Is ZAIS or JEPQ a better dividend investment in 2026?

ZAIS currently yields 48.90% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. JEPQ yields 11.10% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: ZAIS offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between ZAIS and JEPQ?

ZAIS has a forward dividend yield of 48.90% ($2.00/share annually). JEPQ yields 11.10% ($6.16/share annually). The yield gap is 37.80 percentage points.

Home › Compare › ZAIS vs JEPQ

ZAIS vs JEPQ: Dividend Comparison 2026

ZAIS yields 48.90% · JEPQ yields 11.10%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 ZAIS wins by $327.4K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

ZAIS

● Live price

48.90%

Share price

$4.09

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$372.2K

Annual income

$74,100.38

Full ZAIS calculator →

JEPQ

JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF

● Live price

11.10%

Share price

$55.52

Annual div

$6.16

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$44.8K

Annual income

$2,152.59

Full JEPQ calculator →

Portfolio growth — ZAIS vs JEPQ

📍 ZAIS 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	ZAIS	JEPQ
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, ZAIS + JEPQ cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

ZAIS pays

JEPQ pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

ZAIS

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

$4,156.48/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$62,985.32/yr

JEPQ

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

$943.83/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,829.70/yr

At 15% tax rate, ZAIS beats the other by $61,155.62/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of ZAIS + JEPQ for your $10,000?

ZAIS: 50%JEPQ: 50%

100% JEPQ50/50100% ZAIS

Portfolio after 10yr

$208.5K

Annual income

$38,126.48/yr

Blended yield

18.29%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

ZAIS buys

JEPQ buys

No recent congressional trades found for ZAIS or JEPQ in the last 90 days.

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

MetricZAISJEPQ

Forward yield	48.90% ✓	11.10%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$6.16 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$372.2K ✓	$44.8K
Annual income after 10y	$74,100.38 ✓	$2,152.59
Total dividends collected	$295.4K ✓	$16.3K
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: ZAIS vs JEPQ ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	ZAIS Portfolio	ZAIS Income/yr	JEPQ Portfolio	JEPQ Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$15,590	$4,889.98	$11,930	$1,110.39	+$3.7K → ZAIS
2	$23,806	$7,124.73	$14,133	$1,224.34	+$9.7K → ZAIS
3	$35,640	$10,167.77	$16,632	$1,340.46	+$19.0K → ZAIS
4	$52,361	$14,226.41	$19,454	$1,457.97	+$32.9K → ZAIS
5	$75,560	$19,533.63	$22,626	$1,576.08	+$52.9K → ZAIS
6	$107,194	$26,344.00	$26,175	$1,694.09	+$81.0K → ZAIS
7	$149,625	$34,927.92	$30,133	$1,811.32	+$119.5K → ZAIS
8	$205,663	$45,564.28	$34,531	$1,927.17	+$171.1K → ZAIS
9	$278,591	$58,531.92	$39,403	$2,041.08	+$239.2K → ZAIS
10	$372,193	$74,100.38	$44,787	$2,152.59	+$327.4K → ZAIS

ZAIS vs JEPQ: Complete Analysis 2026

ZAIS — Stock

ZAIS is a dividend-paying stock. Use this calculator to estimate your future dividend income, DRIP compounding returns, and passive income potential from investing in ZAIS shares.

Full ZAIS Calculator →

JEPQ — ETF

The fund seeks to achieve this objective by (1) creating an actively managed portfolio of equity securities comprised significantly of those included in the fund’s primary benchmark, the Nasdaq-100 Index (the Benchmark), and (2) through equity-linked notes (ELNs), selling call options with exposure to the Benchmark. It is non-diversified.

Full JEPQ 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.