Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or VYM?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and VYM +18.0%.

Which is cheaper, BOXX or VYM?

VYM is cheaper, by 0.15 percentage points a year. That is about $15 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

BOXX vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees

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BOXX is an actively managed short-term fund and VYM an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VYM returned +18.0% against +4.0%.

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Net assets: $14.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF, and $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.

BOXX on its own →VYM on its own →

At a glance

+4.0%

BOXX total return, 1 year

+18.0%

VYM total return, 1 year

0.19%

BOXX expense ratio

0.04%

VYM expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VYM costs 0.15 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 14.0 points.

BOXX vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	BOXX	VYM
Return
Measure	BOXX	VYM
Total return, 1 year	+4.0%	+18.0%
Benchmark
Measure	BOXX	VYM
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	FTSE High Dividend Yield Index
Cost and size
Measure	BOXX	VYM
Expense ratio	0.19%	0.04%
Net assets, BOXX as of Oct 28, 2026 and VYM as of Sep 30, 2026	$14.5bn	$78.9bn
Holdings
Measure	BOXX	VYM
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		90%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		26.2%

Method

Risk and return

Jan 6, 2023 to Oct 23, 2026 · 198 weekly returns

BOXX VYM

Return

Total return edge VYM +18.9% +61.8%

Annualized edge VYM +4.6% +13.5%

Price return edge VYM +18.6% +45.8%

Risk

Volatility edge BOXX 0.2% 12.2%

Max drawdown edge BOXX −0.1% −12.1%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge VYM −0.25 0.72

Sortino edge VYM −0.35 1.04

Calmar Not measured 1.11

Reading

VYM returned more: +61.8% to +18.9%. BOXX swung less: 0.2% to 12.2%. BOXX fell less at its worst: −0.1% to −12.1%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: BOXX vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	BOXX	VYM	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+18.9%	+61.8%	VYM	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+4.6%	+13.5%	VYM	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+18.6%	+45.8%	VYM	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	0.2%	12.2%	BOXX	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	0.2%	8.4%	BOXX	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−0.1%	−12.1%	BOXX	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	−0.25	0.72	VYM	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	−0.35	1.04	VYM	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	Not measured	1.11		Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 198 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Side by side

BOXX Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF VYM Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Stock ETF

Issuer Alpha Architect Vanguard

What it is Actively managed Tracks an index of US high dividend

Total return, 1 year +4.0% +18.0%

Expense ratio 0.19% 0.04%

Holdings not counted 595

Net assets, BOXX as of Oct 28, 2026 and VYM as of Sep 30, 2026 $14.5bn $78.9bn

BOXX and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-90D827C4D4

BOXX and VYM do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. BOXX follows No index, actively managed and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BOXX returned +4.0% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 14.0 points.
Cost. BOXX charges 0.19% of assets a year and VYM 0.04%, a gap of 0.15 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

BOXX

BOXX is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year.

VYM

VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or VYM?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and VYM +18.0%.
Which is cheaper, BOXX or VYM?: VYM is cheaper, by 0.15 percentage points a year. That is about $15 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BOXX vs VTV BOXX vs IWD BOXX vs SCHD BOXX vs CGDV VBIL vs VYM MINT vs VYM USFR vs VYM PULS vs VYM

Where to next

BOXX on its own →VYM on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →BOXX dividend history →VYM dividend history →VYM holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

BOXX filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

BOXX prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Alpha Architect website ↗

VYM filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VYM prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VYM ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BOXX against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-vym

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.