Is VAW or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

VAW currently yields 1.41% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: VYM offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between VAW and VYM?

VAW has a forward dividend yield of 1.41% ($3.19/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 1.00 percentage points.

Home › Compare › VAW vs VYM

VAW vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

VAW yields 1.41% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VYM wins by $6.1K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

VAW

● Live price

1.41%

Share price

$225.34

Annual div

$3.19

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$21.7K

Annual income

$155.00

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

Jan

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Feb

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Mar

—

Apr

—

May

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Jun

—

Jul

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Aug

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Sep

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Oct

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Nov

—

Dec

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VAW pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

VAW

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

$120.21/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$131.75/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, VYM beats the other by $105.02/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 VAW + VYM for your $10,000?

VAW: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% VAW

Portfolio after 10yr

$24.8K

Annual income

$216.77/yr

Blended yield

0.87%

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

VAW buys

VYM buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Markwayne Mullin	🏛 Senate	$VAW	▼ Sell	$100,001 - $250,000	2025-02-13
Markwayne Mullin	🏛 Senate	$VAW	▼ Sell	$100,001 - $250,000	2025-02-13
Carol Devine Miller	🏢 House	$VYM	▲ Buy	$15,001 - $50,000	2022-11-02
Katherine M. Clark	🏢 House	$VAW	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2020-11-05

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

MetricVAWVYM

Forward yield	1.41%	2.41% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$3.19	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$21.7K	$27.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$155.00	$278.55 ✓
Total dividends collected	$1.5K	$2.6K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	VAW Portfolio	VAW Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,841	$141.42	$11,151	$241.44	$310.00 → VYM
2	$11,744	$143.29	$12,413	$246.79	$669.00 → VYM
3	$12,711	$145.06	$13,794	$251.79	$1.1K → VYM
4	$13,747	$146.74	$15,306	$256.47	$1.6K → VYM
5	$14,858	$148.32	$16,960	$260.84	$2.1K → VYM
6	$16,048	$149.81	$18,768	$264.92	$2.7K → VYM
7	$17,322	$151.23	$20,745	$268.71	$3.4K → VYM
8	$18,687	$152.56	$22,905	$272.24	$4.2K → VYM
9	$20,149	$153.81	$25,265	$275.51	$5.1K → VYM
10	$21,715	$155.00	$27,842	$278.55	$6.1K → VYM

VAW vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

VAW — Stock

Seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of stocks in the materials sector.Passively managed, using a full-replication strategy when possible and a sampling strategy if regulatory constraints dictate.Includes stocks of companies that extract or process raw materials.

Full VAW 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.