Is AAU or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

AAU currently yields 1365.19% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: AAU offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between AAU and VYM?

AAU has a forward dividend yield of 1365.19% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 1362.78 percentage points.

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AAU vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

AAU yields 1365.19% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 AAU wins by $298822034.25M in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

AAU

● Live price

1365.19%

Share price

$0.15

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$298822034.28M

Annual income

$261,186,648,013,879.53

Full AAU 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 — AAU vs VYM

📍 AAU pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

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

Crisis Period	AAU	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, AAU + VYM cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

AAU pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

AAU

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

$116,040.96/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$222,008,650,811,797.60/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, AAU beats the other by $222,008,650,811,560.80/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

AAU: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% AAU

Portfolio after 10yr

$149411017.15M

Annual income

$130,593,324,007,079.03/yr

Blended yield

87.41%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

AAU 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 →

MetricAAUVYM

Forward yield	1365.19% ✓	2.41%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$298822034.28M ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$261,186,648,013,879.53 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$296055184.59M ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	AAU Portfolio	AAU Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$147,219	$136,518.77	$11,151	$241.44	+$136.1K → AAU
2	$2,035,854	$1,878,329.51	$12,413	$246.79	+$2.02M → AAU
3	$26,454,041	$24,275,677.50	$13,794	$251.79	+$26.44M → AAU
4	$323,109,610	$294,803,786.79	$15,306	$256.47	+$323.09M → AAU
5	$3,710,898,270	$3,365,170,987.26	$16,960	$260.84	+$3710.88M → AAU
6	$40,091,059,516	$36,120,398,366.33	$18,768	$264.92	+$40091.04M → AAU
7	$407,598,672,629	$364,701,238,947.34	$20,745	$268.71	+$407598.65M → AAU
8	$3,901,413,421,656	$3,465,282,841,943.19	$22,905	$272.24	+$3901413.40M → AAU
9	$35,173,258,191,565	$30,998,745,830,392.96	$25,265	$275.51	+$35173258.17M → AAU
10	$298,822,034,278,854	$261,186,648,013,879.53	$27,842	$278.55	+$298822034.25M → AAU

AAU vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

AAU — Stock

Almaden Minerals Ltd., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, evaluation, and development of mineral properties. It primarily owns a 100% interest in the Ixtaca gold-silver project located in Puebla State, Mexico. The company was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Full AAU 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.