Which returned more over the last year, VTI or YMAX?

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VTI returned +20.0% and YMAX returned +3.5%, so VTI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, VTI or YMAX?

VTI charges 0.03% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, so VTI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Are VTI and YMAX the same kind of fund?

No. VTI is an index ETF and YMAX is an option-income ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 4, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

VTI vs YMAX

Name: ETFIQ comparison of VTI and YMAX
Creator: ETFIQ
License: https://etfiq.com/standards/

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund and YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs.

VTI and YMAX on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund	YMAX YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs
Where it sits	Core fund	Income desk
Issuer	Vanguard	YieldMax
What it is	US total market	synthetic covered call, vs SPY
Total return, 1 year	+20.0%	+3.5%
S&P 500 over the same days	+20.0%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.0 pts	−16.5 pts
Cash paid, 1 year	not an income fund	40.0%
Expense ratio	0.03%	1.33%
Holdings	3531	n/a

VTI in plain words

VTI is a index equity fund tracking US total market. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 it returned +20.0% with distributions reinvested, against +20.0% for the S&P 500 and +25.6% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3531 positions, with the top ten at 32.1%.

YMAX in plain words

Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, YMAX paid 40.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 38.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +3.5%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +20.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 16.5 pts. At its price on Sep 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualises to 40.6%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 43% of the distribution paid Sep 3, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterisation rather than a measure of erosion).

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, VTI or YMAX?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VTI returned +20.0% and YMAX returned +3.5%, so VTI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, VTI or YMAX?: VTI charges 0.03% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, so VTI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are VTI and YMAX the same kind of fund?: No. VTI is an index ETF and YMAX is an option-income ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Other comparisons

Where to next

Cite this page. ETFIQ, VTI against YMAX, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VTI-YMAX.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. ETFIQ publishes the same fields for every fund and suggests no allocation. Standards and sources