Is SHY or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

SHY currently yields 3.76% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: SHY offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between SHY and VYM?

SHY has a forward dividend yield of 3.76% ($3.10/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 1.35 percentage points.

Home › Compare › SHY vs VYM

SHY vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

SHY yields 3.76% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VYM wins by $2.3K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

SHY

● Live price

3.76%

Share price

$82.50

Annual div

$3.10

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.5K

Annual income

$478.12

Full SHY 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 — SHY vs VYM

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

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

SHY 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.

SHY

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

$319.26/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$406.40/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, SHY beats the other by $169.63/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 SHY + VYM for your $10,000?

SHY: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% SHY

Portfolio after 10yr

$26.7K

Annual income

$378.33/yr

Blended yield

1.42%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

SHY buys

VYM buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
John Boozman	🏛 Senate	$SHY	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2026-02-06
John Boozman	🏛 Senate	$SHY	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-09-16
John Boozman	🏛 Senate	$SHY	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-09-16
John Boozman	🏛 Senate	$SHY	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-08-01
John Boozman	🏛 Senate	$SHY	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-08-01
John Boozman	🏛 Senate	$SHY	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-04-09
John Boozman	🏛 Senate	$SHY	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-04-09
Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann	🏢 House	$SHY	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2024-10-22
John Boozman	🏛 Senate	$SHY	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2024-09-06
John Boozman	🏛 Senate	$SHY	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2024-09-06

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

MetricSHYVYM

Forward yield	3.76% ✓	2.41%
Annual dividend / share	$3.10	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$25.5K	$27.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$478.12 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$4.3K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	ETF	ETF

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

Year	SHY Portfolio	SHY Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,076	$375.60	$11,151	$241.44	$75.00 → VYM
2	$12,240	$388.78	$12,413	$246.79	$173.00 → VYM
3	$13,498	$401.54	$13,794	$251.79	$296.00 → VYM
4	$14,857	$413.85	$15,306	$256.47	$449.00 → VYM
5	$16,322	$425.71	$16,960	$260.84	$638.00 → VYM
6	$17,902	$437.11	$18,768	$264.92	$866.00 → VYM
7	$19,603	$448.05	$20,745	$268.71	$1.1K → VYM
8	$21,434	$458.53	$22,905	$272.24	$1.5K → VYM
9	$23,403	$468.55	$25,265	$275.51	$1.9K → VYM
10	$25,519	$478.12	$27,842	$278.55	$2.3K → VYM

SHY vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

SHY — ETF

The iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. Treasury bonds with remaining maturities between one and three years.

Full SHY 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.