Is SSY or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

SSY currently yields 8.97% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.37% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: SSY offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between SSY and VYM?

SSY has a forward dividend yield of 8.97% ($0.10/share annually). VYM yields 2.37% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 6.60 percentage points.

Home › Compare › SSY vs VYM

SSY vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

SSY yields 8.97% · VYM yields 2.37%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 SSY wins by $8.4K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

SSY

● Live price

8.97%

Share price

$1.12

Annual div

$0.10

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$36.2K

Annual income

$1,578.98

Full SSY calculator →

VYM

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF

● Live price

2.37%

Share price

$148.10

Annual div

$3.51

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$27.8K

Annual income

$272.94

Full VYM calculator →

Portfolio growth — SSY vs VYM

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

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

SSY pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

SSY

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

$762.33/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,342.13/yr

VYM

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

$201.60/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$232.00/yr

At 15% tax rate, SSY beats the other by $1,110.13/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 SSY + VYM for your $10,000?

SSY: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% SSY

Portfolio after 10yr

$32.0K

Annual income

$925.96/yr

Blended yield

2.89%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

SSY buys

VYM buys

No recent congressional trades found for SSY or VYM in the last 90 days.

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

MetricSSYVYM

Forward yield	8.97% ✓	2.37%
Annual dividend / share	$0.10	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$36.2K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$1,578.98 ✓	$272.94
Total dividends collected	$12.4K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	SSY Portfolio	SSY Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,597	$896.86	$11,147	$237.17	+$450.00 → SSY
2	$13,381	$972.03	$12,404	$242.33	+$977.00 → SSY
3	$15,366	$1,048.18	$13,780	$247.16	+$1.6K → SSY
4	$17,566	$1,124.92	$15,285	$251.67	+$2.3K → SSY
5	$19,998	$1,201.89	$16,932	$255.88	+$3.1K → SSY
6	$22,676	$1,278.74	$18,733	$259.81	+$3.9K → SSY
7	$25,619	$1,355.16	$20,701	$263.46	+$4.9K → SSY
8	$28,843	$1,430.85	$22,852	$266.86	+$6.0K → SSY
9	$32,367	$1,505.54	$25,201	$270.01	+$7.2K → SSY
10	$36,212	$1,578.98	$27,768	$272.94	+$8.4K → SSY

SSY vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

SSY — Stock

SunLink Health Systems, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides healthcare products and services in the southeastern United States. It operates through two segments, Healthcare Services and Pharmacy. The Healthcare Services segment owns and operates an 84-bed community hospital, which includes an 18-bed geriatric psychiatry unit; and a 66-bed extended care and rehabilitation center. This segment also provides information technology services; and owns unimproved lands. The Pharmacy segment offers institutional and non-institutional pharmacy services; and durable medical equipment products and services, including the sale and rental of products for institutional clients or to patients in institutional settings and patient-administered home care, as well as retails pharmacy products and services. SunLink Health Systems, Inc. was incorporated in 1959 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Full SSY 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.