If you want maximum headline income
→ unknown
Yield data is unavailable for this pair right now — treat headline income as unknown until both sides are calibrated.
Two income funds compared side-by-side using the available DivAgent snapshot. See which one fits your yield strategy.
8-second verdict · always free
If you want maximum headline income
→ unknown
Yield data is unavailable for this pair right now — treat headline income as unknown until both sides are calibrated.
If you want total return (paid + price)
→ VRTL
VRTL leads 1Y total return (~-1.6%). Prefer this when you care about paid + price, not yield alone.
If you need sleep-at-night sizing
→ Neither alone
Both sit at Tier 5+ (elevated structural risk). Size inside a diversified sleeve with Tier 1–2 ballast.
Neither fund currently meets this page's high-yield and NAV-decline screen. That result does not establish distribution sustainability or composition; those require separate issuer evidence.
When the edge flips — yield, total return, or NAV path — we email the updated tape. Plus the free Yield Trap cheat sheet: what high-yield funds actually paid vs what their prices did.
Path A · Still deciding
Related battlesMore RKLZ and VRTL matchups in the same decision space — different trade-offs.
Path B · Picked a side
Full ticker auditsDeep-dive RKLZ or VRTL: distribution history, risk tier, peer set.
Audit VRTL →Path C · Want a system
Leaderboard & portfoliosSee how income funds rank by risk tier and matrix cell — then track holdings free.
What this means: Both RKLZ and VRTL fall intoTier 5: Octane. This suggests they share a similar risk profile and volatility expectation.
| Metric | RKLZ | VRTL |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | -80.09% | -1.56% |
| NAV Change (1Y) | -80.09% | -1.56% |
| Max Drawdown | N/A | N/A |
| Beta | N/A | N/A |
* Returns include dividend reinvestment. Drawdown calculates peak-to-trough decline over trailing 12 months.
The comparison remains available, but DivAgent will not assign a winner until both funds have current yield, total return, risk tier, drawdown, and fee data. Missing values are shown as N/A in the tables below.