Is SMLF or QYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

SMLF currently yields 1.17% 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 SMLF and QYLD?

SMLF has a forward dividend yield of 1.17% ($0.88/share annually). QYLD yields 11.92% ($2.04/share annually). The yield gap is 10.75 percentage points.

Home › Compare › SMLF vs QYLD

SMLF vs QYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

SMLF yields 1.17% · QYLD yields 11.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 QYLD wins by $4.0K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 8

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

SMLF

● Live price

1.17%

Share price

$75.49

Annual div

$0.88

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$21.3K

Annual income

$126.19

Full SMLF 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 — SMLF vs QYLD

📍 QYLD pulled ahead of the other in Year 8

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	SMLF	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, SMLF + QYLD 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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SMLF pays

QYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

SMLF

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

$99.42/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$107.26/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 $4,703.15/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 SMLF + QYLD for your $10,000?

SMLF: 50%QYLD: 50%

100% QYLD50/50100% SMLF

Portfolio after 10yr

$23.4K

Annual income

$2,892.76/yr

Blended yield

12.38%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

SMLF buys

QYLD buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Tim Moore	🏢 House	$QYLD	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2025-05-02
Tim Moore	🏢 House	$QYLD	▲ Buy	$15,001 - $50,000	2025-04-07
Dwight Evans	🏢 House	$QYLD	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2022-11-14
Dwight Evans	🏢 House	$QYLD	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2020-10-29

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

MetricSMLFQYLD

Forward yield	1.17%	11.92% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.88	$2.04 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$21.3K	$25.4K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$126.19	$5,659.31 ✓
Total dividends collected	$1.2K	$27.1K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	SMLF Portfolio	SMLF Income/yr	QYLD Portfolio	QYLD Income/yr	Gap
1	$10,817	$116.97	$10,352	$1,192.36	+$465.00 → SMLF
2	$11,692	$118.25	$10,830	$1,347.57	+$862.00 → SMLF
3	$12,630	$119.46	$11,460	$1,539.07	+$1.2K → SMLF
4	$13,635	$120.60	$12,275	$1,777.84	+$1.4K → SMLF
5	$14,711	$121.67	$13,323	$2,078.95	+$1.4K → SMLF
6	$15,864	$122.69	$14,667	$2,463.34	+$1.2K → SMLF
7	$17,098	$123.65	$16,396	$2,960.57	+$702.00 → SMLF
8← crossover	$18,419	$124.55	$18,631	$3,612.97	$212.00 → QYLD
9	$19,834	$125.39	$21,548	$4,482.15	$1.7K → QYLD
10	$21,348	$126.19	$25,398	$5,659.31	$4.0K → QYLD

SMLF vs QYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

SMLF — Stock

The iShares U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. small-capitalization stocks that have favorable exposure to target style factors subject to constraints.

Full SMLF 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.