Is HWEL or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

HWEL currently yields 19.09% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: HWEL offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between HWEL and VYM?

HWEL has a forward dividend yield of 19.09% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 16.68 percentage points.

Home › Compare › HWEL vs VYM

HWEL vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

HWEL yields 19.09% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 HWEL wins by $41.2K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

HWEL

● Live price

19.09%

Share price

$10.48

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$69.1K

Annual income

$6,109.87

Full HWEL 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 — HWEL vs VYM

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

HWEL pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

HWEL

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

$1,622.91/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$5,193.39/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, HWEL beats the other by $4,956.62/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

HWEL: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% HWEL

Portfolio after 10yr

$48.5K

Annual income

$3,194.21/yr

Blended yield

6.59%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

HWEL 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 →

MetricHWELVYM

Forward yield	19.09% ✓	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	$69.1K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$6,109.87 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$38.3K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	HWEL Portfolio	HWEL Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$12,609	$1,909.31	$11,151	$241.44	+$1.5K → HWEL
2	$15,742	$2,250.00	$12,413	$246.79	+$3.3K → HWEL
3	$19,469	$2,625.23	$13,794	$251.79	+$5.7K → HWEL
4	$23,866	$3,034.39	$15,306	$256.47	+$8.6K → HWEL
5	$29,013	$3,476.38	$16,960	$260.84	+$12.1K → HWEL
6	$34,994	$3,949.62	$18,768	$264.92	+$16.2K → HWEL
7	$41,896	$4,452.11	$20,745	$268.71	+$21.2K → HWEL
8	$49,810	$4,981.48	$22,905	$272.24	+$26.9K → HWEL
9	$58,832	$5,535.04	$25,265	$275.51	+$33.6K → HWEL
10	$69,060	$6,109.87	$27,842	$278.55	+$41.2K → HWEL

HWEL vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

HWEL — Stock

Healthwell Acquisition Corp. I does not have significant operations. The company focuses on effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. It intends to acquire technology-enabled companies in the healthcare industry. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Winnetka, Illinois.

Full HWEL 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 HWEL vs VYM comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

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