Data as of .
FGSI vs WDTE: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year WDTE paid 28.0% of its price in cash against FGSI’s 8.1%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: WDTE scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 173 income ETFs writing on an index or proxy. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All income ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, FGSI and WDTE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in FGSI | Only in WDTE |
|---|---|
| Newmont Corporation 2.70% | Spx Us 12/18/26 C600 92.83% |
| Palantir Technologies Inc. (Class A) 2.63% | First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 6.61% |
| Marvell Technology, Inc. 2.53% | Cash & Other 0.69% |
| Microsoft Corporation 2.45% | Spx 09/21/2026 7674.22 C 0.11% |
| Arista Networks, Inc. 2.32% | Spx 09/21/2026 7650.5 C -0.24% |
| DexCom, Inc. 2.28% | |
| Intuitive Surgical, Inc. 2.22% | |
| Target Corporation 2.22% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 18, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FGSI | WDTE | FGSI | WDTE | FGSI | WDTE | |
| 3 months | +2.4% | +3.2% | 2.1% | 7.4% | +0.2 pts | +0.9 pts |
| 6 months | +10.0% | +17.3% | 4.4% | 15.7% | −8.0 pts | −0.7 pts |
| 1 year | +5.3% | +15.8% | 8.1% | 28.0% | −11.3 pts | −0.8 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +49.2% | not published | 77.8% | not published | −29.2 pts |
| Since launch | +11.9% | +49.2% | 9.8% | 77.8% | −14.3 pts | −29.2 pts |
| FGSI FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF Option income on SPY, paying monthly | WDTE Defiance S&P 500 Weekly Distribution ETF Option income on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | Defiance |
| Strategy | option income | option income |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.6% | 29.9% |
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | 1.03% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.1% | 28.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | −3.2% | −14.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | +5.3% | +15.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.6% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −11.3 pts | −0.8 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 38% |
| Age | 449 days | 1095 days |
| Net assets | $2m | $71m |
FGSI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, FGSI paid 8.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 3.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.3%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 11.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.6%, paid monthly.
WDTE in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, WDTE paid 28.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 14.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.8%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.8 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 29.9%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 38% of the distribution paid Sep 18, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, FGSI or WDTE?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, FGSI paid 8.1% of its starting price in cash and WDTE paid 28.0%, so WDTE 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 WDTE?
- With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +5.3% and WDTE returned +15.8% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so WDTE returned more.
- Which is cheaper, FGSI or WDTE?
- FGSI charges 0.85% a year and WDTE charges 1.03%, so FGSI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, FGSI against WDTE, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fgsi-vs-wdte Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.