Is ZGEN or RYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

ZGEN currently yields 16.65% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. RYLD yields 12.14% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: ZGEN offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between ZGEN and RYLD?

ZGEN has a forward dividend yield of 16.65% ($2.00/share annually). RYLD yields 12.14% ($1.81/share annually). The yield gap is 4.51 percentage points.

Home › Compare › ZGEN vs RYLD

ZGEN vs RYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

ZGEN yields 16.65% · RYLD yields 12.14%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 ZGEN wins by $14.8K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

ZGEN

● Live price

16.65%

Share price

$12.01

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$59.3K

Annual income

$4,631.17

Full ZGEN 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 — ZGEN vs RYLD

📍 ZGEN 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	ZGEN	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, ZGEN + RYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

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Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

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ZGEN 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.

ZGEN

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

$1,415.49/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$3,936.49/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, ZGEN beats the other by $1,737.25/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 ZGEN + RYLD for your $10,000?

ZGEN: 50%RYLD: 50%

100% RYLD50/50100% ZGEN

Portfolio after 10yr

$51.9K

Annual income

$3,609.26/yr

Blended yield

6.95%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

ZGEN buys

RYLD buys

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

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

MetricZGENRYLD

Forward yield	16.65% ✓	12.14%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00 ✓	$1.81
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$59.3K ✓	$44.5K
Annual income after 10y	$4,631.17 ✓	$2,587.35
Total dividends collected	$30.5K ✓	$18.8K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	ZGEN Portfolio	ZGEN Income/yr	RYLD Portfolio	RYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$12,365	$1,665.28	$11,914	$1,213.65	+$451.00 → ZGEN
2	$15,155	$1,924.45	$14,099	$1,351.30	+$1.1K → ZGEN
3	$18,421	$2,204.37	$16,580	$1,494.55	+$1.8K → ZGEN
4	$22,214	$2,504.02	$19,384	$1,642.61	+$2.8K → ZGEN
5	$26,591	$2,822.14	$22,535	$1,794.70	+$4.1K → ZGEN
6	$31,610	$3,157.22	$26,063	$1,950.00	+$5.5K → ZGEN
7	$37,330	$3,507.56	$29,995	$2,107.69	+$7.3K → ZGEN
8	$43,814	$3,871.31	$34,361	$2,266.99	+$9.5K → ZGEN
9	$51,128	$4,246.52	$39,194	$2,427.12	+$11.9K → ZGEN
10	$59,338	$4,631.17	$44,525	$2,587.35	+$14.8K → ZGEN

ZGEN vs RYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

ZGEN — Stock

The fund is an actively managed ETF that will invest its assets in U.S.-listed equity securities of companies that, in the assessment of the Sub-Adviser (Alkali Fintech LLC), are the most relevant to Generation Z. Gen Z is the largest generation to date with well over 2 billion members. Gen Z is forecasted to become the highest earning generation within a decade. Historically, technology has been most rapidly adopted by younger, emerging generations.

Full ZGEN 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.