Battle Arena

Barista FIRE Income vs The Middle Path 859

How $10,000 would have grown in each — compared across total return, income, NAV, and risk.

Compared over their common history since Jan 2024.

Judge on
Window
Barista FIRE Income
High riskMedium reward

10.7%

yield · $89/mo per $10k

WinnerThe Middle Path 859
High riskHigh reward

15.1%

yield · $126/mo per $10k

The Middle Path 859 wins on total return (2–0, full common history).

Growth of $10,000 (dividends reinvested)

Barista FIRE IncomeThe Middle Path 859Distributions reinvested · hypothetical, fixed weights
Total Return0–2
42.6%
Total Ret.
74.9%
16.3%
CAGR
26.9%
Income1–2
10.7%
Yield
15.1%
$89
Income
$126
0.38
Steadiness
0.73
Principal / NAVeven
12.9%
NAV
23.6%
-14.5%
Max DD
-19.4%
Risk1–3
4.6
Risk-Adj.
5.7
1.94
Sortino
2.31
11.8%
Volatility
17.7%
3.6
Safety
3.5

Holdings overlap

30% overlap

Barista FIRE Income only

ARCC 15%EPD 10%STAG 10%

Shared

JEPQ 25%SPYI 20%QQQI 20%

The Middle Path 859 only

GPIQ 10%BIZD 10%NVDL 10%TSLY 10%SRLN 10%AMLP 8%FPE 8%BIL 5%

The risk-first read

The Middle Path 859 wins on both fronts: more monthly income ($126 vs $89 per $10k) and a better risk-adjusted return — without taking on more tier risk. A clean pick.

Get one battle like this in your inbox every week
The Dividend Brief — free, risk-first, 2-min read.

Run your own matchups

Filter 30 portfolios by risk and reward and let the data crown a champion.

Growth is a hypothetical, fixed-weight backtest with distributions reinvested at ex-date since Jan 2024 — no fees or taxes; past performance doesn't predict future results. How these numbers are computed. Not investment advice.