Is LOCK or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

LOCK currently yields 8.34% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: LOCK offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between LOCK and VYM?

LOCK has a forward dividend yield of 8.34% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 5.93 percentage points.

Home › Compare › LOCK vs VYM

LOCK vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

LOCK yields 8.34% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 LOCK wins by $6.9K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

LOCK

● Live price

8.34%

Share price

$23.99

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$34.7K

Annual income

$1,412.07

Full LOCK 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 — LOCK vs VYM

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

LOCK pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

LOCK

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

$708.63/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,200.26/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, LOCK beats the other by $963.49/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

LOCK: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% LOCK

Portfolio after 10yr

$31.3K

Annual income

$845.31/yr

Blended yield

2.70%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

LOCK buys

VYM buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Thom Tillis	🏛 Senate	$LOCK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2015-02-13

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricLOCKVYM

Forward yield	8.34% ✓	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	$34.7K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$1,412.07 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$11.3K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	LOCK Portfolio	LOCK Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,534	$833.68	$11,151	$241.44	+$383.00 → LOCK
2	$13,240	$898.64	$12,413	$246.79	+$827.00 → LOCK
3	$15,131	$964.07	$13,794	$251.79	+$1.3K → LOCK
4	$17,219	$1,029.68	$15,306	$256.47	+$1.9K → LOCK
5	$19,520	$1,095.17	$16,960	$260.84	+$2.6K → LOCK
6	$22,047	$1,160.27	$18,768	$264.92	+$3.3K → LOCK
7	$24,814	$1,224.72	$20,745	$268.71	+$4.1K → LOCK
8	$27,840	$1,288.31	$22,905	$272.24	+$4.9K → LOCK
9	$31,139	$1,350.82	$25,265	$275.51	+$5.9K → LOCK
10	$34,731	$1,412.07	$27,842	$278.55	+$6.9K → LOCK

LOCK vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

LOCK — Stock

LOCK is a dividend-paying stock. Use this calculator to estimate your future dividend income, DRIP compounding returns, and passive income potential from investing in LOCK shares.

Full LOCK 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.