As we head into fall, it could be an excellent opportunity for long-term investors to add dividend stock exposure to their portfolios. Without getting too deep into the economics, a falling-rate environment tends to be a positive catalyst for dividend paying stocks, and with the Federal Reserve widely expected to gradually lower benchmark interest rates through at least the end of 2025, top-notch dividend stocks could get a nice positive tailwind.

You don't need to pick individual stocks or pay a hefty fee to get exposure. Vanguard has some excellent low-cost index funds that can get you exposure to an excellent assortment of great dividend stocks at a minimal investment expense. Two in particular that are worth a look are the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (NYSEMKT: VYM) and the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEMKT: VIG).

While I don't think dividend investors will necessarily go wrong with either ETF, there are some major differences to be aware of.

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Source Fool.com