Which paid more, LJAN or OEI?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, LJAN paid 4.9% 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, LJAN or OEI?

With every distribution reinvested, LJAN returned +5.1% and OEI +12.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, LJAN or OEI?

LJAN charges 0.79% a year and OEI charges 1.02%, so LJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

LJAN 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 LJAN’s 4.9%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $12m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - January, and $46m on Jul 31, 2026 for Optimized Equity Income ETF.

LJAN on its own →OEI on its own →

At a glance

4.9%

LJAN cash paid, 1 year

9.2%

OEI cash paid, 1 year

+5.1%

LJAN total return, 1 year

+12.9%

OEI total return, 1 year

LJAN · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 9.7 pts behind VOO

LJAN

+5.1%

VOO

+14.8%

9.7 pts behind VOO

LJAN over 1 year: paid 4.9%, price +0.1%, total +5.1%, VOO +14.8%, −9.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

LJAN

+5.1%

4.9% of it arrived as cash

9.7 pts behind VOO

Total return, distributions reinvested

9.7 pts behind VOO

LJAN over 1 year: paid 4.9%, price +0.1%, total +5.1%, VOO +14.8%, −9.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

LJAN

+5.1%

9.7 pts behind VOO

4.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. LJAN over 1 year: paid 4.9%, price +0.1%, total +5.1%, VOO +14.8%, −9.7 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, 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

LJAN costs 0.23 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.8 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

LJAN vs OEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	LJAN	OEI
Paid and earned
Measure	LJAN	OEI
Total return, 1 year	+5.1%	+12.9%
Price change, 1 year	rose 0.1%	rose 3.0%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	47% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	LJAN	OEI
Benchmark	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	LJAN	OEI
Expense ratio	0.79%	1.02%
Net assets, LJAN as of Nov 4, 2026 and OEI as of Jul 31, 2026	$12m	$46m
Holdings
Measure	LJAN	OEI
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score60.2LJAN75.7OEI

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

LJAN 60.2

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

By the books each fund has filed, LJAN and OEI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first LJAN OEI

Only in one fund ↓

Only in LJAN

Only in OEI

NVIDIA Corp 8.22%

Microsoft Corp 5.93%

Amazon.com Inc 4.51%

Apple Inc 4.23%

Alphabet Inc 3.44%

Broadcom Inc 3.01%

Alphabet Inc 2.76%

Micron Technology Inc 2.54%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

LJAN Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - January · Buffer with income on VOO, paying monthly OEI Optimized Equity Income ETF · Option income on SPY, paying monthly

Issuer Innovator Core Alternative

Strategy buffer with income option income

Benchmark Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) S&P 500 (SPY)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 4.9% 9.6%

Expense ratio 0.79% 1.02%

Cash paid, 1 year 4.9% 9.2%

Price change, 1 year +0.1% +3.0%

Total return, 1 year +5.1% +12.9%

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +14.8%

Ahead or behind −9.7 pts −1.9 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 47% not published

Age 2.8 years 1.0 years

Net assets, LJAN as of Nov 4, 2026 and OEI as of Jul 31, 2026 $12m $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: LJAN vs OEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	LJAN	OEI	LJAN	OEI	LJAN	OEI
3 months	+1.1%	+3.3%	1.2%	2.4%	+1.2 pts	+3.4 pts
6 months	+2.6%	+6.3%	2.4%	4.7%	−2.4 pts	+1.3 pts
1 year	+5.1%	+12.9%	4.9%	9.2%	−9.7 pts	−1.9 pts
Since launchNot the same days: LJAN Jan 2024 · OEI Oct 2025	+16.7%	+15.0%	14.8%	9.4%	−51.3 pts	−1.1 pts

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Alert

About each fund

LJAN

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, LJAN paid 4.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.1%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 4.9%, paid monthly. Innovator estimates that 47% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 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, LJAN or OEI?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, LJAN paid 4.9% 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, LJAN or OEI?: With every distribution reinvested, LJAN returned +5.1% and OEI +12.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, LJAN or OEI?: LJAN charges 0.79% a year and OEI charges 1.02%, so LJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

LJAN vs ROCY LJAN vs OMAH LJAN vs XYLD LJAN vs SPYI OEI vs LJUL OEI vs XIDE OEI vs XIMR OEI vs XISE

Where to next

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) →S&P 500 (SPY) →LJAN on its own →OEI on its own →LJAN dividend history →OEI dividend history →OEI holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

LJAN filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

LJAN prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

LJAN 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Innovator page for LJAN ↗

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

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