Is AAIC or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

AAIC currently yields 41.32% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.37% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: AAIC offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between AAIC and VYM?

AAIC has a forward dividend yield of 41.32% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.37% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 38.95 percentage points.

Home › Compare › AAIC vs VYM

AAIC vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

AAIC yields 41.32% · VYM yields 2.37%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 VYM wins by $108.00 in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 10

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

AAIC

● Live price

41.32%

Share price

$4.84

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

-50%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$27.7K

Annual income

$5.67

Full AAIC calculator →

VYM

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF

● Live price

2.37%

Share price

$148.10

Annual div

$3.51

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$27.8K

Annual income

$272.94

Full VYM calculator →

Portfolio growth — AAIC vs VYM

📍 VYM pulled ahead of the other in Year 10

Annual dividend income

🛡️

Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	AAIC	VYM
2008–2009 GFC	— No data	— No data
2020 Q1–Q2 COVID	— No data	— No data
2022 Q4 Rate Hike	— No data	— No data

Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, AAIC + VYM cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

AAIC pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

AAIC

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$3,512.40/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$4.82/yr

VYM

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$201.60/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$232.00/yr

At 15% tax rate, VYM beats the other by $227.18/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of AAIC + VYM for your $10,000?

AAIC: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% AAIC

Portfolio after 10yr

$27.7K

Annual income

$139.31/yr

Blended yield

0.50%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on AAIC right now

AAIC

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Hold

Altman Z

-1.9

Piotroski

6/9

VYM

No analyst data

Analyst ratings via FMP. Altman Z-Score: >3.0 safe, 1.81–3.0 grey zone, <1.81 distress. Piotroski: 7–9 strong, 0–3 weak.

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

AAIC buys

VYM buys

No recent congressional trades found for AAIC or VYM in the last 90 days.

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricAAICVYM

Forward yield	41.32% ✓	2.37%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	-50%	0% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$27.7K	$27.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$5.67	$272.94 ✓
Total dividends collected	$4.7K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: AAIC vs VYM ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	AAIC Portfolio	AAIC Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1	$12,766	$2,066.12	$11,147	$237.17	+$1.6K → AAIC
2	$14,892	$1,232.54	$12,404	$242.33	+$2.5K → AAIC
3	$16,607	$671.87	$13,780	$247.16	+$2.8K → AAIC
4	$18,119	$350.10	$15,285	$251.67	+$2.8K → AAIC
5	$19,566	$178.50	$16,932	$255.88	+$2.6K → AAIC
6	$21,026	$90.07	$18,733	$259.81	+$2.3K → AAIC
7	$22,543	$45.23	$20,701	$263.46	+$1.8K → AAIC
8	$24,143	$22.66	$22,852	$266.86	+$1.3K → AAIC
9	$25,845	$11.34	$25,201	$270.01	+$644.00 → AAIC
10← crossover	$27,660	$5.67	$27,768	$272.94	$108.00 → VYM

AAIC vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

AAIC — Stock

Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (NYSE: AAIC) currently invests primarily in mortgage-related and other assets and has elected to be taxed as a REIT. The Company is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. For more information, please visit www.arlingtonasset.com.

Full AAIC Calculator →

VYM — ETF

Seeks to track the performance of the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, which measures the investment return of common stocks of companies characterized by high dividend yields. Provides a convenient way to track the performance of stocks that are forecasted to have above-average dividend yields. Follows a passively managed, full-replication approach.

Full VYM Calculator →

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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.