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Data as of .

MSFO vs RYLD: which paid, and which earned it?

Over the year MSFO paid 28.6% of its price in cash against RYLD’s 12.3%, though RYLD returned more with it reinvested.

YieldMax(R) MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF and Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF, side by side, income ETFs on ETFIQ.

28.6%MSFO cash paid, 1 year
12.3%RYLD cash paid, 1 year
+1.5%MSFO total return, 1 year
+18.1%RYLD total return, 1 year

ETFIQ Return Stability Score: MSFO scores higher

Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?

MSFO 69.7RYLD 65.79.1, the lowest in this set97.6, the highest

A percentile among the 61 income ETFs writing on a single company. 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

MSFO1.8 pts ahead of MSFT · 1 year to Sep 11, 2026
MSFT−0.3%MSFO+1.5%1.8 pts ahead of MSFTTotal return, distributions reinvestedMSFT−0.3%MSFO+1.5%1.8 pts ahead of MSFT
RYLD3.1 pts behind IWM · 1 year to Sep 11, 2026
IWM+21.2%RYLD+18.1%12.3% of it arrived as cash3.1 pts behind IWMTotal return, distributions reinvestedIWM+21.2%RYLD+18.1%12.3% cash3.1 pts behind IWM

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, MSFO and RYLD hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in MSFOOnly in RYLD
TREASURY BILL 32.44%GLOBAL X RUSSELL 2000 ETF 99.96%
TREASURY BILL 31.42%CASH 0.04%
TREASURY BILL 14.95%
TREASURY BILL 12.47%
TREASURY BILL 8.72%

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 11, 2026.

Performance, window by window

MSFO and RYLD over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
MSFORYLDMSFORYLDMSFORYLD
3 months+22.9%+3.9%11.8%3.1%−4.2 pts+5.1 pts
6 months+21.4%+13.1%21.0%6.3%−4.5 pts−4.5 pts
1 year+1.5%+18.1%28.6%12.3%+1.8 pts−3.1 pts
3 years+50.9%+30.9%79.0%32.7%−1.9 pts−31.7 pts
Since launch+55.4%+51.9%81.3%67.2%−1.6 pts−51.8 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
MSFO and RYLD on the same fields, as of Sep 11, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
MSFO
YieldMax(R) MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF
Synthetic covered call on MSFT, paying weekly
RYLD
Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF
Covered call on IWM, paying monthly
IssuerYieldMaxGlobal X
Strategysynthetic covered callcovered call
BenchmarkMicrosoft (MSFT)Russell 2000 (IWM)
Paysweeklymonthly
Payout rate, annualized26.1%12.4%
Expense ratio1.03%0.60%
Cash paid, 1 year28.6%12.3%
Price change, 1 year−29.8%+4.7%
Total return, 1 year+1.5%+18.1%
Benchmark return, 1 year−0.3%+21.2%
Ahead or behind+1.8 pts−3.1 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate92%100%
Age1113 days2699 days

MSFO in plain words

Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, MSFO paid 28.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 29.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +1.5%. Microsoft (MSFT) returned −0.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.8 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 26.1%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 92% of the distribution paid Sep 11, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).

RYLD in plain words

Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, RYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +18.1%. Russell 2000 (IWM) returned +21.2% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.1 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.4%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Aug 27, 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, MSFO or RYLD?
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, MSFO paid 28.6% of its starting price in cash and RYLD paid 12.3%, so MSFO paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, MSFO or RYLD?
With every distribution reinvested, MSFO returned +1.5% and RYLD returned +18.1% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so RYLD returned more.
Which is cheaper, MSFO or RYLD?
MSFO charges 1.03% a year and RYLD charges 0.60%, so RYLD 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.

MSFO against RYLD, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 11, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, MSFO against RYLD, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/msfo-vs-ryld Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources