Is IRET or XYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

IRET currently yields 5.03% 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 IRET and XYLD?

IRET has a forward dividend yield of 5.03% ($0.97/share annually). XYLD yields 10.98% ($4.30/share annually). The yield gap is 5.95 percentage points.

Home › Compare › IRET vs XYLD

IRET vs XYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

IRET yields 5.03% · XYLD yields 10.98%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 IRET wins by $2.5K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

IRET

● Live price

5.03%

Share price

$19.23

Annual div

$0.97

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$27.8K

Annual income

$693.26

Full IRET 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 — IRET vs XYLD

📍 IRET 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	IRET	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%.

📅

Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, IRET + XYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

IRET pays

XYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

IRET

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

$427.25/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$589.27/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 $2,146.90/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of IRET + XYLD for your $10,000?

IRET: 50%XYLD: 50%

100% XYLD50/50100% IRET

Portfolio after 10yr

$26.6K

Annual income

$1,956.14/yr

Blended yield

7.37%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

IRET buys

XYLD buys

No recent congressional trades found for IRET or XYLD in the last 90 days.

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

MetricIRETXYLD

Forward yield	5.03%	10.98% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.97	$4.30 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$27.8K ✓	$25.3K
Annual income after 10y	$693.26	$3,219.02 ✓
Total dividends collected	$6.0K	$19.6K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	IRET Portfolio	IRET Income/yr	XYLD Portfolio	XYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,203	$502.65	$10,818	$1,098.39	+$385.00 → IRET
2	$12,513	$526.27	$11,738	$1,222.51	+$775.00 → IRET
3	$13,938	$549.37	$12,774	$1,364.64	+$1.2K → IRET
4	$15,486	$571.91	$13,944	$1,527.86	+$1.5K → IRET
5	$17,164	$593.84	$15,270	$1,715.87	+$1.9K → IRET
6	$18,980	$615.12	$16,775	$1,933.09	+$2.2K → IRET
7	$20,945	$635.73	$18,490	$2,184.87	+$2.5K → IRET
8	$23,067	$655.63	$20,450	$2,477.63	+$2.6K → IRET
9	$25,356	$674.81	$22,697	$2,819.19	+$2.7K → IRET
10	$27,824	$693.26	$25,280	$3,219.02	+$2.5K → IRET

IRET vs XYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

IRET — Stock

The iREIT MarketVector Quality REIT Index ETF is designed to provide diversified exposure to common and preferred shares of 40 U.S.-listed real estate investment trusts seeking to generate predictable monthly dividend income.

Full IRET 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 →

📬

Get this IRET vs XYLD comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

IRET vs SCHD IRET vs JEPI IRET vs O IRET vs KO IRET vs MAIN IRET vs QYLD IRET vs JEPQ IRET vs RYLD

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