Is VLI or RYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

VLI currently yields 408.16% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. RYLD yields 12.14% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: VLI offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between VLI and RYLD?

VLI has a forward dividend yield of 408.16% ($2.00/share annually). RYLD yields 12.14% ($1.81/share annually). The yield gap is 396.02 percentage points.

Home › Compare › VLI vs RYLD

VLI vs RYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

VLI yields 408.16% · RYLD yields 12.14%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VLI wins by $13266.31M in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

VLI

● Live price

408.16%

Share price

$0.49

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$13266.35M

Annual income

$8,951,942,333.18

Full VLI calculator →

RYLD

● Live price

12.14%

Share price

$14.95

Annual div

$1.81

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$44.5K

Annual income

$2,587.35

Full RYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — VLI vs RYLD

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

VLI 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.

VLI

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

$34,693.88/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$7,609,150,983.20/yr

RYLD

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

$1,031.60/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,199.25/yr

At 15% tax rate, VLI beats the other by $7,609,148,783.96/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 VLI + RYLD for your $10,000?

VLI: 50%RYLD: 50%

100% RYLD50/50100% VLI

Portfolio after 10yr

$6633.20M

Annual income

$4,475,972,460.26/yr

Blended yield

67.48%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

VLI buys

RYLD buys

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

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

MetricVLIRYLD

Forward yield	408.16% ✓	12.14%
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	$13266.35M ✓	$44.5K
Annual income after 10y	$8,951,942,333.18 ✓	$2,587.35
Total dividends collected	$12871.54M ✓	$18.8K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	VLI Portfolio	VLI Income/yr	RYLD Portfolio	RYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$51,516	$40,816.33	$11,914	$1,213.65	+$39.6K → VLI
2	$251,637	$196,514.69	$14,099	$1,351.30	+$237.5K → VLI
3	$1,166,352	$897,100.58	$16,580	$1,494.55	+$1.15M → VLI
4	$5,134,082	$3,886,085.48	$19,384	$1,642.61	+$5.11M → VLI
5	$21,480,272	$15,986,803.86	$22,535	$1,794.70	+$21.46M → VLI
6	$85,494,655	$62,510,763.88	$26,063	$1,950.00	+$85.47M → VLI
7	$324,004,581	$232,525,300.29	$29,995	$2,107.69	+$323.97M → VLI
8	$1,170,251,307	$823,566,405.33	$34,361	$2,266.99	+$1170.22M → VLI
9	$4,032,156,309	$2,779,987,409.90	$39,194	$2,427.12	+$4032.12M → VLI
10	$13,266,349,583	$8,951,942,333.18	$44,525	$2,587.35	+$13266.31M → VLI

VLI vs RYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

VLI — Stock

NuStar Energy L.P. was a publicly traded master limited partnership (MLP) engaged in the terminalling and storage of petroleum products, transportation of petroleum products and anhydrous ammonia, and marketing of petroleum products. The company operated through three segments: storage, pipeline, and fuels marketing. NuStar’s assets included refined product terminals, crude oil storage tanks, and pipeline networks. On May 3, 2024, Sunoco completed its acquisition of NuStar Energy L.P., and NuStar shares were delisted.

Full VLI 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.