SCHD vs VYM ETF Comparison

Set your investment period and amount to compare the returns, growth and risk of two ETFs.

•••
A SCHD
SCHD 100%
B VYM
VYM 100%
Start date:, End date: $10,000 Dividends reinvested

Data as of 2026-10-23

Key comparison

Compare growth, loss risk, and cost in the same rows first.

6 essential metrics
Portfolio overview and core performance comparison
Portfolio A · SCHD 100%Portfolio B · VYM 100%
CAGR +13.5%
CAGR +11.8%
Final Balance $39,262
Final Balance $33,483
Volatility +14.9%
Volatility +13.9%
MDD · daily -33.4%
MDD · daily -35.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.73
Sharpe Ratio 0.69
Weighted expense ratio 0.06%
Weighted expense ratio 0.04%

Result summary

SCHD had the higher CAGR. SCHD had the smaller maximum drawdown.

  • SCHD: CAGR 13.48%, daily maximum drawdown -33.37%.
  • VYM: CAGR 11.83%, daily maximum drawdown -35.22%.

Key points in this comparison

  • Across 10 complete calendar years, SCHD had the higher return in 5 and VYM in 5.
  • In 2020, returns were SCHD +15.1% and VYM +1.1%, a gap of 14.0 percentage points.
  • The monthly-return correlation is 0.96: the two portfolios moved almost in step.
Period & basis

2016-01-04 – 2026-10-23

Historical results for this period.

Cumulative performance

Compare growth paths and cumulative returns over the same period.

Portfolio value

Compare portfolio value and cumulative contributions on the same dates.

A vs B Cumulative Return Comparison
ETFTotal ReturnCAGRTotal invested
A+292.6%+13.5%10000
B+234.8%+11.8%10000
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Risk and recovery

Compare the volatility taken for return with the loss path investors actually experienced.

Risk vs Return

Lower-left is safer, upper-right is higher risk/reward. Ideal: upper-left.

Hover over a point to review CAGR, volatility, Sharpe, and maximum drawdown together.
Risk vs Return
Compared portfoliosCAGRVolatility (Ann.)Sharpe RatioMDD · daily
A13.48%14.9%0.73-33.37%
B11.83%13.91%0.69-35.22%

Drawdown paths

Compare how far each portfolio's daily closing value fell from its prior peak over the same period.

Drawdown paths
Compared portfoliosMDD · daily
A-33.37
B-35.22
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Returns and major declines

Compare annual returns and daily peak, trough, and recovery dates.

Annual Returns Comparison

Check consistency across annual, quarterly, decade, and rolling windows.

Annual Returns Comparison · Annual
MetricAB
2026· Partial year+21.5%+10.1%
2025+4.3%+15.4%
2024+11.7%+17.6%
2023+4.6%+6.6%
2022-3.2%-0.5%
2021+29.9%+26.2%
2020+15.1%+1.1%
2019+27.3%+24.1%
2018-5.6%-5.9%
2017+20.8%+16.4%
2016+16.4%+17.1%

Worst Drawdown Periods

A · Worst Drawdown Periods
Peak dateTrough dateRecovery dateDrawdown
2020-01-232020-03-232020-09-02-33.4%
2018-09-212018-12-242019-04-04-17.1%
2022-01-112022-09-302023-12-27-16.8%
B · Worst Drawdown Periods
Peak dateTrough dateRecovery dateDrawdown
2020-01-172020-03-232020-12-31-35.2%
2018-01-262018-12-242019-04-12-16.2%
2022-04-202022-09-302022-11-30-15.9%

Stress Test: Market Crashes

Return of each ETF during major historical market drawdown events
Event A B
Q4 2018 Selloff-16.9%-15.8%
COVID-19 Crash-32.8%-34.6%
2022 Rate Hike Bear Market-14.7%-12.8%

Questions about these results

How did the same initial investment grow?

From 2016-01-04 to 2026-10-23, an initial $10,000 ended at $39,262 for SCHD and $33,483 for VYM. Annualized returns were 13.48% and 11.83%, respectively.

When were the deepest drawdowns and recoveries?

SCHD: peak 2020-01-23, trough 2020-03-23, drawdown -33.4%, recovery 2020-09-02. VYM: peak 2020-01-17, trough 2020-03-23, drawdown -35.2%, recovery 2020-12-31.

How did the results differ during market crises?

During 2022 Rate Hike Bear Market, returns were -14.7% for SCHD and -12.8% for VYM. During COVID-19 Crash, returns were -32.8% for SCHD and -34.6% for VYM.

What are the expense ratios and annual costs?

Weighted expense ratios are 0.06% for SCHD and 0.04% for VYM. Applied to the initial $10,000, estimated annual costs are $6 and $4.

What are the dividend yields and their basis?

The yields are 2.99% for SCHD and 2.28% for VYM. They use distributions from the last 365 days divided by the last closing price and do not predict future distributions.

About the ETFs & sources

SCHD A U.S. dividend equity ETF tracking the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index.

VYM An ETF investing in U.S. high-dividend equities.

Shared calculation settings

Comparison settings

Trading cost: 0 bps per side · personal taxes excluded · see the methodology for dividend calculation Calculation Methodology