WPAY offers weekly payments, with a more balanced risk profile than its competitor YMAX. You will learn the 3 key differences between these ETFs that drove my decision to favor WPAY. WPAY's use of weekly option resets allows for better trend capture and NAV protection compared to YMAX's capped upside issues.
The YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs offers a massive 70%+ yield, but faces significant capital erosion. YMAX's aggressive covered call strategy caps upside potential while exposing investors to risky, volatile underlying assets and uncapped downside risk. Despite high yields, YMAX has a history of dividend cuts and has underperformed the S&P 500 and better-constructed covered call ETFs like QQQI on total return.
YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs has gained popularity for high income and downside risk mitigation via diverse holdings and put overlays. YMAX's NAV erosion concerns have been addressed since April 2025, with stable NAV and consistent distributions supporting its income-generating appeal. I am neutral on YMAX for now, awaiting confirmation of a rebound above $12 before considering a buy, due to portfolio weighting strategy.
YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs is a fund of funds of synthetic option ETFs. The diversified approach eliminates single-stock risk. The ETF offers weekly distributions with a current estimated annual distribution rate over 45%. Traditional valuation metrics may not fully capture the unique risk/reward profile of YMAX. I believe that patience is required here.
I focus on high-yield, income-generating ETFs and CEFs for retirement, accepting higher risk for greater passive income and compounding. YieldMax Magnificent 7 Fund of Option Income ETFs and YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs are high-risk, high-reward ETFs offering weekly distributions and total returns exceeding 25% over the past year. YMAG is more concentrated in Magnificent 7 stocks, while YMAX offers broader diversification, including alternative assets and more holdings.
I am upgrading YMAX to Buy after new data shows it outperforms both QQQ and SPY through volatile market cycles while providing strong income. YMAX's unique equal-weighted, growth-tilted, and highly diversified portfolio delivers growth-like returns with less severe drawdowns than typical option income ETFs. The ETF's performance benefits from volatility harvesting and diversification, capturing upside in rebounds and cushioning downside during corrections.
YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs has stabilized after severe NAV erosion, now showing an uptrend with technical strength and price above key moving averages. The fund's high yield (around 59%) remains attractive, especially as interest rates may decline and volatility supports option income strategies. YMAX's underperformance was due to capped upside from covered calls, frequent rebalancing, and high fees, but recent strategy tweaks improve outlook.
YieldMax is well-known for offering various ETFs that use covered calls to produce tremendous yields for their investors.
Key Points in This Article: YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs‘ (YMAX) 60.77% yield, driven by covered call strategies on volatile tech stocks, attracts income seekers in today's turbulent market.
YMAX offers attractive weekly income and diversification as a fund of funds, reducing single-stock and sector risk. Many investors aim to recover their initial investment back in distributions, thereby de-risking. This may take longer than assumed.
YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs' high yield is mostly a return of your own capital, not true income, which erodes your investment over time. The fund's structure limits upside in strong markets and exposes you to losses in weak markets, with no real downside protection. Most investors misunderstand YMAX's payouts, mistaking principal return for genuine income, and face unfavorable tax consequences.
YMAX offers exceptionally high yields, but these are largely offset by significant share price declines and NAV erosion due to its synthetic options strategy. The fund's distributions are mostly return of capital, raising concerns about sustainability and long-term value for income-focused investors. While YMAX has outperformed SPY in total return over the past year, I prefer more stable alternatives like QQQI for income investing.