Is SMAYX or RYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

SMAYX currently yields 10.49% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. RYLD yields 12.14% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: RYLD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between SMAYX and RYLD?

SMAYX has a forward dividend yield of 10.49% ($3.60/share annually). RYLD yields 12.14% ($1.81/share annually). The yield gap is 1.65 percentage points.

Home › Compare › SMAYX vs RYLD

SMAYX vs RYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

SMAYX yields 10.49% · RYLD yields 12.14%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 RYLD wins by $4.5K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

SMAYX

● Live price

10.49%

Share price

$34.34

Annual div

$3.60

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$40.0K

Annual income

$2,027.17

Full SMAYX calculator →

RYLD

● Live price

12.14%

Share price

$14.95

Annual div

$1.81

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$44.5K

Annual income

$2,587.35

Full RYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — SMAYX vs RYLD

📍 RYLD 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	SMAYX	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%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

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

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

SMAYX pays

RYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

SMAYX

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

$892.05/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,723.09/yr

RYLD

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

$1,031.60/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,199.25/yr

At 15% tax rate, RYLD beats the other by $476.15/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 SMAYX + RYLD for your $10,000?

SMAYX: 50%RYLD: 50%

100% RYLD50/50100% SMAYX

Portfolio after 10yr

$42.3K

Annual income

$2,307.26/yr

Blended yield

5.46%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

SMAYX buys

RYLD buys

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

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

MetricSMAYXRYLD

Forward yield	10.49%	12.14% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$3.60 ✓	$1.81
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$40.0K	$44.5K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$2,027.17	$2,587.35 ✓
Total dividends collected	$15.3K	$18.8K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	SMAYX Portfolio	SMAYX Income/yr	RYLD Portfolio	RYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,749	$1,049.48	$11,914	$1,213.65	$165.00 → RYLD
2	$13,724	$1,152.41	$14,099	$1,351.30	$375.00 → RYLD
3	$15,943	$1,258.05	$16,580	$1,494.55	$637.00 → RYLD
4	$18,425	$1,365.82	$19,384	$1,642.61	$959.00 → RYLD
5	$21,190	$1,475.17	$22,535	$1,794.70	$1.3K → RYLD
6	$24,259	$1,585.56	$26,063	$1,950.00	$1.8K → RYLD
7	$27,653	$1,696.44	$29,995	$2,107.69	$2.3K → RYLD
8	$31,396	$1,807.31	$34,361	$2,266.99	$3.0K → RYLD
9	$35,512	$1,917.70	$39,194	$2,427.12	$3.7K → RYLD
10	$40,025	$2,027.17	$44,525	$2,587.35	$4.5K → RYLD

SMAYX vs RYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

SMAYX — Stock

Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of small companies. It will primarily seek to purchase securities believed to have attractive growth and appreciation potential. For the purposes of this fund, a small company is a company with a market capitalization in the range of companies in the Russell 2000 Index, as determined at the time of purchase.

Full SMAYX 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 →

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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.