Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
OARK vs VYM: how they differ
Over the year VYM returned more, +17.6% against +7.2%, and VYM charges 0.04% against 1.00%.
YieldMax(R) Innovation Option Income Strategy ETF and Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, OARK and VYM hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in OARK | Only in VYM |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 37.81% | Broadcom Inc 8.07% |
| TREASURY BILL 30.32% | JPMorgan Chase & Co 3.36% |
| TREASURY BILL 18.55% | Exxon Mobil Corp 2.73% |
| TREASURY BILL 10.80% | Johnson & Johnson 2.31% |
| TREASURY BILL 2.51% | Caterpillar Inc 1.73% |
| AbbVie Inc 1.57% | |
| 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.
| OARK YieldMax(R) Innovation 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 QQQ | US high dividend |
| Total return, 1 year | +7.2% | +17.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +23.0% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −15.8 pts | +0.1 pts |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 38.6% | not an income fund |
| Expense ratio | 1.00% | 0.04% |
| Holdings | not filed | 608 |
OARK in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, OARK paid 38.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 33.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +7.2%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ), used as the innovation proxy returned +23.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 15.8 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 37.1%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 39% 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, OARK or VYM?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, OARK returned +7.2% and VYM returned +17.6%, so VYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, OARK or VYM?
- OARK charges 1.00% a year and VYM charges 0.04%, so VYM is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- Are OARK and VYM the same kind of fund?
- No. OARK 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.
Other comparisons
Where to next
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, OARK against VYM, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/oark-vs-vym Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources