Best ETFs
Schwab's dividend ETF returned 22.8% in a year. Its income rate still trails a one-month bill.
Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF
$239.71−0.33 (−0.14%)
- 0.04%
- $132.4B
- +14.7%
- 1.52%
- 1.1M sh
- $240.04
- low $210.01high $247.45
The ETF.net VIG Grade
A
Score 79 out of 100
- 3 of 53
Score 79 of 100 falls in the A band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 53Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A85 out of 100Rank 25 of 50Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B63 out of 100Rank 17 of 53Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B59 out of 100Rank 18 of 53Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C52 out of 100Rank 30 of 53Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A92 out of 100Rank 1 of 53
Our read on VIG
AVIG buys dividend growth, not fat yields: about 300 US companies with a record of raising their payouts, tracked for 0.04% a year. Running since 2006 and now north of $100 billion, it is the plain-vanilla anchor of the dividend-screen aisle.
The fund seeks to track the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index, which represents common stocks of companies with a record of increasing dividends over time.
Why people hold it
- At 0.04% a year, the fee is roughly a tenth of the typical dividend-screen fund's 0.39%, and undercuts every other top-graded fund in the group, DGRO and SCHD included.
- The screen rewards a record of increasing dividends rather than the biggest current payout, so the basket leans on payout discipline instead of stretched yields.
- Live since 2006, over $100 billion in assets and actively traded, which shows up as easy fills rather than wide spreads.
- About 300 holdings, cash paid quarterly, and one of the strongest overall implementations in its dividend-screen peer group.
Worth knowing
- Growth of payouts, not maximum income, is the mandate. That puts it on a different axis than high-dividend funds such as SPYD.
- US stocks only, no bonds and no overseas payers, and sector weights are whatever the index screen spits out.
- Portfolio risk and concentration measures land mid-pack for the category: it is fully invested in equities and drops when the market drops.
VIG Holdings
- Stocks
- 336
- 34%
- MSFT
Sectors
- Technology26.3%
- Financials21.8%
- Health Care18.3%
- Industrials10.9%
- Consumer Staples9.0%
- Consumer Discretionary4.2%
- Energy3.5%
- Materials3.2%
- Utilities2.7%
Geography
- United States100.00%
VIG Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
VIG$11,475
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | VIG |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +10.6% |
| 1 month | +0.7% |
| 3 months | +0.9% |
| 1 year | +14.7% |
| 3 years | +17.5% |
| 5 years | +11.0% |
| 10 years | +13.4% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | VIG |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +10.6% | |
| 2025 | +14.2% | |
| 2024 | +17.0% | |
| 2023 | +14.5% | |
| 2022 | −9.8% | |
| 2021 | +23.8% | |
| 2020 | +15.4% |
VIG in the news
VIG Dividends
- 1.52%
- $3.65
- $0.93 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
VIG Risk
- 10.4%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.11
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −20.4%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.82
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
VIG Cost
0.04%
VIG0.04%
- The middle half of US Dividend Index funds
- Median 0.38%
No US Dividend Index fund charges less.
Other funds in US Dividend Index
- ADGROiShares Core Dividend Growth ETFExpense ratio 0.08%1 year return +18.6%
- ASCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFExpense ratio 0.06%1 year return +29.7%
- ADIVBiShares Core Dividend ETFExpense ratio 0.05%1 year return +34.6%
- ASPYDState Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETFExpense ratio 0.07%1 year return +12.9%
- ADLNWisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend FundExpense ratio 0.28%1 year return +18.9%