Data as of .
FGSI vs XISE: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year FGSI paid 8.1% of its price in cash against XISE’s 6.5%, though XISE returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XISE 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 XISE hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | FGSI | XISE |
|---|---|---|
| US Dollar | 1.13% | 1.19% |
| Only in FGSI | Only in XISE |
|---|---|
| Newmont Corporation 2.70% | 2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 0.08 98.96% |
| Palantir Technologies Inc. (Class A) 2.63% | 2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 761.61 5.02% |
| Marvell Technology, Inc. 2.53% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 01/28/2027 0.55% |
| Microsoft Corporation 2.45% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 02/25/2027 0.55% |
| Arista Networks, Inc. 2.32% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 10/29/2026 0.55% |
| DexCom, Inc. 2.28% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 12/01/2026 0.55% |
| Intuitive Surgical, Inc. 2.22% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 12/31/2026 0.55% |
| Target Corporation 2.22% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 03/18/2027 0.54% |
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.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FGSI | XISE | FGSI | XISE | FGSI | XISE | |
| 3 months | +2.4% | +1.2% | 2.1% | 2.0% | +0.2 pts | −1.1 pts |
| 6 months | +10.0% | +4.9% | 4.4% | 3.6% | −8.0 pts | −13.2 pts |
| 1 year | +5.3% | +6.1% | 8.1% | 6.5% | −11.3 pts | −10.5 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +20.9% | not published | 19.1% | not published | −57.5 pts |
| Since launch | +11.9% | +21.1% | 9.8% | 19.2% | −14.3 pts | −57.0 pts |
| FGSI FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF Option income on SPY, paying monthly | XISE FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September Buffer with income on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | First Trust |
| Strategy | option income | buffer with income |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.6% | 6.0% |
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | 0.85% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.1% | 6.5% |
| Price change, 1 year | −3.2% | −0.6% |
| Total return, 1 year | +5.3% | +6.1% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.6% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −11.3 pts | −10.5 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 449 days | 1096 days |
| Net assets | $2m | $32m |
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.
XISE in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XISE paid 6.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +6.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.5 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.0%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, FGSI or XISE?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, FGSI paid 8.1% of its starting price in cash and XISE paid 6.5%, 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 XISE?
- With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +5.3% and XISE returned +6.1% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so XISE returned more.
- Which is cheaper, FGSI or XISE?
- FGSI charges 0.85% a year and XISE charges 0.85%, 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 XISE, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fgsi-vs-xise Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.