AUSF vs VYM

AUSFCGlobal X Adaptive U.S. Factor ETF

VYMAVanguard High Dividend Yield ETF

In short

AUSF Most multifactor ETFs bolt value, momentum and low volatility together at fixed weights. AUSF's index shifts the mix instead, tilting toward whichever of the three its rules favor, across roughly 190 US stocks.

VYM The no-frills dividend workhorse. VYM buys the higher-yielding end of the US market, roughly 600 names, for four basis points: no quality screen, no dividend-growth-streak test, just yield, at scale since 2006.

Stated mandate

AUSF The Fund seeks to provide investment results generally corresponding, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Adaptive Wealth Strategies U.S. Factor Index. Its strategy dynamically allocates among U.S. equity value, momentum, and low-volatility factor exposures.

VYM The Fund seeks to track a benchmark index measuring the investment return of common stocks from companies characterized by high dividend yields.

Why people hold it

• AUSF At 0.27%, it undercuts the median fee in its multifactor peer group. Not index-fund cheap, but light for a strategy that reshuffles its factor mix.
• One ticker, three factors. Value, momentum and low volatility are allocated by published index rules, not a manager's discretion.globalxetfs.com
• The low-volatility sleeve shows up in the numbers: its risk profile screens among the steadier in a crowded multifactor field. Trading since 2018.
• Roughly 190 US stocks and quarterly distributions, so the payout rhythm is predictable even as the factor blend moves.

• VYM Four basis points a year, against a peer-group median near 0.32%. Cheaper than cohort neighbors VONV (0.06%) and FNDX (0.25%).
• Running since 2006 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, so ordinary orders tend to fill at tight spreads.
• Simple mandate: track the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index of US common stocks screened on yield. No manager discretion, no options overlay, plain 1940-Act fund.vanguard.com
• Pays quarterly, and among 100-plus value and multifactor rivals it stands as one of the strongest overall packages in the group.

Worth knowing

• AUSF Rotation cuts both ways. The rules read past behavior, so when factor leadership flips quickly the portfolio can be leaning into the market that just ended.
• Plainer neighbors cost far less: VONV at 0.06%, VYM at 0.04%. The extra fee here buys the rotation machinery, not broader coverage.
• Mid-size and moderately traded rather than a liquidity giant, so spreads deserve a look on larger orders.

• VYM The screen is yield, not payout growth or dividend quality, so a company can qualify simply because its share price fell.
• This is a value slice by design, tilted to established payers, so it behaves differently from a total US market fund.
• Roughly 600 holdings, but weight leans toward the largest payers, so the top of the roster does more of the work than the count suggests.

Full AUSF profile⁠

Full VYM profile⁠