Is APOL or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

APOL currently yields 20.01% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: APOL offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between APOL and VYM?

APOL has a forward dividend yield of 20.01% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 17.60 percentage points.

Home › Compare › APOL vs VYM

APOL vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

APOL yields 20.01% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 APOL wins by $45.2K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

APOL

● Live price

20.01%

Share price

$10.00

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$73.1K

Annual income

$6,746.16

Full APOL 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 — APOL vs VYM

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

Jan

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Feb

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Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

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Sep

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Oct

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Nov

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Dec

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APOL pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

APOL

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

$1,700.85/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$5,734.24/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, APOL beats the other by $5,497.47/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 APOL + VYM for your $10,000?

APOL: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% APOL

Portfolio after 10yr

$50.5K

Annual income

$3,512.35/yr

Blended yield

6.96%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

APOL 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 →

MetricAPOLVYM

Forward yield	20.01% ✓	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	$73.1K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$6,746.16 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$41.6K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	APOL Portfolio	APOL Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$12,701	$2,001.00	$11,151	$241.44	+$1.6K → APOL
2	$15,965	$2,375.21	$12,413	$246.79	+$3.6K → APOL
3	$19,873	$2,790.33	$13,794	$251.79	+$6.1K → APOL
4	$24,510	$3,246.11	$15,306	$256.47	+$9.2K → APOL
5	$29,968	$3,741.65	$16,960	$260.84	+$13.0K → APOL
6	$36,341	$4,275.46	$18,768	$264.92	+$17.6K → APOL
7	$43,730	$4,845.53	$20,745	$268.71	+$23.0K → APOL
8	$52,241	$5,449.34	$22,905	$272.24	+$29.3K → APOL
9	$61,982	$6,083.97	$25,265	$275.51	+$36.7K → APOL
10	$73,067	$6,746.16	$27,842	$278.55	+$45.2K → APOL

APOL vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

APOL — Stock

Apollo Education Group, Inc. provides higher education programs for working adults. The Company offers undergraduate and graduate online and on-campus courses at the high school.

Full APOL 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.