Is VDI or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

VDI currently yields 0.68% 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 VDI and VYM?

VDI has a forward dividend yield of 0.68% ($0.22/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 1.73 percentage points.

Home › Compare › VDI vs VYM

VDI vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

VDI yields 0.68% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VYM wins by $7.2K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

VDI

● Live price

0.68%

Share price

$32.41

Annual div

$0.22

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$20.6K

Annual income

$71.15

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

VDI pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

VDI

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

$57.86/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$60.48/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 $176.29/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 VDI + VYM for your $10,000?

VDI: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% VDI

Portfolio after 10yr

$24.2K

Annual income

$174.85/yr

Blended yield

0.72%

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

VDI 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 →

MetricVDIVYM

Forward yield	0.68%	2.41% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.22	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$20.6K	$27.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$71.15	$278.55 ✓
Total dividends collected	$697.00 ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	VDI Portfolio	VDI Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,768	$68.07	$11,151	$241.44	$383.00 → VYM
2	$11,590	$68.51	$12,413	$246.79	$823.00 → VYM
3	$12,471	$68.92	$13,794	$251.79	$1.3K → VYM
4	$13,413	$69.30	$15,306	$256.47	$1.9K → VYM
5	$14,421	$69.66	$16,960	$260.84	$2.5K → VYM
6	$15,501	$70.00	$18,768	$264.92	$3.3K → VYM
7	$16,656	$70.31	$20,745	$268.71	$4.1K → VYM
8	$17,893	$70.61	$22,905	$272.24	$5.0K → VYM
9	$19,216	$70.89	$25,265	$275.51	$6.0K → VYM
10	$20,632	$71.15	$27,842	$278.55	$7.2K → VYM

VDI vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

VDI — Stock

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation and income through a systematic, bottom-up approach to international dividend-paying equities, focusing on identifying undervalued investment opportunities while striving to mitigate downside risk.

Full VDI 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.