Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VT vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VT returned +13.5% to VYM's +18.0%; 20% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $81.8bn for Vanguard Total World Stock Index ETF and $78.9bn for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.5 points.
| Measure | VT | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.5% | +18.0% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Global All Cap Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $81.8bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 20% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 22.5% | 26.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jul 3, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 955 weekly returnsVYM returned more: +567.0% to +371.6%. VYM swung slightly less: 16.8% to 18.3%. VT and VYM fell about the same at their worst: −48.3% and −48.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VT | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +371.6% | +567.0% | VYM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.8% | +10.9% | VYM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +221.4% | +280.6% | VYM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.3% | 16.8% | VYM (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.1% | 11.8% | VYM | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −48.3% | −48.0% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.48 | 0.62 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.66 | 0.88 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.18 | 0.23 | VYM | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 955 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VT and VYM hold 20% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
20% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VT and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VT and VYM do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VT follows FTSE Global All Cap Index and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 20% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VT returned +13.5% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 4.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VT
VT tracks an index of Total World Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 55% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 10,194 positions, with the top ten at 22.5%.
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, VT or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VT returned +13.5% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, VT or VYM?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 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, VT against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vt-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VT against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vt-vs-vym
[VT against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vt-vs-vym)
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