Data as of .
QQQI vs SEPI: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year QQQI paid 15.2% of its price in cash against SEPI’s 7.5%, though SEPI returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: SEPI 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, QQQI and SEPI hold 38% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QQQI | SEPI |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | 7.79% | 5.24% |
| Micron Technology Inc | 5.03% | 6.53% |
| NVIDIA Corp | 8.58% | 4.04% |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 4.02% | 7.54% |
| Microsoft Corp | 5.84% | 3.42% |
| Amazon.com Inc | 4.36% | 3.36% |
| Alphabet Inc | 3.24% | 4.68% |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 3.14% | 2.79% |
| Broadcom Inc | 2.70% | 3.08% |
| Walmart Inc | 2.28% | 1.69% |
| Netflix Inc | 1.33% | 1.21% |
| Fortinet Inc | 0.55% | 1.15% |
| Only in QQQI | Only in SEPI |
|---|---|
| Alphabet Inc 2.99% | CATERPILLAR INC 7.20% |
| Tesla Inc 2.91% | GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC (THE) 3.91% |
| Intel Corp 2.44% | JOHNSON & JOHNSON 3.31% |
| Cisco Systems Inc 1.92% | EXXON MOBIL CORP 3.08% |
| Palantir Technologies Inc 1.79% | MERCK & COMPANY INC 2.67% |
| Costco Wholesale Corp 1.74% | EBAY INC 2.47% |
| Applied Materials Inc 1.58% | ARISTA NETWORKS INC 2.18% |
| Lam Research Corp 1.58% | DUKE ENERGY CORP 2.08% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QQQI | SEPI | QQQI | SEPI | QQQI | SEPI | |
| 3 months | −0.7% | +5.4% | 3.4% | 2.1% | +1.8 pts | +3.2 pts |
| 6 months | +16.7% | +20.5% | 7.7% | 4.7% | −7.5 pts | +2.5 pts |
| 1 year | +16.4% | +21.8% | 15.2% | 7.5% | −5.3 pts | +5.2 pts |
| Since launch | +59.6% | +24.4% | 39.9% | 7.7% | −12.3 pts | +5.4 pts |
| QQQI NEOS Nasdaq-100(R) High Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying monthly | SEPI Shelton Equity Premium Income ETF Covered call on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | NEOS | Shelton |
| Strategy | option income | covered call |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 14.0% | 8.3% |
| Expense ratio | 0.68% | 0.54% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 15.2% | 7.5% |
| Price change, 1 year | −0.1% | +13.4% |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.4% | +21.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +21.8% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −5.3 pts | +5.2 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 98% | not published |
| Age | 962 days | 375 days |
| Net assets | $14.8bn | $152m |
QQQI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QQQI paid 15.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.4%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 5.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 14.0%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 98% of the distribution paid Jun 18, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
SEPI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, SEPI paid 7.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 13.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +21.8%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.3%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, QQQI or SEPI?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QQQI paid 15.2% of its starting price in cash and SEPI paid 7.5%, so QQQI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, QQQI or SEPI?
- With every distribution reinvested, QQQI returned +16.4% and SEPI returned +21.8% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so SEPI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QQQI or SEPI?
- QQQI charges 0.68% a year and SEPI charges 0.54%, so SEPI 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, QQQI against SEPI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qqqi-vs-sepi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.