JEPI vs SPY: Yield, Cost and Returns Compared
As of Nov 5, 2026, JEPI yields more: 7.37% (dividend yield) against 1.02% for SPY. SPY is cheaper to own at 0.09% a year vs 0.35%. Over the same 6 years (May 2020 to Oct 2026), SPY returned 16.8% a year with distributions reinvested, and JEPI 10.8%.
JEPIJPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF7.37%dividend yield
SPYState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust1.02%dividend yield| Compared | JEPI | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| YieldDividend yield | 7.37% | 1.02% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.09% |
| Total return, 1 yr | +9.6% | +12.0% |
| Total return, 3 yr (a year) | +11.5% | +23.3% |
| Total return, 5 yr (a year) | +7.4% | +12.0% |
| Total return, 10 yr (a year) | — | +15.3% |
| Worst drop since May 2020 | -13.0% | -23.9% |
| Share price since May 2020 | +12% | +148% |
| Pays | Monthly | Quarterly |
| Issuer | JPMorgan | State Street Investment Management |
| Assets | $46.2B | $796.9B |
| Started | 2020 | 1993 |
| Type | Derivative Income | Large Blend |
Higher yield
JEPI
7.37%
Lower cost
SPY
0.09%
Better total return
SPY
16.8%/yr
Smaller worst drop
JEPI
-13.0%
Key facts: JEPI vs SPY
Data as of · Source: SmarterDividends data
- As of Nov 5, 2026, JEPI yields 7.37% (dividend yield) and SPY yields 1.02% (dividend yield).
- JEPI's expense ratio is 0.35% and SPY's is 0.09%: $35 vs $9 a year on $10,000.
- From May 2020 to Oct 2026, $10,000 in JEPI grew to $19,360 (10.8% a year) and $10,000 in SPY to $27,152 (16.8% a year), distributions reinvested.
- Their worst month-end drops over that time: -13.0% for JEPI and -23.9% for SPY.
- 2 of JEPI's top ten holdings are also in SPY's top ten, an overlap of at least 4% of the fund.
Cite this page
SmarterDividends, "JEPI vs SPY: Yield, Cost and Returns Compared," updated Nov 5, 2026, https://smarterdividends.com/compare/jepi-vs-spy
$10,000 in each, May 2020 to Oct 2026
Distributions reinvested, month-end values, with the S&P 500 for reference.
JEPI became
$19,360
10.8% a year
SPY became
$27,152
16.8% a year
Year by year
| Year | JEPI | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +8.1% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +12.6% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +9.8% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −3.5% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +21.5% | +28.7% |
Total return each calendar year, distributions reinvested.
Top holdings
2 of the top ten overlap, at least 4% of each fund.
JEPI
- MA Mastercard Inc Class A2.0%
- AAPL Apple Inc1.9%
- MSFT Microsoft Corp1.9%
- V Visa Inc Class A1.9%
- NEE NextEra Energy Inc1.8%
- JNJ Johnson & Johnson1.8%
- EOG EOG Resources Inc1.8%
- MMM 3M Co1.8%
- JIMXX JPMorgan Prime Money Market IM1.8%
- ABBV AbbVie Inc1.8%
SPY
- AAPL Apple Inc7.7%
- NVDA NVIDIA Corp7.6%
- MSFT Microsoft Corp5.9%
- AMZN Amazon.com Inc3.6%
- GOOGL Alphabet Inc Class A2.5%
- AVGO Broadcom Inc2.4%
- META Meta Platforms Inc Class A2.1%
- GOOG Alphabet Inc Class C2.0%
- LLY Eli Lilly and Co1.7%
- TSLA Tesla Inc1.7%
JEPI vs SPY: questions
Is JEPI or SPY better?
It depends on the job. JEPI pays more today (7.37% vs 1.02%), SPY costs less, and SPY has the better total return over May 2020 to Oct 2026, with JEPI holding up better in its worst stretch. For income, look at yield and whether the payouts hold up; for growth, total return and drawdowns.
Which pays a higher dividend, JEPI or SPY?
JEPI, at 7.37% against 1.02% for SPY as of Nov 5, 2026. On $10,000 that's about $737 vs $102 a year at today's rates.
Which has the better total return?
SPY. From May 2020 to Oct 2026, it returned 16.8% a year with distributions reinvested, against 10.8% for JEPI. $10,000 became $27,152 vs $19,360.
Which is cheaper, JEPI or SPY?
SPY, with a 0.09% expense ratio against 0.35%.
Do JEPI and SPY hold the same things?
Partly. 2 of their top ten holdings match (AAPL, MSFT), at least 4% of each fund. Owning both doubles up on those.
Related comparisons
Yields, costs and holdings as each fund reports them (via Yahoo Finance), updated daily; returns from month-end prices with distributions reinvested. SPY leads on 5 of 7 measures above. For information only, not investment advice. Last fund data: Nov 5, 2026.