What if you invested monthly in a High-dividend ETF (VYM) for 15 years?
This calculates the result of investing a fixed amount monthly into VYM, a broad US high-dividend large-cap ETF, over 15 years using actual price data. It honestly shows dividend reinvestment and lower volatility alongside maximum drawdown and time underwater.
Investment conditions
Asset · VYM (US High-dividend ETF)
Method · Recurring monthly investment
Period · 2011-07-01 ~ 2026-07-01
Amount · $222 / month
As of · 2026-07-01
Key metrics
These results do not reflect taxes. Based on historical data.
Risk & recovery
As important as returns. This service does not hide maximum drawdown or loss periods.
Maximum drawdown (MDD)
-34.7%
Largest drop from peak
Longest loss period
3months
Months in loss: 3
Recovery period
8months
Growth over time
Invested principal (dashed) and portfolio value (solid). Values below match the calculation.
Total invested $40,222 → Final value $106,641 (+165.1%), Maximum drawdown (MDD) -34.7%
Why this period and asset
VYM broadly holds US large-caps with above-average dividend yields. This 15-year window (2011-2026) begins amid the aftershocks of the European debt crisis and passes through the 2015-2016 correction, the late-2018 selloff, the 2020 COVID crash, and the 2022 rate-hike period. High-dividend stocks carry heavier weights in traditional value sectors such as financials, energy, and staples, so they alternated between lagging the index in tech-led rallies and holding up relatively better in sharp declines.
Interpreting the result
A 15-year plan runs through several declines and recoveries, spreading out the average purchase price. Reinvesting dividends turns cash payouts into more shares, adding compounding, and for high-dividend ETFs that reinvested dividend makes up a relatively large share of total return. Still, high dividends do not eliminate drawdowns. This window also had stretches below cost and time to recover past highs, so weigh the depth of the maximum drawdown and the recovery period as heavily as the return in the results.
Caveats & limits
The dividends that make high-dividend ETFs appealing are subject to dividend tax (e.g., 15% US withholding) and local taxes, reducing after-tax proceeds. Taxes are not reflected in this calculation. Expense ratios, trading fees, and USD/KRW exchange-rate moves also change the outcome. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and this page is not a recommendation to buy.
Data sources & limits
- Price data source: Yahoo Finance / FinanceDataReader
- Collected on: 2026-07-23
- Effective trading date: 2026-07-01
- Price basis: 調整後終値(配当・株式分割を反映)
- Trading fees and taxes are not reflected — figures are pre-tax.
- Based on historical data; does not guarantee future returns.
Frequently asked questions
Does this result include dividends?
It treats returns on a total-return basis with dividends reinvested. High-dividend ETFs derive a large share of total return from dividends, but actual after-tax results are lower once dividend tax is applied.
How is dividend tax handled?
Taxes are not reflected. US dividends are typically withheld at 15% with possible additional local tax, so a dividend-heavy fund like VYM feels the tax impact relatively more.
How does it compare with growth stocks?
Growth stocks led in tech-driven rallies, while high-dividend names tended to have shallower drawdowns in sharp selloffs. Use the compare feature to place the same window side by side, including maximum drawdown.
Related scenarios
📋 結果は過去のデータに基づくものです。過去のリターンは将来のリターンを保証しません。
📋 本サービスは投資アドバイスではなく、投資を理解するための教育目的で提供されています。