High-Yield ETFs Ranked: Our A-to-D Grading System Explained

The Yield to Freedom (YTF) grade is a rules-based research label for our curated income ETF universe. It is not a buy/sell signal, not a prediction, and not personalized advice.

What we optimize for

Grades summarize how well an ETF aligns with income-forward, sleeve-based planning: trailing cash yield, payout consistency cues, expense ratio, dividend cadence, scale/liquidity proxy, and whether the ticker fits its assigned pillar (Income, Stability, Growth, Mixed).

The mechanics (high level)

• Raw inputs come from Neon after FMP nightly sync succeeds (otherwise metrics may be sparse).
• A deterministic function (src/lib/grader/grade.ts) produces a 0-100 score mapped to A / B / C / D.
• History is logged to etf_grade_history when the cron grader runs.

What grades deliberately ignore

• Your tax bracket, horizon, labor income, leverage, concentrated employer stock
• Regulatory or personal ESG exclusions
• “Feel” narratives from social feeds

Whenever you see a chip on the site, the fine print applies: YTF grades are for research and education only.

Browse the universe: ETF directory · Compare funds: /compare

Educational only - not investment advice.