Is FTCA or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

FTCA currently yields 1.36% 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 FTCA and VYM?

FTCA has a forward dividend yield of 1.36% ($0.10/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 1.05 percentage points.

Home › Compare › FTCA vs VYM

FTCA vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

FTCA yields 1.36% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VYM wins by $6.2K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

FTCA

● Live price

1.36%

Share price

$7.28

Annual div

$0.10

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$21.6K

Annual income

$148.68

Full FTCA 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 — FTCA vs VYM

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

FTCA pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

FTCA

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

$115.71/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$126.38/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, VYM beats the other by $110.39/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

FTCA: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% FTCA

Portfolio after 10yr

$24.7K

Annual income

$213.61/yr

Blended yield

0.86%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

FTCA 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 →

MetricFTCAVYM

Forward yield	1.36%	2.41% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.10	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$21.6K	$27.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$148.68	$278.55 ✓
Total dividends collected	$1.4K	$2.6K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	FTCA Portfolio	FTCA Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,836	$136.13	$11,151	$241.44	$315.00 → VYM
2	$11,733	$137.86	$12,413	$246.79	$680.00 → VYM
3	$12,693	$139.50	$13,794	$251.79	$1.1K → VYM
4	$13,723	$141.05	$15,306	$256.47	$1.6K → VYM
5	$14,826	$142.51	$16,960	$260.84	$2.1K → VYM
6	$16,008	$143.90	$18,768	$264.92	$2.8K → VYM
7	$17,273	$145.20	$20,745	$268.71	$3.5K → VYM
8	$18,629	$146.43	$22,905	$272.24	$4.3K → VYM
9	$20,081	$147.59	$25,265	$275.51	$5.2K → VYM
10	$21,635	$148.68	$27,842	$278.55	$6.2K → VYM

FTCA vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

FTCA — Stock

The fund seeks as high a level of current income exempt from federal income tax and California personal income tax as is consistent with preservation of capital.

Full FTCA 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 FTCA vs VYM comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

FTCA vs SCHD FTCA vs JEPI FTCA vs O FTCA vs KO FTCA vs MAIN FTCA vs VIG FTCA vs DGRO FTCA 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.