Is UST or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

UST currently yields 3.42% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: UST offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between UST and VYM?

UST has a forward dividend yield of 3.42% ($1.47/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 1.01 percentage points.

Home › Compare › UST vs VYM

UST vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

UST yields 3.42% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VYM wins by $2.9K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

UST

● Live price

3.42%

Share price

$43.09

Annual div

$1.47

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$24.9K

Annual income

$425.63

Full UST 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 — UST 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	UST	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, UST + VYM cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

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Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

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Sep

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Oct

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Nov

—

Dec

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UST pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

UST

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

$290.40/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$361.79/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, UST beats the other by $125.02/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 UST + VYM for your $10,000?

UST: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% UST

Portfolio after 10yr

$26.4K

Annual income

$352.08/yr

Blended yield

1.33%

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

UST 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 →

MetricUSTVYM

Forward yield	3.42% ✓	2.41%
Annual dividend / share	$1.47	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$24.9K	$27.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$425.63 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$3.9K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	UST Portfolio	UST Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,042	$341.64	$11,151	$241.44	$109.00 → VYM
2	$12,167	$352.55	$12,413	$246.79	$246.00 → VYM
3	$13,382	$363.07	$13,794	$251.79	$412.00 → VYM
4	$14,692	$373.20	$15,306	$256.47	$614.00 → VYM
5	$16,103	$382.92	$16,960	$260.84	$857.00 → VYM
6	$17,623	$392.25	$18,768	$264.92	$1.1K → VYM
7	$19,257	$401.18	$20,745	$268.71	$1.5K → VYM
8	$21,015	$409.72	$22,905	$272.24	$1.9K → VYM
9	$22,904	$417.86	$25,265	$275.51	$2.4K → VYM
10	$24,933	$425.63	$27,842	$278.55	$2.9K → VYM

UST vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

UST — Stock

ProShares Ultra 7-10 Year Treasury seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to two times (2x) the daily performance of the ICE U.S. Treasury 7-10 Year Bond Index.

Full UST 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.