Where do the averages come from?

SPY’s and BIL’s total returns over the ten years from Nov 11, 2016 to Nov 10, 2026, payouts reinvested, as a yearly rate. BIL holds 1 to 3 month Treasury bills.

Is cash ever the better choice?

Over a single bad year, yes. Over ten years stocks have usually beaten cash, and this shows by how much on the last ten.

S&P 500 and cash total returns over the ten years to Nov 10, 2026, computed by ETFIQ from SPY and BIL.

Cash drag calculator

Set your cash share and the years. See what the cash cost.

As of Nov 10, 2026

At the last ten years’ averages, holding 20% in cash for 10 years would leave $10,000 about $5,626 behind fully invested: the S&P 500 returned 15.1% a year and cash 2.4%, to Nov 10, 2026.

Change the inputs

Tool

My portfolio What if Switch a fund What cash costs Add protection

Share held in cash20%060%Years10 years130

Your income funds

JEPI weight40%0100JEPQ weight30%0100QQQI weight30%0100

Your settings are in the address, so the link opens this view.

Cash drag

Hypothetical · from your inputs

At the last ten years’ averages, holding 20% in cash for 10 years would leave $10,000 about $5,626 behind fully invested.

$40,809

$10,000 fully invested after 10 years, at 15.1% a year

$35,182

with 20% in cash at 2.4% a year

−$5,626

what that cash cost

Uses SPY’s and BIL’s total returns over the ten years to Nov 10, 2026: 15.1% and 2.4% a year. Past averages are not a forecast.

Twelve months of payouts

Hypothetical · from your inputs

$10,000 in 40% JEPI, 30% JEPQ and 30% QQQI would pay about $1,124 over the twelve months from Nov 2026.

Nov 2026$37

Dec 2026$91

Jan 2027$91

Feb 2027$91

Mar 2027$91

Apr 2027$91

May 2027$91

Jun 2027$91

Jul 2027$128

Aug 2027$144

Sep 2027$91

Oct 2027$91

Each fund’s next payments from ETFIQ’s payout data, then its last payment repeated at its own cadence: 37 of the payments are projected, not declared. Of the cash from QQQI, 100% is return of capital, on the issuer’s latest estimate.

Where to next

My portfolio→What if→Switch a fund→Add protection→Buffer ladder→

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, Cash drag calculator, data as of Nov 10, 2026. https://etfiq.com/portfolio/cash/

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms. The underlying files are at Open data.

Questions people ask

Where do the averages come from?: SPY’s and BIL’s total returns over the ten years from Nov 11, 2016 to Nov 10, 2026, payouts reinvested, as a yearly rate. BIL holds 1 to 3 month Treasury bills.
Is cash ever the better choice?: Over a single bad year, yes. Over ten years stocks have usually beaten cash, and this shows by how much on the last ten.

Numbers from data carry their date. Anything computed from your inputs is hypothetical and before fees unless stated. Not investment advice.