Is WAVD or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

WAVD currently yields 63.09% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.41% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: WAVD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between WAVD and VYM?

WAVD has a forward dividend yield of 63.09% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.41% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 60.68 percentage points.

Home › Compare › WAVD vs VYM

WAVD vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

WAVD yields 63.09% · VYM yields 2.41%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 WAVD wins by $729.4K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

WAVD

● Live price

63.09%

Share price

$3.17

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$757.3K

Annual income

$183,899.77

Full WAVD 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 — WAVD vs VYM

📍 WAVD 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	WAVD	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, WAVD + VYM cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

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Mar

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Apr

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May

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Sep

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Oct

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Nov

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Dec

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WAVD pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

WAVD

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

$5,362.78/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$156,314.80/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, WAVD beats the other by $156,078.04/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 WAVD + VYM for your $10,000?

WAVD: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% WAVD

Portfolio after 10yr

$392.6K

Annual income

$92,089.15/yr

Blended yield

23.46%

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

WAVD 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 →

MetricWAVDVYM

Forward yield	63.09% ✓	2.41%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$757.3K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$183,899.77 ✓	$278.55
Total dividends collected	$633.8K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	WAVD Portfolio	WAVD Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$17,009	$6,309.15	$11,151	$241.44	+$5.9K → WAVD
2	$28,229	$10,029.27	$12,413	$246.79	+$15.8K → WAVD
3	$45,761	$15,556.06	$13,794	$251.79	+$32.0K → WAVD
4	$72,532	$23,567.66	$15,306	$256.47	+$57.2K → WAVD
5	$112,521	$34,911.29	$16,960	$260.84	+$95.6K → WAVD
6	$171,013	$50,615.56	$18,768	$264.92	+$152.2K → WAVD
7	$254,878	$71,894.60	$20,745	$268.71	+$234.1K → WAVD
8	$372,862	$100,142.13	$22,905	$272.24	+$350.0K → WAVD
9	$535,876	$136,914.14	$25,265	$275.51	+$510.6K → WAVD
10	$757,287	$183,899.77	$27,842	$278.55	+$729.4K → WAVD

WAVD vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

WAVD — Stock

WaveDancer, Inc. engages in development and maintenance of information technology systems, modernizing client information systems, and offers other IT-related professional services to government and commercial organizations in the United States. It also offers secure supply chain management software solution; and software development, system modernizations, cloud-based solutions, and cybersecurity services. The company was formerly known as Information Analysis Incorporated and changed its name to WaveDancer, Inc. in December 2021. WaveDancer, Inc. was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.

Full WAVD 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.