Is SMDV or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

SMDV currently yields 2.54% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: SMDV offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between SMDV and VYM?

SMDV has a forward dividend yield of 2.54% ($1.73/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 0.13 percentage points.

Home › Compare › SMDV vs VYM

SMDV vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

SMDV yields 2.54% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VYM wins by $4.4K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

SMDV

● Live price

2.54%

Share price

$68.11

Annual div

$1.73

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$23.5K

Annual income

$299.19

Full SMDV 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 — SMDV vs VYM

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

SMDV pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

SMDV

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

$215.86/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$254.31/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, SMDV beats the other by $17.54/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

SMDV: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% SMDV

Portfolio after 10yr

$25.7K

Annual income

$288.86/yr

Blended yield

1.13%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

SMDV 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 →

MetricSMDVVYM

Forward yield	2.54% ✓	2.41%
Annual dividend / share	$1.73	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$23.5K	$27.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$299.19 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$2.8K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	SMDV Portfolio	SMDV Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,954	$253.96	$11,151	$241.44	$197.00 → VYM
2	$11,981	$259.98	$12,413	$246.79	$432.00 → VYM
3	$13,085	$265.75	$13,794	$251.79	$709.00 → VYM
4	$14,272	$271.26	$15,306	$256.47	$1.0K → VYM
5	$15,548	$276.51	$16,960	$260.84	$1.4K → VYM
6	$16,918	$281.52	$18,768	$264.92	$1.9K → VYM
7	$18,388	$286.28	$20,745	$268.71	$2.4K → VYM
8	$19,966	$290.81	$22,905	$272.24	$2.9K → VYM
9	$21,659	$295.11	$25,265	$275.51	$3.6K → VYM
10	$23,474	$299.19	$27,842	$278.55	$4.4K → VYM

SMDV vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

SMDV — Stock

Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in component securities of the index. The index contains a minimum of 40 stocks, which are equally weighted, and no single sector is allowed to comprise more than 30% of the index weight.

Full SMDV 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 SMDV vs VYM comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

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