Is CEFL or RYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

CEFL currently yields 54.95% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. RYLD yields 12.39% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: CEFL offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between CEFL and RYLD?

CEFL has a forward dividend yield of 54.95% ($2.00/share annually). RYLD yields 12.39% ($1.81/share annually). The yield gap is 42.56 percentage points.

Home › Compare › CEFL vs RYLD

CEFL vs RYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

CEFL yields 54.95% · RYLD yields 12.39%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 CEFL wins by $461.6K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

CEFL

● Live price

54.95%

Share price

$3.64

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$506.9K

Annual income

$110,670.64

Full CEFL calculator →

RYLD

● Live price

12.39%

Share price

$14.64

Annual div

$1.81

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$45.3K

Annual income

$2,682.98

Full RYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — CEFL vs RYLD

📍 CEFL pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

🛡️

Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	CEFL	RYLD
2008–2009 GFC	— No data	— No data
2020 Q1–Q2 COVID	— No data	— No data
2022 Q4 Rate Hike	— No data	— No data

Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.

📅

Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, CEFL + RYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

CEFL pays

RYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

CEFL

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$4,670.33/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$94,070.04/yr

RYLD

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$1,053.44/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,280.53/yr

At 15% tax rate, CEFL beats the other by $91,789.51/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of CEFL + RYLD for your $10,000?

CEFL: 50%RYLD: 50%

100% RYLD50/50100% CEFL

Portfolio after 10yr

$276.1K

Annual income

$56,676.81/yr

Blended yield

20.53%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

CEFL buys

RYLD buys

No recent congressional trades found for CEFL or RYLD in the last 90 days.

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricCEFLRYLD

Forward yield	54.95% ✓	12.39%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00 ✓	$1.81
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$506.9K ✓	$45.3K
Annual income after 10y	$110,670.64 ✓	$2,682.98
Total dividends collected	$413.0K ✓	$19.4K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: CEFL vs RYLD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	CEFL Portfolio	CEFL Income/yr	RYLD Portfolio	RYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$16,195	$5,494.51	$11,939	$1,239.34	+$4.3K → CEFL
2	$25,644	$8,315.96	$14,158	$1,382.89	+$11.5K → CEFL
3	$39,746	$12,306.89	$16,682	$1,532.59	+$23.1K → CEFL
4	$60,355	$17,826.72	$19,537	$1,687.64	+$40.8K → CEFL
5	$89,879	$25,299.20	$22,752	$1,847.20	+$67.1K → CEFL
6	$131,381	$35,210.17	$26,355	$2,010.43	+$105.0K → CEFL
7	$188,679	$48,101.40	$30,376	$2,176.45	+$158.3K → CEFL
8	$266,447	$64,560.26	$34,847	$2,344.43	+$231.6K → CEFL
9	$370,304	$85,205.68	$39,800	$2,513.54	+$330.5K → CEFL
10	$506,895	$110,670.64	$45,269	$2,682.98	+$461.6K → CEFL

CEFL vs RYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

CEFL — Stock

The investment seeks a return linked to the performance of the price return version of the ISE High Incomeâ¢ Index. The ETRACS Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Closed-End Fund ETN due December 10, 2043 (the âSecuritiesâ) are a series of Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Exchange Traded Access Securities (ETRACS) linked to the price return. The index measures the performance of 30 U.S. closed-end funds, as selected and ranked by the index sponsor in accordance with the index methodology.

Full CEFL Calculator →

RYLD — ETF

The Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF (RYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe Russell 2000 BuyWrite Index.

Full RYLD Calculator →

📬

Get this CEFL vs RYLD comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

CEFL vs SCHD CEFL vs JEPI CEFL vs O CEFL vs KO CEFL vs MAIN

⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.