Which paid more, FGSI or OEI?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and OEI paid 9.2%, so OEI 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 OEI?

With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and OEI +12.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FGSI or OEI?

FGSI charges 0.85% a year and OEI charges 1.02%, so FGSI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FGSI vs OEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, OEI paid 9.2% of its price in cash against FGSI’s 8.3%, 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 $46m on Jul 31, 2026 for Optimized Equity Income ETF.

FGSI on its own →OEI on its own →

At a glance

8.3%

FGSI cash paid, 1 year

9.2%

OEI cash paid, 1 year

+9.0%

FGSI total return, 1 year

+12.9%

OEI 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.

OEI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 1.9 pts behind SPY

OEI

+12.9%

SPY

+14.8%

1.9 pts behind SPY

OEI over 1 year: paid 9.2%, price +3.0%, total +12.9%, SPY +14.8%, −1.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

OEI

+12.9%

9.2% of it arrived as cash

1.9 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

1.9 pts behind SPY

OEI over 1 year: paid 9.2%, price +3.0%, total +12.9%, SPY +14.8%, −1.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

OEI

+12.9%

9.2% cash

1.9 pts behind SPY

9.2% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +14.8%. OEI over 1 year: paid 9.2%, price +3.0%, total +12.9%, SPY +14.8%, −1.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +14.8%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

FGSI costs 0.17 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.9 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FGSI vs OEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FGSI	OEI
Paid and earned
Measure	FGSI	OEI
Total return, 1 year	+9.0%	+12.9%
Price change, 1 year	rose 0.2%	rose 3.0%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	53% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FGSI	OEI
Benchmark	First Trust Growth Strength ETF, measured through FTGS	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	FGSI	OEI
Expense ratio	0.85%	1.02%
Net assets, FGSI as of Nov 3, 2026 and OEI as of Jul 31, 2026	$2.0m	$46m
Holdings
Measure	FGSI	OEI
Holdings in common	14%

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

IQ Income Score63.2FGSI75.7OEI

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

OEI 75.7

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

14%

By the books each fund has filed, FGSI and OEI hold 14% 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

14% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FGSI OEI

Broadcom Inc. 2.02% 3.01%

NVIDIA Corporation 1.93% 8.22%

Eli Lilly and Company 2.25% 1.78%

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 1.73% 2.15%

Mastercard Incorporated 2.10% 1.55%

Amphenol Corporation 2.11% 0.56%

Netflix, Inc. 1.79% 0.55%

Salesforce, Inc. 1.84% 0.50%

Uber Technologies, Inc. 1.89% 0.49%

Arista Networks, Inc. 1.91% 0.49%

S&P Global Inc. 2.16% 0.48%

Palantir Technologies Inc. (Class A) 1.88% 0.48%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FGSI

Vertiv Holdings Co (Class A) 2.28%

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%

Cincinnati Financial Corporation 2.15%

Arch Capital Group Ltd. 2.12%

Only in OEI

Microsoft Corp 5.93%

Amazon.com Inc 4.51%

Apple Inc 4.23%

Alphabet Inc 3.44%

Alphabet Inc 2.76%

Micron Technology Inc 2.54%

Johnson & Johnson 2.08%

ExxonMobil Holdings Corp 2.04%

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 OEI Optimized Equity Income ETF · Option income on SPY, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust Core Alternative

Strategy option income option income

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

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 8.3% 9.6%

Expense ratio 0.85% 1.02%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.3% 9.2%

Price change, 1 year +0.2% +3.0%

Total return, 1 year +9.0% +12.9%

Benchmark return, 1 year +8.8% +14.8%

Ahead or behind +0.2 pts −1.9 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 53% not published

Age 1.4 years 1.0 years

Net assets, FGSI as of Nov 3, 2026 and OEI as of Jul 31, 2026 $2.0m $46m

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 OEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FGSI	OEI	FGSI	OEI	FGSI	OEI
3 months	−2.2%	+3.3%	2.0%	2.4%	+0.6 pts	+3.4 pts
6 months	+6.3%	+6.3%	4.3%	4.7%	+0.2 pts	+1.3 pts
1 year	+9.0%	+12.9%	8.3%	9.2%	+0.2 pts	−1.9 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FGSI Jun 2025 · OEI Oct 2025	+13.6%	+15.0%	11.3%	9.4%	−0.7 pts	−1.1 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.

OEI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, OEI paid 9.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 3.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +12.9%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% 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 9.6%, paid monthly.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FGSI or OEI?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and OEI paid 9.2%, so OEI 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 OEI?: With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and OEI +12.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FGSI or OEI?: FGSI charges 0.85% a year and OEI charges 1.02%, so FGSI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FGSI vs SPIN FGSI vs ACKY FGSI vs XRMI FGSI vs WDTE OEI vs VOOY OEI vs TPAY OEI vs ODTE OEI vs KIQQ

Where to next

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

OEI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

OEI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Core Alternative 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 OEI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fgsi-vs-oei

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.