IGLD vs KGLD

IGLDAFT Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF

KGLDCKurv Gold Enhanced Income ETF

In short

IGLD Gold that pays you monthly. IGLD holds Treasuries plus options tied to the SPDR Gold Trust, chasing bullion's price moves while selling calls to fund a monthly distribution. Running since 2021.

KGLD Most gold income funds hold metal and sell calls on it. KGLD builds the gold position out of options instead, parks the freed cash in short-dated bonds, then writes calls on top. Active, no index, monthly payouts, 0.99%.

Stated mandate

IGLD The fund seeks participation in the price returns of SPDR Gold Trust while providing consistent income. It invests mainly in U.S. Treasury securities and a subsidiary holding exchange-traded options referencing that gold ETF.

KGLD The Fund seeks to maximize total return through active management of efficient gold exposure while also generating potentially tax-efficient income.

Why people hold it

• IGLD An early mover in gold options-income. Launched in 2021, it has run its call-selling engine through real gold cycles, not a backtest.ftportfolios.com
• 0.85% a year undercuts the typical fee in the gold options-income crowd.
• Plain plumbing: Treasuries as collateral, a subsidiary holding the gold options, all inside a standard 1940 Act fund. No K-1 partnership paperwork.ftportfolios.com
• Distributions land monthly, and the fund sits among the stronger builds in its peer group for doing what its documents say.

• KGLD Gold exposure is built from options: buy calls, sell puts at matching strikes and expiries on gold ETPs. The freed collateral sits in short-dated bonds, a second income stream.sec.gov
• Actively managed against no index. The adviser picks strikes and expiries, and may write uncovered calls when it sees volatility mispriced in the market.sec.gov
• Bullion itself pays nothing. Here the monthly cash is manufactured from option premiums plus the bond collateral sitting behind the options.sec.gov
• Sits in the upper half of its gold-income peer group on our review.

Worth knowing

• IGLD No bars in a vault here. Exposure comes from options referencing a gold ETF, and the calls sold to fund income trim how much of a gold rally you keep.ftportfolios.com
• Part of a payout can be return of capital, which is your own money coming back and lowers your cost basis.ftportfolios.com
• Not the cheapest seat in the room: YGLD charges 0.53% for its own gold-plus-income spin.

• KGLD Written calls limit participation once gold runs past the strike, and uncovered writing beyond the long position carries risks the prospectus spells out.sec.gov
• 0.99% with no waiver. Near the category median, but above listed peers YGLD (0.62%) and IAUI (0.79%).
• Launched in 2025, so the record is short. The fund discloses that payouts can include return of capital, which reduces NAV per share.sec.gov

Full IGLD profile⁠

Full KGLD profile⁠