Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
MSTY vs VYM: how they differ
Over the year VYM returned more, +17.6% against −54.4%, and VYM charges 0.04% against 0.99%.
YieldMax(R) MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF and Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, MSTY and VYM hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in MSTY | Only in VYM |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 21.68% | Broadcom Inc 8.07% |
| TREASURY BILL 21.18% | JPMorgan Chase & Co 3.36% |
| TREASURY BILL 20.64% | Exxon Mobil Corp 2.73% |
| TREASURY BILL 17.38% | Johnson & Johnson 2.31% |
| TREASURY BILL 15.04% | Caterpillar Inc 1.73% |
| TREASURY BILL 4.07% | AbbVie Inc 1.57% |
| Strategy Inc 0.01% | Cisco Systems Inc 1.52% |
| Chevron Corp 1.51% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Jan 31, 2026.
| MSTY YieldMax(R) MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF | VYM Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Income ETF | Core index fund |
| Issuer | YieldMax | Vanguard |
| What it is | synthetic covered call, vs MSTR | US high dividend |
| Total return, 1 year | −54.4% | +17.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | −59.8% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +5.5 pts | +0.1 pts |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 35.1% | not an income fund |
| Expense ratio | 0.99% | 0.04% |
| Holdings | not filed | 608 |
MSTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, MSTY paid 35.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 80.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −54.4%. MicroStrategy (MSTR) returned −59.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.5 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 110.5%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 11, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
VYM in plain words
VYM is an index equity fund tracking the US high dividend. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 608 positions, with the top ten at 25.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, MSTY or VYM?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, MSTY returned −54.4% and VYM returned +17.6%, so VYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, MSTY or VYM?
- MSTY charges 0.99% a year and VYM charges 0.04%, so VYM is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- Are MSTY and VYM the same kind of fund?
- No. MSTY is an option-income ETF and VYM is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, MSTY against VYM, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/msty-vs-vym Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources