SPY vs SCHD ETF Comparison

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

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Key comparison

2016.01–2026.10 · Starting with $10,000 · Dividends reinvested · Data as of 2026.10.23
MetricSPY SCHD
Annualized return +14.8%+13.5%
Final value $44,357$39,262
Volatility (annual) 15.0%14.9%
Max drawdown · daily -33.7%-33.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.850.73
Expense ratio 0.09%0.06%

How it grew

SPY has been ahead since 2023.05.

SPY vs SCHD Cumulative Return Comparison
ETFTotal ReturnCAGRTotal invested
SPY+343.6%+14.8%10000
SCHD+292.6%+13.5%10000
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Worst declines

SPY fell further and took 173 days to regain its peak.

Drawdown paths
Compared portfoliosMax drawdown · daily
SPY-33.7
SCHD-33.37
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Three deepest declines

SPY
DrawdownPeak dateTrough dateRecovery date
-33.7%2020.02.192020.03.232020.08.10
-24.5%2022.01.032022.10.122023.12.13
-19.3%2018.09.202018.12.242019.04.12
SCHD
DrawdownPeak dateTrough dateRecovery date
-33.4%2020.01.232020.03.232020.09.02
-17.1%2018.09.212018.12.242019.04.04
-16.8%2022.01.112022.09.302023.12.27

In major sell-offs

Return during each major market decline.

EventSPYSCHD
Q4 2018 Selloff-19.3%-16.9%
COVID-19 Crash-33.7%-32.8%
2022 Rate Hike Bear Market-24.5%-14.7%

Year by year

Over 10 full calendar years, SPY was higher 7 times and SCHD 3 times.

Year by year · Annual
PeriodSPYSCHD
2026Partial year+12.7%+21.5%
2025+17.7%+4.3%
2024+24.9%+11.7%
2023+26.2%+4.6%
2022-18.2%-3.2%
2021+28.7%+29.9%
2020+18.4%+15.1%
2019+31.2%+27.3%
2018-4.6%-5.6%
2017+21.7%+20.8%
2016+12.0%+16.4%

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 $44,357 for SPY and $39,262 for SCHD. Annualized returns were 14.8% and 13.5%, respectively.

When were the deepest drawdowns and recoveries?

SPY: peak 2020.02.19, trough 2020.03.23, drawdown -33.7%, recovery 2020.08.10. SCHD: peak 2020.01.23, trough 2020.03.23, drawdown -33.4%, recovery 2020.09.02.

How did the results differ during market crises?

During 2022 Rate Hike Bear Market, returns were -24.5% for SPY and -14.7% for SCHD. During Q4 2018 Selloff, returns were -19.3% for SPY and -16.9% for SCHD.

What are the expense ratios and annual costs?

Weighted expense ratios are 0.09% for SPY and 0.06% for SCHD. Applied to the initial $10,000, estimated annual costs are $9 and $6.

What are the dividend yields and their basis?

The yields are 1.00% for SPY and 2.99% for SCHD. They use distributions from the last 365 days divided by the last closing price and do not predict future distributions.

How similarly do the two portfolios move?

The correlation of shared monthly returns is 0.81: they mostly moved in the same direction.

About the ETFs & sources

SPY A U.S. large-cap equity ETF tracking the S&P 500 Index.

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

Comparison settings

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