# VYM ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What VYM holds, its 0.04% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Vanguard. This fund owns shares of about 590 US companies that pay higher dividends than average. It charges 0.04% a year. From November 2006 to October 2026 it returned about 9.3% a year, and its worst drop was −57.0%.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.04% a year (about $4 on $10,000).
- Started trading on November 10, 2006.
- Worst drop since 2006: −57.0%.
- No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## What does VYM hold?

This fund owns shares of about 590 US companies that pay higher dividends than average. Dividends are cash payments that companies share with their owners. The fund does not hold REITs and pays out dividends four times a year.

It tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. It had 593 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Vanguard.

| Fact | VYM |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF |
| Issuer | Vanguard |
| Expense ratio | 0.04% a year |
| Started trading | November 10, 2006 |
| Tracks | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Type | US stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 593 holdings as of September 30, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 16, 2026 on the [Vanguard fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vym) |

## What is the VYM expense ratio?

VYM charges 0.04% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.04% fee comes to about $4 a year.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

## How has VYM done since 2006?

From November 2006 to October 2026, VYM returned about 9.3% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $58,224 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Measure | VYM |
| --- | --- |
| Total return | 482.2% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 9.3% |
| Worst drop from a high | −57.0% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 18.0% |
| Last 12 months | 17.7% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 18.9% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 11.5% |
| Last 10 years, per year | 11.8% |

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

## VYM returns by year

| Year | VYM return |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (part of the year) | 13.6% |
| 2025 | 15.4% |
| 2024 | 17.6% |
| 2023 | 6.6% |
| 2022 | −0.4% |
| 2021 | 26.2% |
| 2020 | 1.1% |
| 2019 | 24.1% |
| 2018 | −5.9% |
| 2017 | 16.4% |
| 2016 | 17.0% |
| 2015 | 0.3% |
| 2014 | 13.5% |
| 2013 | 30.1% |
| 2012 | 12.7% |
| 2011 | 10.5% |
| 2010 | 14.2% |
| 2009 | 17.2% |
| 2008 | −31.9% |
| 2007 | 1.4% |
| 2006 (part of the year) | 2.8% |

## What was VYM's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VYM's worst fall was −57.0%, from October 9, 2007 to March 5, 2009. It got back to that high on March 13, 2012.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## Which Tactfolio strategies hold VYM?

No classic strategy holds VYM yet. You can add it to your own rules in the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and see how they would have done.

## How does VYM compare with similar ETFs?

Side-by-side pages measure both funds over the same dates:

- [SCHD vs VYM](https://tactfolio.com/etf-comparisons/schd-vs-vym.md): two dividend stock funds that pick companies in different ways.

Funds that can stand in for VYM:

- [SCHD](https://tactfolio.com/etf/schd.md): Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF, 0.06% a year
- [SPYD](https://tactfolio.com/etf/spyd.md): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF, 0.07% a year
- [HDV](https://tactfolio.com/etf/hdv.md): iShares Core High Dividend ETF, 0.08% a year
- [SPHD](https://tactfolio.com/etf/sphd.md): Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF, 0.3% a year

See [all 8 VYM alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/vym.md), compared on the same dates as VYM.

## Test VYM in your own rules

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add VYM, and see how a rule such as "hold it only above its 200-day average" would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

## The details

Prices come from Tactfolio's stored daily prices for VYM. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns.

Fund facts come from Vanguard. We checked them on October 16, 2026. Read [what a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) and [how to read drawdown and CAGR](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/reading-a-backtest.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [Dividend calculator](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/dividend-calculator): See the income your shares could pay over the years, with or without reinvesting (DRIP), with the formula and an example.
- [S&P 500 index](https://tactfolio.com/learn/sp500-index): The S&P 500 tracks about 500 large US companies. Learn how stocks get in, how the index is weighted, how to invest in it, and how far it has fallen before.
- [What is an ETF](https://tactfolio.com/learn/what-is-an-etf): An ETF is a fund that trades like a stock. Learn how ETFs work, what they cost, the main types, and the risks, with SEC sources.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.

## Common questions

### What is the expense ratio of VYM?

VYM charges 0.04% a year, according to Vanguard as of October 16, 2026. That is about $4 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did VYM start trading?

VYM started trading on November 10, 2006. It is run by Vanguard.

### What does VYM track?

VYM tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. This fund owns shares of about 590 US companies that pay higher dividends than average.

### How much has VYM returned per year?

From November 2006 to October 2026, VYM returned about 9.3% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −57.0%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Which strategies use VYM?

None of Tactfolio's classic strategies hold VYM yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.

## Sources

- [Vanguard: Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF fund page](https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profile/vym)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.