Data as of .
LJUL vs WDTE: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year WDTE paid 28.0% of its price in cash against LJUL’s 5.2%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: WDTE 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, LJUL and WDTE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in LJUL | Only in WDTE |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 99.57% | Spx Us 12/18/26 C600 92.83% |
| TREASURY BILL 0.43% | First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 6.61% |
| Cash & Other 0.69% | |
| Spx 09/21/2026 7674.22 C 0.11% | |
| Spx 09/21/2026 7650.5 C -0.24% |
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 Apr 30, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LJUL | WDTE | LJUL | WDTE | LJUL | WDTE | |
| 3 months | +1.5% | +3.2% | 1.3% | 7.4% | −0.8 pts | +0.9 pts |
| 6 months | +3.1% | +17.3% | 2.6% | 15.7% | −14.9 pts | −0.7 pts |
| 1 year | +5.0% | +15.8% | 5.2% | 28.0% | −11.5 pts | −0.8 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +49.2% | not published | 77.8% | not published | −29.2 pts |
| Since launch | +13.2% | +49.2% | 11.7% | 77.8% | −30.2 pts | −29.2 pts |
| LJUL Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - July Buffer with income on SPY, paying monthly | WDTE Defiance S&P 500 Weekly Distribution ETF Option income on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Innovator | Defiance |
| Strategy | buffer with income | option income |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 5.3% | 29.9% |
| Expense ratio | 0.79% | 1.03% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 5.2% | 28.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | −0.3% | −14.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | +5.0% | +15.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.6% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −11.5 pts | −0.8 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 38% |
| Age | 809 days | 1095 days |
| Net assets | $9m | $71m |
LJUL in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, LJUL paid 5.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.0%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 11.5 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 5.3%, paid monthly.
WDTE in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, WDTE paid 28.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 14.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.8%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.8 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 29.9%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 38% of the distribution paid Sep 18, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, LJUL or WDTE?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, LJUL paid 5.2% of its starting price in cash and WDTE paid 28.0%, so WDTE paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, LJUL or WDTE?
- With every distribution reinvested, LJUL returned +5.0% and WDTE returned +15.8% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so WDTE returned more.
- Which is cheaper, LJUL or WDTE?
- LJUL charges 0.79% a year and WDTE charges 1.03%, so LJUL 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, LJUL against WDTE, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ljul-vs-wdte Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.