Is VLIFX or RYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

VLIFX currently yields 2.30% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. RYLD yields 12.14% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: RYLD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between VLIFX and RYLD?

VLIFX has a forward dividend yield of 2.30% ($0.73/share annually). RYLD yields 12.14% ($1.81/share annually). The yield gap is 9.84 percentage points.

Home › Compare › VLIFX vs RYLD

VLIFX vs RYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

VLIFX yields 2.30% · RYLD yields 12.14%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 RYLD wins by $21.4K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

VLIFX

● Live price

2.30%

Share price

$31.87

Annual div

$0.73

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$23.1K

Annual income

$266.21

Full VLIFX 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 — VLIFX vs RYLD

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

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

VLIFX 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.

VLIFX

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

$195.10/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$226.28/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, RYLD beats the other by $1,972.97/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 VLIFX + RYLD for your $10,000?

VLIFX: 50%RYLD: 50%

100% RYLD50/50100% VLIFX

Portfolio after 10yr

$33.8K

Annual income

$1,426.78/yr

Blended yield

4.22%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

VLIFX buys

RYLD buys

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

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

MetricVLIFXRYLD

Forward yield	2.30%	12.14% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.73	$1.81 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$23.1K	$44.5K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$266.21	$2,587.35 ✓
Total dividends collected	$2.5K	$18.8K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	VLIFX Portfolio	VLIFX Income/yr	RYLD Portfolio	RYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,930	$229.53	$11,914	$1,213.65	$984.00 → RYLD
2	$11,929	$234.45	$14,099	$1,351.30	$2.2K → RYLD
3	$13,003	$239.15	$16,580	$1,494.55	$3.6K → RYLD
4	$14,157	$243.63	$19,384	$1,642.61	$5.2K → RYLD
5	$15,396	$247.90	$22,535	$1,794.70	$7.1K → RYLD
6	$16,726	$251.95	$26,063	$1,950.00	$9.3K → RYLD
7	$18,152	$255.81	$29,995	$2,107.69	$11.8K → RYLD
8	$19,682	$259.46	$34,361	$2,266.99	$14.7K → RYLD
9	$21,323	$262.93	$39,194	$2,427.12	$17.9K → RYLD
10	$23,082	$266.21	$44,525	$2,587.35	$21.4K → RYLD

VLIFX vs RYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

VLIFX — Stock

The fund invests substantially all of the fund's net assets in common stocks. Under normal circumstances, the Adviser invests at least 80% of the fund's assets in common stocks and other equity securities of mid-sized companies (the "80% Policy"). During the investment selection process, the Adviser performs fundamental and quantitative analysis on each company and utilizes the rankings of companies by the Value Line Timeliness™ Ranking System (the "Ranking System") to assist in selecting securities for purchase.

Full VLIFX 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.