Is AAPU or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

AAPU currently yields 10.69% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: AAPU offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between AAPU and VYM?

AAPU has a forward dividend yield of 10.69% ($2.84/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 8.28 percentage points.

Home › Compare › AAPU vs VYM

AAPU vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

AAPU yields 10.69% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 AAPU wins by $12.7K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

AAPU

● Live price

10.69%

Share price

$26.53

Annual div

$2.84

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$40.5K

Annual income

$2,089.63

Full AAPU calculator →

VYM

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF

● Live price

2.41%

Share price

$145.48

Annual div

$3.51

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$27.8K

Annual income

$278.55

Full VYM calculator →

Portfolio growth — AAPU vs VYM

📍 AAPU pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

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	AAPU	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%.

📅

Dividend Calendar Overlap

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

AAPU pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

AAPU

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

$908.72/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,776.19/yr

VYM

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

$205.23/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$236.77/yr

At 15% tax rate, AAPU beats the other by $1,539.42/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

AAPU: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% AAPU

Portfolio after 10yr

$34.2K

Annual income

$1,184.09/yr

Blended yield

3.46%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

AAPU buys

VYM buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Carol Devine Miller	🏢 House	$VYM	▲ Buy	$15,001 - $50,000	2022-11-02

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

MetricAAPUVYM

Forward yield	10.69% ✓	2.41%
Annual dividend / share	$2.84	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$40.5K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$2,089.63 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$15.7K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	AAPU Portfolio	AAPU Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,769	$1,069.08	$11,151	$241.44	+$618.00 → AAPU
2	$13,769	$1,175.90	$12,413	$246.79	+$1.4K → AAPU
3	$16,018	$1,285.70	$13,794	$251.79	+$2.2K → AAPU
4	$18,538	$1,397.90	$15,306	$256.47	+$3.2K → AAPU
5	$21,347	$1,511.91	$16,960	$260.84	+$4.4K → AAPU
6	$24,468	$1,627.16	$18,768	$264.92	+$5.7K → AAPU
7	$27,924	$1,743.07	$20,745	$268.71	+$7.2K → AAPU
8	$31,738	$1,859.12	$22,905	$272.24	+$8.8K → AAPU
9	$35,935	$1,974.80	$25,265	$275.51	+$10.7K → AAPU
10	$40,540	$2,089.63	$27,842	$278.55	+$12.7K → AAPU

AAPU vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

AAPU — Stock

The Direxion Daily AAPL Bull 2X ETF and Direxion Daily AAPL Bear 1X ETF seek daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 200% and 100% of the inverse (or opposite), respectively, of the performance of the common shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL).

Full AAPU 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 →

📬

Get this AAPU vs VYM comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

AAPU vs SCHD AAPU vs JEPI AAPU vs O AAPU vs KO AAPU vs MAIN AAPU vs VIG AAPU vs DGRO AAPU vs HDV

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