Which paid more, FTHI or OEI?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% 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, FTHI or OEI?

With every distribution reinvested, FTHI returned +8.1% and OEI +12.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FTHI or OEI?

FTHI charges 0.75% a year and OEI charges 1.02%, so FTHI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FTHI 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 FTHI’s 8.9%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $2.5bn on Nov 3, 2026 for First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF, and $46m on Jul 31, 2026 for Optimized Equity Income ETF.

FTHI on its own →OEI on its own →

At a glance

8.9%

FTHI cash paid, 1 year

9.2%

OEI cash paid, 1 year

+8.1%

FTHI total return, 1 year

+12.9%

OEI total return, 1 year

FTHI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 6.7 pts behind SPY

FTHI

+8.1%

SPY

+14.8%

6.7 pts behind SPY

FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

FTHI

+8.1%

8.9% of it arrived as cash

6.7 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

6.7 pts behind SPY

FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

FTHI

+8.1%

8.9% cash

6.7 pts behind SPY

8.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 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, with zero at the line. OEI over 1 year: paid 9.2%, price +3.0%, total +12.9%, SPY +14.8%, −1.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

FTHI costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.8 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FTHI vs OEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FTHI	OEI
Paid and earned
Measure	FTHI	OEI
Total return, 1 year	+8.1%	+12.9%
Price change, 1 year	fell 1.2%	rose 3.0%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	92% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FTHI	OEI
Benchmark	S&P 500, measured through SPY	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	FTHI	OEI
Expense ratio	0.75%	1.02%
Net assets, FTHI as of Nov 3, 2026 and OEI as of Jul 31, 2026	$2.5bn	$46m
Holdings
Measure	FTHI	OEI
Holdings in common	45%

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

IQ Income Score52.4FTHI75.7OEI

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

FTHI 52.4

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

45%

By the books each fund has filed, FTHI and OEI hold 45% 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

45% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FTHI OEI

NVIDIA Corporation 6.59% 8.22%

Apple Inc. 7.86% 4.23%

Microsoft Corporation 3.18% 5.93%

Amazon.com, Inc. 2.57% 4.51%

Alphabet Inc. (Class A) 1.99% 3.44%

Broadcom Inc. 1.92% 3.01%

JPMorgan Chase & Co. 2.65% 1.63%

Alphabet Inc. (Class C) 1.44% 2.76%

Bank of America Corporation 1.97% 1.36%

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 1.25% 2.15%

Cisco Systems, Inc. 1.22% 1.52%

ExxonMobil Holdings Corp. 1.22% 2.04%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FTHI

ASML Holding N.V. (New York Registry Shares) 2.06%

Dell Technologies Inc. (Class C) 1.86%

Linde Plc 1.27%

Coca-Cola European Partners Plc 1.15%

TransDigm Group Incorporated 1.03%

Union Pacific Corporation 1.00%

Fortinet, Inc. 0.97%

Altria Group, Inc. 0.87%

Only in OEI

Berkshire Hathaway Inc 1.58%

Mastercard Inc 1.55%

Home Depot Inc 1.16%

Visa Inc 1.13%

UnitedHealth Group Inc 1.12%

Procter & Gamble Co 1.06%

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 0.89%

Realty Income Corp 0.85%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FTHI First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly OEI Optimized Equity Income ETF · Option income on SPY, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust Core Alternative

Strategy covered call option income

Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) S&P 500 (SPY)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 9.0% 9.6%

Expense ratio 0.75% 1.02%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.9% 9.2%

Price change, 1 year −1.2% +3.0%

Total return, 1 year +8.1% +12.9%

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +14.8%

Ahead or behind −6.7 pts −1.9 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 92% not published

Age 12.8 years 1.0 years

Net assets, FTHI as of Nov 3, 2026 and OEI as of Jul 31, 2026 $2.5bn $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: FTHI vs OEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FTHI	OEI	FTHI	OEI	FTHI	OEI
3 months	−0.5%	+3.3%	2.2%	2.4%	−0.3 pts	+3.4 pts
6 months	+2.5%	+6.3%	4.4%	4.7%	−2.5 pts	+1.3 pts
1 year	+8.1%	+12.9%	8.9%	9.2%	−6.7 pts	−1.9 pts
3 years	+48.1%	–	29.7%	–	−34.8 pts	–
Since launchNot the same days: FTHI Jan 2014 · OEI Oct 2025	+155.0%	+15.0%	84.3%	9.4%	−262.6 pts	−1.1 pts

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Alert

About each fund

FTHI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.0%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 92% 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, FTHI or OEI?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% 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, FTHI or OEI?: With every distribution reinvested, FTHI returned +8.1% and OEI +12.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FTHI or OEI?: FTHI charges 0.75% a year and OEI charges 1.02%, so FTHI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FTHI vs SPIN FTHI vs XRMI FTHI vs WDTE FTHI vs XYLG OEI vs XYLD OEI vs ISPY OEI vs OMAH OEI vs GPIX

Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →FTHI on its own →OEI on its own →FTHI dividend history →FTHI holdings →OEI dividend history →OEI holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

FTHI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FTHI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

FTHI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for FTHI ↗

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, FTHI against OEI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fthi-vs-oei

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