Data as of .
LJUL vs YQQQ: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year YQQQ paid 23.1% of its price in cash against LJUL’s 5.2%, though LJUL returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: LJUL 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 YQQQ hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in LJUL | Only in YQQQ |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 99.57% | United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 28.76% |
| TREASURY BILL 0.43% | United States Treasury Bill 07/08/2027 28.59% |
| United States Treasury Bill 02/18/2027 17.25% | |
| United States Treasury Bill 12/10/2026 13.01% | |
| United States Treasury Bill 10/15/2026 7.09% | |
| First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 5.94% | |
| QQQ 10/16/2026 720.02 P 1.66% | |
| QQQ US 09/25/26 P690 0.06% |
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 | YQQQ | LJUL | YQQQ | LJUL | YQQQ | |
| 3 months | +1.5% | +5.8% | 1.3% | 6.5% | −0.8 pts | +8.3 pts |
| 6 months | +3.1% | −13.9% | 2.6% | 10.8% | −14.9 pts | −38.2 pts |
| 1 year | +5.0% | −3.5% | 5.2% | 23.1% | −11.5 pts | −25.3 pts |
| Since launch | +13.2% | −17.6% | 11.7% | 37.0% | −30.2 pts | −71.2 pts |
| LJUL Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - July Buffer with income on SPY, paying monthly | YQQQ YieldMax(R) Short N100 Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on QQQ, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Innovator | YieldMax |
| Strategy | buffer with income | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 5.3% | 21.3% |
| Expense ratio | 0.79% | 1.11% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 5.2% | 23.1% |
| Price change, 1 year | −0.3% | −25.7% |
| Total return, 1 year | +5.0% | −3.5% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.6% | +21.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −11.5 pts | −25.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 0% |
| Age | 809 days | 764 days |
| Net assets | $9m | $27m |
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.
YQQQ in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, YQQQ paid 23.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 25.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −3.5%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 25.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 21.3%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 0% 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 YQQQ?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, LJUL paid 5.2% of its starting price in cash and YQQQ paid 23.1%, so YQQQ 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 YQQQ?
- With every distribution reinvested, LJUL returned +5.0% and YQQQ returned −3.5% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so LJUL returned more.
- Which is cheaper, LJUL or YQQQ?
- LJUL charges 0.79% a year and YQQQ charges 1.11%, 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 YQQQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ljul-vs-yqqq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.