Which paid more, LJAN or QXQ?

Over the year to Nov 12, 2026, LJAN paid 4.9% of its starting price in cash and QXQ paid 15.1%, so QXQ 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 QXQ?

With every distribution reinvested, LJAN returned +5.2% and QXQ +12.1% over the year to Nov 12, 2026.

Which is cheaper, LJAN or QXQ?

LJAN charges 0.79% a year and QXQ charges 0.98%, so LJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 12, 2026.

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LJAN vs QXQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return

Return, fees and overlap, side by side.

Return gap

+6.9 pts

1 year to Nov 12, 2026: QXQ ahead, total return

Fee gap

0.19 pts

A year: LJAN 0.79%, QXQ 0.98%, per filings dated Jan 5, 2026 and Feb 27, 2026

Overlap

–

No book read for both funds

Net flow

–

Needs daily flows for both funds

Pair scorecard

LJAN costs 0.19 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.9 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

LJAN vs QXQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	LJAN	QXQ
Paid and earned
Measure	LJAN	QXQ
Total return, 1 year	+5.2%	+12.1%
Price change, 1 year	rose 0.2%	fell 4.7%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	47% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	LJAN	QXQ
Benchmark	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	LJAN	QXQ
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.98%
Net assets, LJAN as of Nov 12, 2026 and QXQ as of Aug 31, 2026	$12m	$82m
Holdings
Measure	LJAN	QXQ
Holdings in common	not published

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

IQ Income Score69.3LJAN52QXQ

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 171 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

LJAN 69.3

QXQ 52

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

Key numbers

4.9%

LJAN cash paid, 1 year

15.1%

QXQ cash paid, 1 year

+5.2%

LJAN total return, 1 year

+12.1%

QXQ total return, 1 year

LJAN · 1 year to Nov 12, 2026 6.9 pts behind VOO

LJAN

+5.2%

VOO

+12.1%

6.9 pts behind VOO

LJAN over 1 year: paid 4.9%, price +0.2%, total +5.2%, VOO +12.1%, −6.9 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

VOO

+12.1%

LJAN

+5.2%

4.9% of it arrived as cash

6.9 pts behind VOO

Total return, distributions reinvested

6.9 pts behind VOO

LJAN over 1 year: paid 4.9%, price +0.2%, total +5.2%, VOO +12.1%, −6.9 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

VOO

+12.1%

LJAN

+5.2%

6.9 pts behind VOO

4.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. LJAN over 1 year: paid 4.9%, price +0.2%, total +5.2%, VOO +12.1%, −6.9 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QXQ · 1 year to Nov 12, 2026 0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

QXQ

+12.1%

QQQ

+11.3%

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

QXQ over 1 year: paid 15.1%, price −4.7%, total +12.1%, QQQ +11.3%, +0.8 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QQQ

+11.3%

QXQ

+12.1%

15.1% of it arrived as cash

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

QXQ over 1 year: paid 15.1%, price −4.7%, total +12.1%, QQQ +11.3%, +0.8 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QQQ

+11.3%

QXQ

+12.1%

15.1% as cash

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

15.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QXQ over 1 year: paid 15.1%, price −4.7%, total +12.1%, QQQ +11.3%, +0.8 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

Data to Nov 12, 2026.

Side by side

LJAN Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - January · Buffer with income on VOO, paying monthly QXQ SGI Enhanced Nasdaq-100 ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying quarterly

Issuer Innovator SGI

Strategy buffer with income covered call

Benchmark Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays monthly quarterly

Payout rate, annualized 4.9% 1.0%

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.98%

Cash paid, 1 year 4.9% 15.1%

Price change, 1 year +0.2% −4.7%

Total return, 1 year +5.2% +12.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +12.1% +11.3%

Ahead or behind −6.9 pts +0.8 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 47% not published

Age 2.9 years 2.4 years

Net assets, LJAN as of Nov 12, 2026 and QXQ as of Aug 31, 2026 $12m $82m

As of Nov 12, 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 QXQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	LJAN	QXQ	LJAN	QXQ	LJAN	QXQ
3 months	+1.0%	−5.4%	1.2%	0.2%	+3.4 pts	+0.5 pts
6 months	+2.5%	−3.8%	2.4%	0.5%	+0.7 pts	+0.4 pts
1 year	+5.2%	+12.1%	4.9%	15.1%	−6.9 pts	+0.8 pts
Since launchNot the same days: LJAN Jan 2024 · QXQ Jun 2024	+16.8%	+47.7%	14.8%	22.8%	−49.1 pts	+2.2 pts

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About each fund

LJAN

Over the year to Nov 12, 2026, LJAN paid 4.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.2%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +12.1% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.9 pts. At its price on Nov 12, 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.

QXQ

Over the year to Nov 12, 2026, QXQ paid 15.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 4.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +12.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +11.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 0.8 pts. At its price on Nov 12, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 1.0%, paid quarterly.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, LJAN or QXQ?: Over the year to Nov 12, 2026, LJAN paid 4.9% of its starting price in cash and QXQ paid 15.1%, so QXQ 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 QXQ?: With every distribution reinvested, LJAN returned +5.2% and QXQ +12.1% over the year to Nov 12, 2026.
Which is cheaper, LJAN or QXQ?: LJAN charges 0.79% a year and QXQ charges 0.98%, so LJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

LJAN vs QRMI LJAN vs QQQI LJAN vs QLDY LJAN vs BALQ QXQ vs LOCT QXQ vs LJUL QXQ vs XIDE QXQ vs XIMR

Where to next

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →LJAN on its own →QXQ on its own →LJAN dividend history →QXQ dividend history →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 ↗

QXQ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QXQ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

SGI 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.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, LJAN against QXQ, data as of Nov 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ljan-vs-qxq

Open data →

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

Net assets: $12m on Nov 12, 2026 for Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - January, and $82m on Aug 31, 2026 for SGI Enhanced Nasdaq-100 ETF.

LJAN on its own →QXQ on its own →

Growth of 100

LJAN and QXQ

Total return, distributions reinvested, 1 year.

LJAN +5.2%QXQ +12.1%

Nov 12, 2025Nov 12, 2026

LJAN +5.2%, QXQ +12.1%: QXQ +6.9 pts ahead, 1 year, Nov 12, 2025 to Nov 12, 2026.