SPY) →FGSI on its own →JULJ on its own →FGSI dividend history →FGSI holdings →JULJ dividend history →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 ↗

JULJ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

JULJ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

JULJ 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Innovator page for JULJ ↗

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.

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

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