Is FCAL or QYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

FCAL currently yields 3.32% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. QYLD yields 11.92% with -2.1% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: QYLD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between FCAL and QYLD?

FCAL has a forward dividend yield of 3.32% ($1.63/share annually). QYLD yields 11.92% ($2.04/share annually). The yield gap is 8.60 percentage points.

Home › Compare › FCAL vs QYLD

FCAL vs QYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

FCAL yields 3.32% · QYLD yields 11.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 QYLD wins by $622.00 in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 10

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

FCAL

● Live price

3.32%

Share price

$48.89

Annual div

$1.63

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$24.8K

Annual income

$411.71

Full FCAL calculator →

QYLD

Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF

● Live price

11.92%

Share price

$17.15

Annual div

$2.04

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.4K

Annual income

$5,659.31

Full QYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — FCAL vs QYLD

📍 QYLD pulled ahead of the other in Year 10

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	FCAL	QYLD
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%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, FCAL + QYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

FCAL pays

QYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

FCAL

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

$282.55/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$349.95/yr

QYLD

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

$1,013.51/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$4,810.41/yr

At 15% tax rate, QYLD beats the other by $4,460.46/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of FCAL + QYLD for your $10,000?

FCAL: 50%QYLD: 50%

100% QYLD50/50100% FCAL

Portfolio after 10yr

$25.1K

Annual income

$3,035.51/yr

Blended yield

12.10%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

FCAL buys

QYLD buys

No recent congressional trades found for FCAL or QYLD in the last 90 days.

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

MetricFCALQYLD

Forward yield	3.32%	11.92% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$1.63	$2.04 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$24.8K	$25.4K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$411.71	$5,659.31 ✓
Total dividends collected	$3.7K	$27.1K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: FCAL vs QYLD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	FCAL Portfolio	FCAL Income/yr	QYLD Portfolio	QYLD Income/yr	Gap
1	$11,032	$332.41	$10,352	$1,192.36	+$680.00 → FCAL
2	$12,147	$342.74	$10,830	$1,347.57	+$1.3K → FCAL
3	$13,350	$352.69	$11,460	$1,539.07	+$1.9K → FCAL
4	$14,647	$362.26	$12,275	$1,777.84	+$2.4K → FCAL
5	$16,044	$371.45	$13,323	$2,078.95	+$2.7K → FCAL
6	$17,547	$380.25	$14,667	$2,463.34	+$2.9K → FCAL
7	$19,164	$388.67	$16,396	$2,960.57	+$2.8K → FCAL
8	$20,903	$396.72	$18,631	$3,612.97	+$2.3K → FCAL
9	$22,770	$404.40	$21,548	$4,482.15	+$1.2K → FCAL
10← crossover	$24,776	$411.71	$25,398	$5,659.31	$622.00 → QYLD

FCAL vs QYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

FCAL — Stock

The First Trust California Municipal High Income ETF's primary investment objective will be to seek to provide current income that is exempt from regular federal income taxes and California income taxes, and its secondary objective will be long-term capital appreciation. Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing at least 80% of its net assets (including investment borrowings) in municipal debt securities that pay interest that is exempt from regular federal income taxes and California income taxes (collectively, "Municipal Securities").

Full FCAL Calculator →

QYLD — ETF

The Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF (QYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe Nasdaq-100 BuyWrite V2 Index.

Full QYLD Calculator →

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