Is IRE or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

IRE currently yields 16.21% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.39% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: IRE offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between IRE and VYM?

IRE has a forward dividend yield of 16.21% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.39% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 13.82 percentage points.

Home › Compare › IRE vs VYM

IRE vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

IRE yields 16.21% · VYM yields 2.39%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 IRE wins by $29.9K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

IRE

● Live price

16.21%

Share price

$12.34

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$57.7K

Annual income

$4,392.28

Full IRE calculator →

VYM

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF

● Live price

2.39%

Share price

$146.91

Annual div

$3.51

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$27.8K

Annual income

$275.46

Full VYM calculator →

Portfolio growth — IRE vs VYM

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

IRE 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.

IRE

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

$1,377.63/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$3,733.44/yr

VYM

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

$203.23/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$234.14/yr

At 15% tax rate, IRE beats the other by $3,499.30/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 IRE + VYM for your $10,000?

IRE: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% IRE

Portfolio after 10yr

$42.8K

Annual income

$2,333.87/yr

Blended yield

5.46%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

IRE 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 →

MetricIREVYM

Forward yield	16.21% ✓	2.39%
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	$57.7K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$4,392.28 ✓	$275.46
Total dividends collected	$29.2K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	IRE Portfolio	IRE Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$12,321	$1,620.75	$11,149	$239.09	+$1.2K → IRE
2	$15,049	$1,866.24	$12,408	$244.33	+$2.6K → IRE
3	$18,233	$2,130.43	$13,786	$249.24	+$4.4K → IRE
4	$21,922	$2,412.29	$15,295	$253.83	+$6.6K → IRE
5	$26,167	$2,710.56	$16,945	$258.11	+$9.2K → IRE
6	$31,023	$3,023.78	$18,749	$262.10	+$12.3K → IRE
7	$36,544	$3,350.34	$20,721	$265.82	+$15.8K → IRE
8	$42,791	$3,688.50	$22,876	$269.27	+$19.9K → IRE
9	$49,823	$4,036.43	$25,230	$272.48	+$24.6K → IRE
10	$57,703	$4,392.28	$27,801	$275.46	+$29.9K → IRE

IRE vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

IRE — Stock

The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of two times (200%) the daily percentage change in the share price of IREN Limited (NASDAQ: IREN). The Fund does not seek to achieve its stated investment objective for any period other than a single trading day.

Full IRE 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.