Quick Read
-
Splitting $750,000 equally across DES, DTD, and DLN generated $14,664 a year, or roughly $1,222 a month, based on trailing distributions.
-
DES yielded 2.3% and produced $5,805, which was the largest income share, while also posting the best one-year total return at 18%.
-
DLN's 100% large-cap focus delivered the weakest yield at 1.7% but the strongest five-year price gain at 79%.
-
Just released. Our analysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.
Splitting $750,000 into equal $250,000 amounts across the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Fund( NYSEARCA:DES ), the WisdomTree U.S. Total Dividend Fund( NYSEARCA:DTD ) and the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund( NYSEARCA:DLN ) would have produced $14,664 a year, or about $1,222 a month.
Those figures use each fund's trailing 12 months of distributions against its price on October 27, 2026. All three pay monthly, and weight holdings by the cash dividends companies pay, not by how big each company is. Each covers a different slice of the market, and that explains why their yields and returns differ.
DES Delivers the Largest Share of Income From Smaller Companies
DES tracks the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index. That index is drawn from the bottom 25% of WisdomTree's broad dividend universe by market value after the 300 largest names are removed, then weighted by dividends. Because every holding must pay a dividend, the fund screens out the money-losing small-caps that weigh on the Russell 2000.
WisdomTree classifies 70% of the portfolio as mid-cap and 30% as small-cap, with no large-caps at all. Those stocks are also cheaper. Holdings trade near 13x estimated earnings versus about 17x for DLN, and lower valuations mean more dividend per dollar invested.
That shows up in the payout. DES yields 2.3% on a trailing basis, so its $250,000 position generated $5,805, the biggest piece of the total.
Free Report, Just Released
The Top 10 Stocks To Buy Now
24/7 Wall St has helped investors make money for over two decades, and our top analysts just finished ranking the definitive Top 10 Stocks To Buy Now . Not the ten biggest companies. Not the ten everyone is arguing about. The ten best stocks to buy right now.
The report is free, and you can see why we think each stock is a top investment today.
Enter Your Email and See the Ten →
It also posted the best one-year total return of the three at 18%, and it made 12 distributions over the past year. Shares sit near $39.
The monthly checks are lumpy. In 2026 alone, payments ran from $0.00856 to $0.145 per share.
On the downside, DES charges 0.38%, the highest fee here, and its five-year price gain of 43% trails DLN's 79%. Smaller companies tend to swing harder in recessions, so expect larger drawdowns.
DTD Owns Every Dividend Payer but Still Leans Heavily on Giants
DTD tracks the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index, the parent index covering nearly all U.S. dividend payers, weighted by cash dividends paid. It is the one-ticker way to own the full universe.
Because the largest companies pay the most dividend dollars, they drive the weighting. WisdomTree puts 94% of DTD in large-caps, so it acts much more like DLN than its "total market" label suggests.
DTD yields 1.8%, which turned its position into $4,525 of income. Its one-year total return was 16%.
It paid 12 distributions and charges 0.28%. The slight edge in yield over DLN comes from its thin layer of mid- and small-caps. If you hold DLN and DES together, DTD adds mostly overlap. It works best for anyone seeking a single fund with minimal upkeep.
DLN Brings Large-Cap Stability and the Strongest Long-Run Gains
DLN picks the 300 largest dividend payers from the parent index and weights them by expected annual cash dividends. That leans the portfolio toward mature, cash-generating businesses, and 100% of assets sit in large-caps.
It yields the least at 1.7%. As such, its position produced $4,334. The one-year total return of 17% beat DTD's, and it made 12 payments.
It is also the biggest of the three, with more than $6 billion in assets and a 0.28% fee. Shares currently trade around $100.
Dividend weighting can leave DLN behind growth-heavy indexes when non-paying or low-paying tech stocks lead the market.
Option Income Funds Pay Far More Cash but Keep Less Upside
Option income ETFs pay far more cash than these three funds. Many of those funds advertise double-digit payouts. They get there by writing calls against their holdings, collecting premiums in exchange for giving up gains above a set price.
Funds passing through the dividends their holdings pay usually yield less. They typically keep more of their holdings' upside, though, which helps explain one-year total returns of 16% to 18% here. Option income funds can hold up better in flat, choppy markets, when premiums do the work. Both types carry full stock market risk, and these three funds can lose value in a selloff.
Taxes need a look too. Distributions can include amounts that are not qualified dividends and, at times, return of capital, so check each fund's year-end tax documents before estimating your after-tax income.
Monthly Checks Fluctuate, So Plan Around Ranges
Comparing the same months year over year shows no steady pattern of increases:
| Ex-dividend month |
DTD 2025 |
DTD 2026 |
DES 2025 |
DES 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March |
$0.195 |
$0.21 |
$0.115 |
$0.08 |
| June |
$0.215 |
$0.21 |
$0.145 |
$0.145 |
| September |
$0.205 |
$0.195 |
$0.13 |
$0.12 |
DLN's year-end payout rose from $0.18336 in December 2024 to $0.27004 in December 2025, but its earlier year-end amounts bounced up and down. All three funds tend to pay larger distributions in December and smaller ones in January. Each has also split its shares, so older per-share figures on some websites may not line up with these. Treat the $1,222 monthly figure as an average, and expect individual checks to swing well above and below it.
Matching the Fund to Your Goal
DES makes the most income of the three and fits investors who can stomach small-cap volatility in exchange for cheaper stocks and the highest yield. DLN suits those who want large-cap stability with lower fees and the best long-term record. DTD works best as a single-fund holding, since pairing it with DLN mostly duplicates exposure. If your priority is maximum monthly cash, option income funds pay more, but these three give you a better shot at growing your principal alongside the income.
Got $1,000? Read This Before You Buy Another Stock
If you have cash sitting in your account right now, give this two minutes. After more than two decades of helping investors beat the market, our top analysts at 24/7 Wall St. put together a definitive report on the Top 10 Stocks To Buy Today.
They combed the entire market. It's not 10 ideas, not 10 stocks everyone is talking about, it's what their research points to as the 10 best stocks to buy right now, and it's free. Read more here and see which stocks made the list -->>
Contact editorial@247wallst.com for any questions or corrections.
