What if you'd held VYM?
A $1,000 investment in Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) at the month-end close of 2006-11 would be worth $5,908 at the close of 2026-09 — +490.8% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $8,024.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-09, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 2006
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | $1,000 | — |
| 2007 | $1,014 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | $690 | -31.9% |
| 2009 | $809 | +17.2% |
| 2010 | $924 | +14.3% |
| 2011 | $1,021 | +10.5% |
| 2012 | $1,151 | +12.7% |
| 2013 | $1,497 | +30.1% |
| 2014 | $1,700 | +13.5% |
| 2015 | $1,704 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | $1,995 | +17.1% |
| 2017 | $2,322 | +16.4% |
| 2018 | $2,184 | -5.9% |
| 2019 | $2,710 | +24.1% |
| 2020 | $2,741 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | $3,460 | +26.2% |
| 2022 | $3,444 | -0.4% |
| 2023 | $3,671 | +6.6% |
| 2024 | $4,317 | +17.6% |
| 2025 | $4,982 | +15.4% |
| 2026 | $5,771 | +15.8% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought VYM was 2009-02 ($14.76): $1,000 then is $11,127 today. The worst was 2026-09 ($164): $1,000 then is $1,000.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in VYM be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) at the start of 2006 would be worth about $5,908 today, a total return of +490.8%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for VYM?
Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM)'s strongest calendar year since 2006 was 2013, a +30.1% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $1,301 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -31.9%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in VYM have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 2006-11 would have grown to about $87,679 on $23,900 invested.
Did VYM beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested (the S&P 500 Total Return index) would be worth $8,024. VYM trailed the S&P 500 by +26.4% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) historical total-return data from 2006-11 to 2026-09, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends, the same convention used by major brokerages. End-of-day and live prices come from EODHD; parts of the deep historical series are carried over from Yahoo Finance data. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (EODHD): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via EODHD and Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-09-04. Not financial advice.