Is VBLTX or RYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

VBLTX currently yields 13.31% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. RYLD yields 12.39% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: VBLTX offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between VBLTX and RYLD?

VBLTX has a forward dividend yield of 13.31% ($2.00/share annually). RYLD yields 12.39% ($1.81/share annually). The yield gap is 0.92 percentage points.

Home › Compare › VBLTX vs RYLD

VBLTX vs RYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

VBLTX yields 13.31% · RYLD yields 12.39%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VBLTX wins by $2.7K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

VBLTX

● Live price

13.31%

Share price

$15.03

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$48.0K

Annual income

$3,041.47

Full VBLTX calculator →

RYLD

● Live price

12.39%

Share price

$14.64

Annual div

$1.81

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$45.3K

Annual income

$2,682.98

Full RYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — VBLTX vs RYLD

📍 VBLTX 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	VBLTX	RYLD
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, VBLTX + RYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

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Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

VBLTX pays

RYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

VBLTX

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

$1,131.07/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,585.25/yr

RYLD

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

$1,053.44/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,280.53/yr

At 15% tax rate, VBLTX beats the other by $304.72/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 VBLTX + RYLD for your $10,000?

VBLTX: 50%RYLD: 50%

100% RYLD50/50100% VBLTX

Portfolio after 10yr

$46.6K

Annual income

$2,862.23/yr

Blended yield

6.14%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

VBLTX buys

RYLD buys

No recent congressional trades found for VBLTX or RYLD in the last 90 days.

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

MetricVBLTXRYLD

Forward yield	13.31% ✓	12.39%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00 ✓	$1.81
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$48.0K ✓	$45.3K
Annual income after 10y	$3,041.47 ✓	$2,682.98
Total dividends collected	$21.6K ✓	$19.4K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: VBLTX vs RYLD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	VBLTX Portfolio	VBLTX Income/yr	RYLD Portfolio	RYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$12,031	$1,330.67	$11,939	$1,239.34	+$92.00 → VBLTX
2	$14,369	$1,496.16	$14,158	$1,382.89	+$211.00 → VBLTX
3	$17,045	$1,670.05	$16,682	$1,532.59	+$363.00 → VBLTX
4	$20,089	$1,851.45	$19,537	$1,687.64	+$552.00 → VBLTX
5	$23,535	$2,039.41	$22,752	$1,847.20	+$783.00 → VBLTX
6	$27,415	$2,232.90	$26,355	$2,010.43	+$1.1K → VBLTX
7	$31,765	$2,430.88	$30,376	$2,176.45	+$1.4K → VBLTX
8	$36,621	$2,632.32	$34,847	$2,344.43	+$1.8K → VBLTX
9	$42,021	$2,836.19	$39,800	$2,513.54	+$2.2K → VBLTX
10	$48,004	$3,041.47	$45,269	$2,682.98	+$2.7K → VBLTX

VBLTX vs RYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

VBLTX — Stock

The investment seeks to track the performance of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index. Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Long Government/Credit Float Adjusted Index includes all medium and larger issues of U.S. government, investment-grade corporate, and investment-grade international dollar-denominated bonds that have maturities of greater than 10 years and are publicly issued. All of its investments will be selected through the sampling process, and at least 80% of the fund's assets will be invested in bonds held in the index.

Full VBLTX Calculator →

RYLD — ETF

The Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF (RYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe Russell 2000 BuyWrite Index.

Full RYLD 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.