# Corporate Yield vs. Government Safety

> VCLT offers 5.9% yield vs VGLT's 4.9% but with higher risk.
- Title: Corporate Yield vs. Government Safety · The Motley Fool
- Summary: VCLT offers 5.9% yield vs VGLT's 4.9% but with higher risk. Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF provides higher dividend yield than Treasury ETF but…
- Keywords: vclt, vglt, dividend yield, corporate bonds, treasury bonds, expense ratio, max drawdown, The Motley Fool
- Source: The Motley Fool — https://fool.com/coverage/etfs/2026/11/14/corporate-yield-vs-government-safety-comparing-returns-dividends-and-risk-of-vclt-and-vglt
- Author: Jake Lerch
- Published: 2026-11-14T20:00:02+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: vclt, vglt, dividend yield, corporate bonds, treasury bonds, expense ratio, max drawdown, finance, money
## Yield Comparison
VCLT offers 5.9% dividend yield versus VGLT's 4.9% yield.
## Expense Ratios
Both funds share identical 0.03% expense ratios.
## Risk Profile
VGLT has deeper max drawdown of 41.0% versus VCLT's 34.0% over five years.
## Investment Strategy
VCLT holds 2,569 corporate bonds; VGLT holds 104 U.S. government obligations.
## Performance History
VCLT delivered -17% total return over five years versus VGLT's -31%.
## Yield Calculation
VCLT paid $4.16 per share over 12 months on $70.26 share price.
## Key takeaway

Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF provides higher dividend yield than Treasury ETF but carries more credit risk.