Forget JEPI: Invesco’s Equal-Weight Income Fund Is Beating It by 6+ Points With Lower Fees

If you own the JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NYSEARCA:JEPI), you bought it for a specific reason: a monthly paycheck, muted volatility, and equity exposure that does not require guessing when the Nasdaq peaks. JEPI has delivered on the income side. It manages roughly $44.7 billion in net assets and pays every month, currently around a 7.9% forward yield at $56.21. The problem is what has happened underneath the distributions in 2026. Total return, which is what actually funds your retirement, has lagged badly, and Invesco, the sponsor best known for QQQ, now runs a competing income ETF that has outrun JEPI by more than six percentage points this year while charging less.

Why JEPI Buyers Signed Up in the First Place

JEPI writes out-of-the-money S&P 500 call options through equity-linked notes and holds a low-volatility slice of large caps underneath. Its biggest positions include Howmet Aerospace at 1.68% of assets, Johnson & Johnson at 1.66%, and Eaton at 1.62%, with structured notes from Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, and others generating the option premium that funds distributions. The design works. Monthly payouts have ranged from $0.34443 to $0.44761 over the past year, adding up to a trailing 12-month total of $4.58338. For retirees pulling income, that reliability matters.

Where JEPI Holders Are Falling Behind in 2026

Year to date through September 18, JEPI is up just 3.68% on a total return basis, and its one-year figure is 7.03%. The forward distribution rate has actually stepped down. The annualized forward amount of $4.45704 is below the trailing 12-month total of $4.58338, meaning the option premiums the fund is currently collecting no longer support last year’s payout pace. That is the mechanical reality of a covered-call strategy tied to the cap-weighted S&P. When the largest index members grind higher and realized volatility compresses, premiums shrink and upside gets capped away.

Invesco’s Alternative Is Doing the Same Job Better

The alternative is the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Income Advantage ETF (NYSEARCA:RSPA). It shares the same sponsor that runs QQQ and the same monthly payment cadence, but uses a different engine. RSPA writes option spreads against the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index rather than the cap-weighted parent, so its call-selling program sits on top of a portfolio not dominated by the same handful of mega-cap winners. The fund’s net expense ratio is 0.29%, six basis points cheaper than JEPI’s 0.35%.

RSPA is up 10.11% year-to-date and 13.15% over the past year. That is a 6.43-point total-return advantage in 2026 alone, on a strategy built for the same investor. Income has not been sacrificed: the trailing 12-month distribution of $4.84068 and annualized forward rate of $5.10204 translate to roughly a 9.7% forward yield at $52.61. RSPA is paying more, and its forward run rate is rising while JEPI’s is falling.

What You Give Up to Make the Switch

There are two trade-offs in switching. First, RSPA is a much smaller and younger fund than JEPI, with a shorter track record through varied market conditions. JEPI has been tested through five years of adjusted returns (+41.67%); RSPA has not been through a full cycle. Second, equal-weight tilts increase exposure to mid-sized S&P components and cyclical sectors. When the equal-weight index leads, RSPA benefits on both the underlying and the premium side. When mega caps dominate, that same tilt becomes a drag. JEPI’s cap-weighted underlying will hold up better in that regime.

Making the Trade Without Hurting Yourself

In a tax-advantaged account (IRA, 401(k), HSA), the swap is mechanically simple, with the monthly cadence intact. In a taxable account, check your cost basis first. JEPI’s distributions are treated largely as ordinary income, so many holders who bought recently may have small unrealized gains or losses. A partial rebalance — say, moving a third of the position — captures much of the return edge without triggering a full tax event. If you rely on the monthly check for living expenses, time the trade around an ex-dividend date so you do not skip a month.

What This Means for Your Position Today

JEPI is still a legitimate income vehicle. The point is that Invesco built a cheaper fund pursuing the same goal that is — right now — delivering both a higher yield and materially better total return. A full or partial rotation into RSPA is worth evaluating in light of your own tax situation and how much of your income relies on JEPI’s specific structure (we mapped out the full mix, payout calendar, and withdrawal order for turning a nest egg into a monthly paycheck in a free guide here). If mega-cap leadership resumes and equal-weight lags, the calculus tightens. Until then, the six-point gap represents real money left on the table every month you wait.

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