Is AEL or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

AEL currently yields 0.67% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: VYM offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between AEL and VYM?

AEL has a forward dividend yield of 0.67% ($0.38/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 1.74 percentage points.

Home › Compare › AEL vs VYM

AEL vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

AEL yields 0.67% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VYM wins by $4.1K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

AEL

● Live price

0.67%

Share price

$56.47

Annual div

$0.38

5Y div CAGR

26.8%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$23.8K

Annual income

$843.38

Full AEL 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 — AEL vs VYM

📍 VYM 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	AEL	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, AEL + VYM cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

AEL pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

AEL

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

$57.20/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$716.87/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, AEL beats the other by $480.11/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 AEL + VYM for your $10,000?

AEL: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% AEL

Portfolio after 10yr

$25.8K

Annual income

$560.96/yr

Blended yield

2.17%

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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on AEL right now

AEL

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$47.40

-16.1% upside vs current

Range: $43.00 — $55.00

Altman Z

0.2

Piotroski

5/9

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.

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

AEL 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 →

MetricAELVYM

Forward yield	0.67%	2.41% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.38	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	26.8% ✓	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$23.8K	$27.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$843.38 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$3.4K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	AEL Portfolio	AEL Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,785	$85.33	$11,151	$241.44	$366.00 → VYM
2	$11,649	$109.06	$12,413	$246.79	$764.00 → VYM
3	$12,604	$139.59	$13,794	$251.79	$1.2K → VYM
4	$13,666	$178.98	$15,306	$256.47	$1.6K → VYM
5	$14,852	$229.96	$16,960	$260.84	$2.1K → VYM
6	$16,188	$296.18	$18,768	$264.92	$2.6K → VYM
7	$17,704	$382.55	$20,745	$268.71	$3.0K → VYM
8	$19,439	$495.79	$22,905	$272.24	$3.5K → VYM
9	$21,445	$645.12	$25,265	$275.51	$3.8K → VYM
10	$23,789	$843.38	$27,842	$278.55	$4.1K → VYM

AEL vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

AEL — Stock

American Equity Investment Life Holding Company, through its subsidiaries, provides life insurance products in the United States. The company issues fixed index and rate annuities, as well as single premium immediate annuities. It markets its products through independent agents, including independent marketing organizations, broker/dealers, banks, and registered investment advisors. American Equity Investment Life Holding Company was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Full AEL 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.