Find the best income assets through unbiased side-by-side analysis. Compare expense ratios, yield spreads, and risk metrics instantly.
Yield Diff
+19.48%
Safer Pick
Tie
Yield Diff
-2.88%
Safer Pick
Tie
Yield Diff
+5.02%
Safer Pick
SCHD
A common mistake for new income investors is chasing the highest yield without considering total return. If an ETF pays 12% but the share price drops 15% annually, your net wealth is shrinking. Our comparison engine specifically tracks NAV (Net Asset Value) Stability alongside yield to help you identify funds that pay sustainable income versus those that satisfy their distribution by returning your own capital to you.
Not all dividends are created equal. We categorize all assets into a proprietary 5-Tier Risk Spectrum.Tier 1 (Cash Proxies) offer stability but lower growth.Tier 2 (Dividend Growth) focuses on companies like Schwartz (SCHD) that raise payouts annually.Tier 4 (Derivative Income), such as Covered Call ETFs, offers massive yields but carries complex option risks. Comparing across tiers is crucial to ensure you aren't taking equity-level risk for bond-level returns.
In the world of high-yield ETFs, expense ratios can range from a lean 0.06% to a hefty 1.00%+. While a 1% fee might seem small, the compound effect over 20 years can devour tens of thousands of dollars in potential returns. Our side-by-side tool explicitly highlights the "Fee Drag" so you can decide if a fund's active management strategy justifies its premium price tag compared to passive index alternatives.
Different funds generate different types of tax liabilities. Standard dividends may be "Qualified" (lower tax rate), while REITs and BDCs yield "Ordinary" income (higher tax rate). Option-based ETFs often distribute "Return of Capital" (ROC) which can be tax-deferred but complicates your cost basis. Understanding these distinctions is vital for asset location—deciding whether to hold a specific ticker in a Roth IRA versus a taxable brokerage account.
Our 5-Tier Risk Spectrum is unrelated to traditional Morningstar ratings. We specifically audit for income sustainability. A Tier 1 asset (like SGOV) has almost zero principal risk. A Tier 5 asset (like TSLY) uses synthetic derivatives associated with extreme volatility. When comparing two funds, the "Risk Winner" is simply the one closer to Tier 1, meaning it historically preserves capital better.
This is the most critical concept for income investors. Yield is just the cash paid out.Total Return is Yield + Price Change. If Fund A pays 10% but drops 10% in price, your Total Return is 0%. Our comparison tool highlights cases where a lower-yielding fund (like SCHD) often beats a higher-yielding fund (like QYLD) in Total Return over 3-5 year periods.
Yes. The expense ratio is the fee deducted from your assets annually. Passive index funds (like VYM) charge as little as 0.06%. Active option ETFs (like JEPQ) often charge 0.35% to 0.99%. Over a 20-year retirement horizon, a 1% difference in fees can cost you over $50,000 on a $500k portfolio. We display this metric prominently so you can see the "cost of admission" for each strategy.
We update our rolling calculations weekly. Dividend yields are annualized based on the most recent payout (forward yield) or the trailing 12 months (TTM yield), depending on the fund type. Risk Tiers are reviewed quarterly or upon significant strategy changes (e.g., if a fund changes its target index or leverage ratio).