VYM (Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF) — over the past 10 years it returned about 11.8% annualized on a total-return basis, yields roughly 2.24%, and had a worst drawdown near -35.2%. Here is the full picture — and you can backtest it yourself for free.
$10,000, 10 years on
A $10,000 investment 10 years ago, dividends reinvested, would be worth about $33,983 today.
Sortino
0.94
Volatility
16.3%
$10k → today
$33,983
Dividend history
| Year | Dividend / share | YoY growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $2.91 | — |
| 2021 | $3.10 | 6.5% |
| 2022 | $3.25 | 5.0% |
| 2023 | $3.48 | 7.0% |
| 2024 | $3.50 | 0.5% |
| 2025 | $3.50 | 0.2% |
Risk & return vs the S&P 500
| Metric | VYM | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| CAGR | 11.8% | 14.2% |
| Volatility | 16.3% | 17.9% |
| Sharpe | 0.77 | 0.83 |
| Sortino | 0.94 | 1.01 |
| Max drawdown | -35.2% | -33.7% |
| Dividend yield | 2.24% | 1.02% |