LESSON 5.5 · CORE

What an ETF's distribution yield actually is

Not the same as a share's dividend yield, and not the same as what you'll receive.

FUNDS, ETFS AND TRACKERS4 MIN READ

A fund's yield comes in several versions. The distribution yield is what the fund expects to pay out over the next twelve months, as a percentage of its price. The underlying yield is the income it expects to earn after all its charges. The historic yield is what it actually paid over the last twelve months. When a fund takes its charges out of capital rather than income, the distribution yield looks higher than the underlying yield, and the capital quietly pays for the difference.

None of them is a share's dividend yield. A fund's yield is hundreds of companies' dividends, after charges and any foreign tax withheld, paid on the fund's own schedule — and it isn't what you'll receive, which depends on what you paid and when. For a fund, the app's Yield column shows the historic yield, marked TTM: the data provider's own trailing figure where it publishes one, otherwise the fund's distributions over the last year divided by today's price. An accumulating fund pays nothing out, so it shows 0.00%. What you actually received is in Dividend Income and the holding's yield on cost.

Distribution yieldCharges taken from capitalUnderlying yield

When charges come out of capital, the higher number is paid for by your capital.

Check a fund's yield on cost →

Educational content only. It is not personal financial advice.