# First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF (FTQI): ETF Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftqi for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: First Trust · Asset class: Equity Income - Strategy: Options Income · Inception: 2014-01-06 The Fund's primary goal is to generate a steady stream of income. It achieves this by principally investing in stocks traded on American exchanges. To further boost its income potential, the Fund employs an options strategy: it actively sells U.S. exchange-traded covered call options linked to the Nasdaq-100 Index. This approach aims to secure additional cash flow through the collection of "premiums." A premium represents the payment the Fund receives when it sells an option contract to another party, and these earnings have the potential to be distributed to shareholders each month. ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $20.59 | | Expense Ratio | 0.75% | | Assets Under Management | $1.00B | | NAV | $21.58 (2026-11-04 close) | | Holdings Count | 181 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 12.21% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $2.52 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Monthly | | 52-Week Range | $19.23 – $22.55 | | Beta | 0.66 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.2210 /share - Ex-date: 2026-10-21 - Pay date: 2026-10-30 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does FTQI invest in? The Fund's primary goal is to generate a steady stream of income. It achieves this by principally investing in stocks traded on American exchanges. To further boost its income potential, the Fund employs an options strategy: it actively sells U.S. exchange-traded covered call options linked to the Nasdaq-100 Index. This approach aims to secure additional cash flow through the collection of "premiums." A premium represents the payment the Fund receives when it sells an option contract to another party, and these earnings have the potential to be distributed to shareholders each month. ### What is the expense ratio of FTQI? First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF (FTQI) charges an expense ratio of 0.75%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### What is FTQI's distribution yield? FTQI's trailing-twelve-month yield is 12.21%, calculated from the sum of distributions over the past year divided by the current price. ### How does FTQI's covered-call strategy work? FTQI sells call options against the stocks (or index) it holds, collecting premium income that gets passed through to shareholders as distributions. The strategy generates above-market income in flat or rising markets but caps upside. When the underlying rallies past the strike, the gains above the strike go to the option buyer, not the fund. ### How big is FTQI? First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF (FTQI) manages $1.00B in total assets. AUM determines bid-ask liquidity and the fund's vulnerability to closure. Funds below ~$50M are at higher risk of liquidation. ### Is FTQI actively managed or an index fund? FTQI's management style is described in the fund's prospectus. See the description on the Summary tab for the published strategy. ### Does FTQI pay a distribution? Yes, First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF (FTQI) distributes distributions to shareholders. The trailing-twelve-month yield is 12.21%. Full distribution history is on this page. ### How often does FTQI pay distributions? First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF pays distributions Monthly. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the distribution history table on this page. ### When is FTQI's next ex-distribution date? The most recently announced ex-distribution date for FTQI was 2026-10-21. The next ex-date typically follows Monthly; once announced it appears at the top of the distribution history table on this page. ### Is FTQI's distribution sustainable? Covered-call ETFs like FTQI fund their distributions from option premium income. Sustainability depends on (1) whether option premiums stay high enough to cover the announced rate, and (2) whether NAV holds up over time. The NAV Erosion section on this page contrasts total return with price change since inception. If distributions consistently exceed total return, the fund is paying out capital rather than income. ### How much will FTQI's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.75% expense ratio quietly compounds against your balance every year. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above projects the dollar drag for any holding period and assumption you pick. The typical result for a 1.0% expense ratio on a 30-year hold is roughly 25% of the final balance lost to fees. ### How does FTQI charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from FTQI's net asset value (NAV). You never see a bill. The price quoted on every exchange is already net of fees. There's no "fee day" to avoid; the cost is continuous and built into the trading price. ### Why does FTQI cost more than a fund like VOO? FTQI is an options-income fund (current expense ratio 0.75%). Covered-call and 0DTE strategies require active option-writing, daily rebalancing, and dedicated risk management. They cost more than passive equity funds. The Cost Verdict card compares FTQI against the options-income cohort, not VOO. ### Are FTQI's distributions taxed at ordinary income or qualified-dividend rates? FTQI's option-premium distributions are typically classified as ordinary income (NOT the qualified-dividend rate), so they're taxed at your marginal federal rate plus state. For a 24% bracket investor that's roughly 2x the 15% long-term capital gains rate most dividend investors are used to. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above lets you layer in this tax drag alongside the fund fee. Consult a tax advisor. This is not tax advice. ### Are there cheaper alternatives to FTQI? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists ETFs following the same investment strategy as FTQI (0.75%) but at a lower expense ratio. Each row shows the fee gap, the peer's AUM as a liquidity sanity-check, and a direct link to that fund's analysis page. Cheaper price doesn't automatically mean better. Verify the peer holds what you actually want. ## More on Dividend Data - Overview (HTML): https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftqi - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftqi/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftqi/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftqi/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftqi/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.