Is DECAU or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

DECAU currently yields 16.89% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: DECAU offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between DECAU and VYM?

DECAU has a forward dividend yield of 16.89% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 14.48 percentage points.

Home › Compare › DECAU vs VYM

DECAU vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

DECAU yields 16.89% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 DECAU wins by $32.4K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

DECAU

● Live price

16.89%

Share price

$11.84

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$60.2K

Annual income

$4,763.19

Full DECAU 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 — DECAU vs VYM

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

Jan

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Feb

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Mar

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Apr

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May

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Jun

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Jul

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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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DECAU pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

DECAU

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

$1,435.81/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$4,048.71/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, DECAU beats the other by $3,811.94/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 DECAU + VYM for your $10,000?

DECAU: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% DECAU

Portfolio after 10yr

$44.0K

Annual income

$2,520.86/yr

Blended yield

5.72%

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

DECAU 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 →

MetricDECAUVYM

Forward yield	16.89% ✓	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	$60.2K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$4,763.19 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$31.2K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	DECAU Portfolio	DECAU Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$12,389	$1,689.19	$11,151	$241.44	+$1.2K → DECAU
2	$15,212	$1,955.86	$12,413	$246.79	+$2.8K → DECAU
3	$18,522	$2,244.43	$13,794	$251.79	+$4.7K → DECAU
4	$22,372	$2,553.91	$15,306	$256.47	+$7.1K → DECAU
5	$26,821	$2,883.02	$16,960	$260.84	+$9.9K → DECAU
6	$31,929	$3,230.24	$18,768	$264.92	+$13.2K → DECAU
7	$37,758	$3,593.83	$20,745	$268.71	+$17.0K → DECAU
8	$44,373	$3,971.88	$22,905	$272.24	+$21.5K → DECAU
9	$51,841	$4,362.37	$25,265	$275.51	+$26.6K → DECAU
10	$60,233	$4,763.19	$27,842	$278.55	+$32.4K → DECAU

DECAU vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

DECAU — Stock

Denali Capital Acquisition Corp. focuses on effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or other business combination with one or more businesses or entities. It intends to complete a business combination with companies primarily operating in the technology, consumer, and hospitality sectors. The company was incorporated in 2022 and is based in New York, New York.

Full DECAU 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.