Is ISUL or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

ISUL currently yields 8.63% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: ISUL offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between ISUL and VYM?

ISUL has a forward dividend yield of 8.63% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 6.22 percentage points.

Home › Compare › ISUL vs VYM

ISUL vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

ISUL yields 8.63% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 ISUL wins by $7.6K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

ISUL

● Live price

8.63%

Share price

$23.19

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$35.4K

Annual income

$1,486.97

Full ISUL 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 — ISUL vs VYM

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

ISUL pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

ISUL

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

$733.14/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,263.92/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, ISUL beats the other by $1,027.16/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 ISUL + VYM for your $10,000?

ISUL: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% ISUL

Portfolio after 10yr

$31.6K

Annual income

$882.76/yr

Blended yield

2.79%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

ISUL 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 →

MetricISULVYM

Forward yield	8.63% ✓	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	$35.4K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$1,486.97 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$11.8K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	ISUL Portfolio	ISUL Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,563	$862.52	$11,151	$241.44	+$412.00 → ISUL
2	$13,304	$932.05	$12,413	$246.79	+$891.00 → ISUL
3	$15,237	$1,002.27	$13,794	$251.79	+$1.4K → ISUL
4	$17,377	$1,072.83	$15,306	$256.47	+$2.1K → ISUL
5	$19,737	$1,143.43	$16,960	$260.84	+$2.8K → ISUL
6	$22,332	$1,213.75	$18,768	$264.92	+$3.6K → ISUL
7	$25,179	$1,283.50	$20,745	$268.71	+$4.4K → ISUL
8	$28,294	$1,352.45	$22,905	$272.24	+$5.4K → ISUL
9	$31,695	$1,420.34	$25,265	$275.51	+$6.4K → ISUL
10	$35,400	$1,486.97	$27,842	$278.55	+$7.6K → ISUL

ISUL vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

ISUL — Stock

The Fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 2 times (200%) the daily percentage change of the common stock of Intuitive Surgical, Inc, (NASDAQ: ISRG) There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its stated objective. The fund should not be expected to provide 2 times the cumulative return of ISRG for periods greater than a day.

Full ISUL 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.