Battle Arena

Barista FIRE Income vs Yield Maximizer

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

10.6%

yield · $88/mo per $10k

WinnerYield Maximizer
High riskMedium reward

10.1%

yield · $84/mo per $10k

Yield Maximizer wins on total return (2–0, full common history).

Growth of $10,000 (dividends reinvested)

Barista FIRE IncomeYield MaximizerDistributions reinvested · hypothetical, fixed weights
Total Return0–2
42.6%
Total Ret.
48.3%
16.3%
CAGR
18.3%
Income3–0
10.6%
Yield
10.1%
$88
Income
$84
0.38
Steadiness
0.59
Principal / NAV0–2
12.9%
NAV
17.8%
-14.5%
Max DD
-13.4%
Risk0–3
4.7
Risk-Adj.
4.8
1.94
Sortino
2.32
11.8%
Volatility
11.2%
3.6
Safety
3.6

Holdings overlap

75% overlap

Barista FIRE Income only

ARCC 15%STAG 10%

Shared

JEPQ 25%SPYI 20%QQQI 20%EPD 10%

Yield Maximizer only

O 15%MAIN 10%

The risk-first read

Yield Maximizer wins. Barista FIRE Income dangles a bigger 10.6% headline yield, but after NAV erosion its total return (42.6%) trails Yield Maximizer's 48.3% — and at a higher risk tier (3.6 vs 3.6). The classic yield trap.

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.