Is FLC a Friend, Question Mark or Foe?

FLC is classified a Question Mark under the Income Quality Score framework, based on long-duration distribution and total-return history. This is a research classification, not investment advice.

How safe is the FLC distribution?

A Question Mark is an income asset with a mixed or incomplete quality record — some income-quality signals are strong while others are weak, or the available history is too short to classify with confidence. It warrants a closer look rather than a conclusion.

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Public snapshot

FLC Income Quality Score

Name: FLC Income Quality Score
Creator: Income Quality Score
Keywords: FLC income quality, FLC dividend quality, FLC dividend safety, FLC distribution history, FLC dividend score, FLC analysis, Flaherty & Crumrine Total Return Fund Inc. dividend

Flaherty & Crumrine Total Return Fund Inc. (FLC) has an Income Quality Score of 62/100, classified as a Question Mark with high confidence, based on a 10-year income and total-return history.

Flaherty & Crumrine Total Return Fund Inc. (FLC) is a closed-end fund and is part of the IQ Score universe.

July 2026 snapshotAs of June 30, 2026Lookback: 10-year

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Long-term focused10-year income and total-return analysis

Data-drivenObjective scoring across 5 quality, distribution and risk signals

Clear classificationFriends to own. Foes to avoid.

IQ Score

62/100

Question MarkHigh confidence

Asset Type

CEF

Exchange

NYSE

Trailing Yield (TTM)

Not published

No normalized trailing yield is published for closed-end funds in this snapshot.

Rank in CEF Universe

108 of 358

Lookback

10-year

Data as of

June 30, 2026

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About this snapshot
This is the public July 2026 snapshot. Public snapshots are delayed and frozen: once released, a month's scores do not change, and current data is reserved for members. The July 2026 snapshot is published as the public launch snapshot.

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FLCFlaherty & Crumrine Total Return Fund Inc.

62Question MarkHigh confidence

Snapshot: 2026-06
Data as of: 2026-06-30
Lookback: 10-year
Asset type: Closed-End Fund

IQ Score History

Reconstructed monthly scores are computed from current data and methodology. Published snapshots are the frozen monthly releases, marked on the line. Where the methodology changed, the line is broken rather than joined across the change.

Signals & Drivers

IQ signal scores

Each signal is normalised to 0–100 and combined by weight into the overall IQ Score.

Economic Payout Coverage

42/100

Working Capital Preservation

66/100

Distribution Cut Score

70/100

Distribution Trend

59/100

NAV CAGR

83/100

What is working

Working capital preserved over time
Stable NAV over available history

What to watch

1–2 years with a material annual distribution decline

Distribution Safety

9Years raised

1Years cut

24Years of data

RisingCurrent trend

High confidence (10-year history)

20030.365Held
20041.95Raised
20051.8115Lower total
20061.555Lower total
20071.5325Lower total
20081.5445Raised
20091.326Lower total
20101.542Raised
20111.6975Raised
20121.7555Raised
20131.724Lower total
20141.632Lower total
20151.632Held
20161.629Held
20171.561Lower total
20181.435Lower total
20191.406Lower total
20201.483Raised
20211.564Raised
20221.4125Lower total
20231.0745Cut
20241.105Raised
20251.1918Raised
20260.6242Partial year

Distributions per year, from the frozen distribution-stability signal. “Lower total” means the calendar-year sum was smaller than the prior year (often a special-distribution rolloff or timing shift), but did not decline more than the engine's 10% material-decline threshold — see Years Cut above for years that did.

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IQ Score is a long-duration quality and distribution-safety classification for income assets. It is research based on historical data, not personal investment advice, and it does not tell you what to buy or sell. Figures reflect a delayed public snapshot and may differ from current data.