Is LGHT or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

LGHT currently yields 23.50% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: LGHT offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between LGHT and VYM?

LGHT has a forward dividend yield of 23.50% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 21.09 percentage points.

Home › Compare › LGHT vs VYM

LGHT vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

LGHT yields 23.50% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 LGHT wins by $62.5K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

LGHT

● Live price

23.50%

Share price

$8.51

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$90.3K

Annual income

$9,637.57

Full LGHT 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 — LGHT vs VYM

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

LGHT pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

LGHT

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

$1,997.65/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$8,191.93/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, LGHT beats the other by $7,955.17/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

LGHT: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% LGHT

Portfolio after 10yr

$59.1K

Annual income

$4,958.05/yr

Blended yield

8.39%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

LGHT 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 →

MetricLGHTVYM

Forward yield	23.50% ✓	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	$90.3K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$9,637.57 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$55.6K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	LGHT Portfolio	LGHT Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$13,050	$2,350.18	$11,151	$241.44	+$1.9K → LGHT
2	$16,830	$2,866.38	$12,413	$246.79	+$4.4K → LGHT
3	$21,463	$3,454.77	$13,794	$251.79	+$7.7K → LGHT
4	$27,083	$4,117.54	$15,306	$256.47	+$11.8K → LGHT
5	$33,834	$4,855.79	$16,960	$260.84	+$16.9K → LGHT
6	$41,872	$5,669.45	$18,768	$264.92	+$23.1K → LGHT
7	$51,361	$6,557.30	$20,745	$268.71	+$30.6K → LGHT
8	$62,473	$7,517.01	$22,905	$272.24	+$39.6K → LGHT
9	$75,391	$8,545.20	$25,265	$275.51	+$50.1K → LGHT
10	$90,306	$9,637.57	$27,842	$278.55	+$62.5K → LGHT

LGHT vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

LGHT — Stock

Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of the fund’s net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. and foreign exchange-listed equity securities of healthcare technology companies and American Depository Receipts (“ADRs”) on those securities. These securities may be of any market capitalization. The fund is non-diversified.

Full LGHT 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 LGHT vs VYM comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

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