Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ULTY vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ULTY returned −11.2% to VYM's +18.0%, and VYM charges 0.04% to ULTY's 1.30%.
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Net assets: $627m on Oct 27, 2026 for YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF, and $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 1.26 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 29.2 points.
| Measure | ULTY | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −11.2% | +18.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | fell 55.2% | rose 15.2% |
| Latest payout, annualized | 60.7% | |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 100% of the Oct 29, 2026 payment | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Benchmark: its own holdings | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Against its benchmark, same days | ahead by 4.1 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 1.30% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, ULTY as of Oct 27, 2026 and VYM as of Sep 30, 2026 | $627m | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 4% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 90% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 26.2% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ULTY and VYM hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026.
half
4% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ULTY and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price.
ULTY's own holdings, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Oct 26, 2026) returned −15.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.1 pts.
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ULTY paid 44.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 55.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −11.2%. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 60.7%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 29, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.
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
- Are ULTY and VYM in the same category?
- ULTY is an option-income ETF and VYM is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, ULTY or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ULTY returned −11.2% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, ULTY or VYM?
- VYM is cheaper, by 1.26 percentage points a year. That is about $126 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, ULTY against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ulty-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ULTY against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ulty-vs-vym
[ULTY against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ulty-vs-vym)
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