The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEArca: VIG) is the largest dividend exchange traded fund trading in the U.S. and is also one of the least expensive. Actually, VIG is getting cheaper.
Last Friday, Pennsylvania-based Vanguard said VIG’s annual expense ratio was slightly lowered by one basis point to 0.08%, the equivalent of $8 per year on a $10,000 investment. That makes VIG less expensive than 92% of rival funds, according to Vanguard data.
VIG targets U.S. stocks that have increased dividends on a regular basis for at least 10 consecutive years. Company stocks that issue high dividend yields can be masking their distressed books or may not be sustainable and are heading for dividend cuts. Consequently, these quality dividend ETFs try to limit the impact of these value traps by requiring a history of sustainable dividend growth.