VYM’s 2.2% Yield Hides $141,000 in Decade-Long Underperformance Versus the S&P 500

VYM turned $300,000 into $922,110 over ten years, but reinvesting every dividend still left investors $141,000 behind the S&P 500. A retiree who put $300,000 into the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (NYSEARCA:VYM) ten years ago and reinvested every dividend now sits on roughly $922,110. The same $300,000 in the S&P 500 is now worth about $1,063,230. SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) returned 254.41%. On $300,000, that spread compounds into roughly $79,800 given up versus SCHD and $141,120 given up versus the plain S&P 500.