Which paid more, FTHI or TCAL?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its starting price in cash and TCAL paid 11.4%, so TCAL 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 TCAL?

With every distribution reinvested, FTHI returned +8.1% and TCAL +11.2% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FTHI or TCAL?

FTHI charges 0.75% a year and TCAL charges 0.34%, so TCAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FTHI vs TCAL: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, TCAL paid 11.4% of its price in cash against FTHI’s 8.9%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $2.5bn for First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF and $324m for T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Premium Income ETF.

FTHI on its own →TCAL on its own →

At a glance

8.9%

FTHI cash paid, 1 year

11.4%

TCAL cash paid, 1 year

+8.1%

FTHI total return, 1 year

+11.2%

TCAL 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.

TCAL · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.4 pts behind its own stocks

TCAL

+11.2%

Own

+14.6%

3.4 pts behind its own stocks

TCAL over 1 year: paid 11.4%, price −1.2%, total +11.2%, its own stocks +14.6%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

its own stocks

+14.6%

TCAL

+11.2%

11.4% of it arrived as cash

3.4 pts behind its own stocks

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.4 pts behind its own stocks

TCAL over 1 year: paid 11.4%, price −1.2%, total +11.2%, its own stocks +14.6%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

its own stocks

+14.6%

TCAL

+11.2%

11.4% as cash

11.4% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. TCAL over 1 year: paid 11.4%, price −1.2%, total +11.2%, its own stocks +14.6%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

TCAL costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.1 points; FTHI is 7.7 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FTHI vs TCAL: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FTHI	TCAL
Paid and earned
Measure	FTHI	TCAL
Total return, 1 year	+8.1%	+11.2%
Price change, 1 year	fell 1.2%	fell 1.2%
Against its benchmark
Measure	FTHI	TCAL
Benchmark	S&P 500, measured through SPY	its own stocks
Cost and size
Measure	FTHI	TCAL
Expense ratio	0.75%	0.34%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$2.5bn	$324m
Holdings
Measure	FTHI	TCAL
Holdings in common	17%

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

IQ Income Score52.4FTHI54.8TCAL

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

TCAL 54.8

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

17%

By the books each fund has filed, FTHI and TCAL hold 17% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

17% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FTHI TCAL

Amazon.com, Inc. 2.57% 1.55%

Microsoft Corporation 3.18% 1.51%

Gilead Sciences, Inc. 1.45% 1.49%

Linde Plc 1.27% 1.65%

Costco Wholesale Corporation 2.04% 1.21%

Cisco Systems, Inc. 1.22% 1.15%

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 1.25% 1.02%

Broadcom Inc. 1.92% 0.96%

Johnson & Johnson 1.13% 0.87%

Walmart Inc. 0.78% 0.78%

The Coca-Cola Company 0.60% 0.91%

Colgate-Palmolive Company 0.79% 0.58%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FTHI

Apple Inc. 7.86%

NVIDIA Corporation 6.59%

JPMorgan Chase & Co. 2.65%

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

Alphabet Inc. (Class A) 1.99%

Bank of America Corporation 1.97%

Dell Technologies Inc. (Class C) 1.86%

Amgen Inc. 1.68%

Only in TCAL

DANAHER CORP 2.02%

WATERS CORP 1.99%

VERALTO CORP 1.89%

WASTE CONNECTIONS INC 1.82%

MCDONALD S CORP 1.71%

VISA INC-CLASS A SHARES 1.71%

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 1.61%

NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP 1.58%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FTHI First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly TCAL T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Premium Income ETF · Covered call on its own stocks, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust T. Rowe Price

Strategy covered call covered call

Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) TCAL's own stocks, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Jun 30, 2026)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 9.0% 13.0%

Expense ratio 0.75% 0.34%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.9% 11.4%

Price change, 1 year −1.2% −1.2%

Total return, 1 year +8.1% +11.2%

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +14.6%

Ahead or behind −6.7 pts −3.4 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 92% not published

Age 12.8 years 1.6 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $2.5bn $324m

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 TCAL: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FTHI	TCAL	FTHI	TCAL	FTHI	TCAL
3 months	−0.5%	+5.3%	2.2%	2.6%	−0.3 pts	−1.8 pts
6 months	+2.5%	+12.3%	4.4%	6.3%	−2.5 pts	−0.9 pts
1 year	+8.1%	+11.2%	8.9%	11.4%	−6.7 pts	−3.5 pts
3 years	+48.1%	–	29.7%	–	−34.8 pts	–
Since launchNot the same days: FTHI Jan 2014 · TCAL Mar 2025	+155.0%	+12.0%	84.3%	16.9%	−262.6 pts	not measured

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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.

TCAL

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, TCAL paid 11.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +11.2%. TCAL's own stocks, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Jun 30, 2026) returned +14.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 13.0%, paid monthly.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FTHI or TCAL?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its starting price in cash and TCAL paid 11.4%, so TCAL 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 TCAL?: With every distribution reinvested, FTHI returned +8.1% and TCAL +11.2% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FTHI or TCAL?: FTHI charges 0.75% a year and TCAL charges 0.34%, so TCAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FTHI vs SCEP FTHI vs RNTY FTHI vs GRNI FTHI vs HEMI TCAL vs XYLD TCAL vs SPYI TCAL vs JEPI TCAL vs JANH

Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →FTHI on its own →TCAL on its own →FTHI dividend history →FTHI holdings →TCAL dividend history →TCAL 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 ↗

TCAL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

TCAL prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

T. Rowe Price 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 TCAL, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fthi-vs-tcal

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