Is VGSTX or QYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

VGSTX currently yields 9.33% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. QYLD yields 11.92% with -2.1% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: QYLD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between VGSTX and QYLD?

VGSTX has a forward dividend yield of 9.33% ($2.66/share annually). QYLD yields 11.92% ($2.04/share annually). The yield gap is 2.59 percentage points.

Home › Compare › VGSTX vs QYLD

VGSTX vs QYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

VGSTX yields 9.33% · QYLD yields 11.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VGSTX wins by $11.7K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

VGSTX

● Live price

9.33%

Share price

$28.52

Annual div

$2.66

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$37.1K

Annual income

$1,679.94

Full VGSTX calculator →

QYLD

Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF

● Live price

11.92%

Share price

$17.15

Annual div

$2.04

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.4K

Annual income

$5,659.31

Full QYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — VGSTX vs QYLD

📍 VGSTX pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

🛡️

Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	VGSTX	QYLD
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%.

📅

Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, VGSTX + QYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

VGSTX pays

QYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

VGSTX

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

$793.27/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,427.95/yr

QYLD

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

$1,013.51/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$4,810.41/yr

At 15% tax rate, QYLD beats the other by $3,382.46/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of VGSTX + QYLD for your $10,000?

VGSTX: 50%QYLD: 50%

100% QYLD50/50100% VGSTX

Portfolio after 10yr

$31.2K

Annual income

$3,669.63/yr

Blended yield

11.75%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

VGSTX buys

QYLD buys

No recent congressional trades found for VGSTX or QYLD in the last 90 days.

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

MetricVGSTXQYLD

Forward yield	9.33%	11.92% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$2.66 ✓	$2.04
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$37.1K ✓	$25.4K
Annual income after 10y	$1,679.94	$5,659.31 ✓
Total dividends collected	$13.1K	$27.1K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: VGSTX vs QYLD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	VGSTX Portfolio	VGSTX Income/yr	QYLD Portfolio	QYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,633	$933.26	$10,352	$1,192.36	+$1.3K → VGSTX
2	$13,462	$1,014.66	$10,830	$1,347.57	+$2.6K → VGSTX
3	$15,502	$1,097.37	$11,460	$1,539.07	+$4.0K → VGSTX
4	$17,768	$1,180.96	$12,275	$1,777.84	+$5.5K → VGSTX
5	$20,277	$1,265.05	$13,323	$2,078.95	+$7.0K → VGSTX
6	$23,045	$1,349.22	$14,667	$2,463.34	+$8.4K → VGSTX
7	$26,092	$1,433.13	$16,396	$2,960.57	+$9.7K → VGSTX
8	$29,435	$1,516.42	$18,631	$3,612.97	+$10.8K → VGSTX
9	$33,094	$1,598.78	$21,548	$4,482.15	+$11.5K → VGSTX
10	$37,090	$1,679.94	$25,398	$5,659.31	+$11.7K → VGSTX

VGSTX vs QYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

VGSTX — Stock

This balanced fund is approximately invested 60% in stocks and 40% in bonds. It offers investors exposure to domestic and international stocks and bonds through investment in underlying actively managed Vanguard funds, each with its own distinct investment approach. It may be considered a “one fund option” for investors looking for broad diversification across asset classes who can tolerate moderate market risk that comes from the volatility of the stock and bond markets.

Full VGSTX Calculator →

QYLD — ETF

The Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF (QYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe Nasdaq-100 BuyWrite V2 Index.

Full QYLD Calculator →

📬

Get this VGSTX vs QYLD comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

VGSTX vs SCHD VGSTX vs JEPI VGSTX vs O VGSTX vs KO VGSTX vs MAIN VGSTX vs XYLD VGSTX vs JEPQ VGSTX vs RYLD

⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.