Is FDL or XYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

FDL currently yields 3.62% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. XYLD yields 10.98% with 0.5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: XYLD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between FDL and XYLD?

FDL has a forward dividend yield of 3.62% ($1.83/share annually). XYLD yields 10.98% ($4.30/share annually). The yield gap is 7.36 percentage points.

Home › Compare › FDL vs XYLD

FDL vs XYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

FDL yields 3.62% · XYLD yields 10.98%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 FDL wins by $6.00 in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

FDL

● Live price

3.62%

Share price

$50.61

Annual div

$1.83

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.3K

Annual income

$457.13

Full FDL calculator →

XYLD

Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF

● Live price

10.98%

Share price

$39.13

Annual div

$4.30

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.3K

Annual income

$3,219.02

Full XYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — FDL vs XYLD

📍 FDL pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

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

Crisis Period	FDL	XYLD
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, FDL + XYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

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Mar

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Apr

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May

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Jun

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Jul

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Aug

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Sep

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Oct

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Nov

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Dec

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FDL pays

XYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

FDL

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

$307.85/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$388.56/yr

XYLD

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

$933.63/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,736.17/yr

At 15% tax rate, XYLD beats the other by $2,347.61/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 FDL + XYLD for your $10,000?

FDL: 50%XYLD: 50%

100% XYLD50/50100% FDL

Portfolio after 10yr

$25.3K

Annual income

$1,838.08/yr

Blended yield

7.27%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

FDL buys

XYLD buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
K. Michael Conaway	🏢 House	$FDL	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2020-02-26
K. Michael Conaway	🏢 House	$FDL	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2020-02-25
K. Michael Conaway	🏢 House	$FDL	▼ Sell	$50,001 - $100,000	2020-02-24
K. Michael Conaway	🏢 House	$FDL	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2020-02-18
K. Michael Conaway	🏢 House	$FDL	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2020-02-18
K. Michael Conaway	🏢 House	$FDL	▲ Buy	$15,001 - $50,000	2019-11-07
K. Michael Conaway	🏢 House	$FDL	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2019-10-10
K. Michael Conaway	🏢 House	$FDL	▲ Buy	$15,001 - $50,000	2019-10-10

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

MetricFDLXYLD

Forward yield	3.62%	10.98% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$1.83	$4.30 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$25.3K	$25.3K
Annual income after 10y	$457.13	$3,219.02 ✓
Total dividends collected	$4.1K	$19.6K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: FDL vs XYLD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	FDL Portfolio	FDL Income/yr	XYLD Portfolio	XYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,062	$362.18	$10,818	$1,098.39	+$244.00 → FDL
2	$12,211	$374.44	$11,738	$1,222.51	+$473.00 → FDL
3	$13,452	$386.28	$12,774	$1,364.64	+$678.00 → FDL
4	$14,791	$397.70	$13,944	$1,527.86	+$847.00 → FDL
5	$16,235	$408.69	$15,270	$1,715.87	+$965.00 → FDL
6	$17,791	$419.24	$16,775	$1,933.09	+$1.0K → FDL
7	$19,466	$429.36	$18,490	$2,184.87	+$976.00 → FDL
8	$21,268	$439.05	$20,450	$2,477.63	+$818.00 → FDL
9	$23,205	$448.30	$22,697	$2,819.19	+$508.00 → FDL
10	$25,286	$457.13	$25,280	$3,219.02	+$6.00 → FDL

FDL vs XYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

FDL — Stock

The First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund is an exchange-traded index fund. The investment objective of the Fund is to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield of the Morningstar Dividend Leaders IndexSM.

Full FDL Calculator →

XYLD — ETF

The Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF (XYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe S&P 500 BuyWrite Index.

Full XYLD 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.