ETF Versus

SCHD vs VTI

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

SCHD Schwab

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Schwab that provides exposure to U.S. dividend-paying stocks selected for yield or dividend growth. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.46%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $83.9B ER: 0.06% Yield: 3.46% Since: Oct 20, 2011
VTI Vanguard

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares (VTI) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to the total U.S. stock market across all capitalizations. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.17%. Launched in 2001, the fund has a 25-year track record.

AUM: $546.0B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.17% Since: May 24, 2001

Quick Verdict

VTI has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.06%), saving about $60 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, VTI has significantly outperformed with a 17.2% return vs 9.5%. Income investors may prefer SCHD for its higher yield (3.5% vs 1.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric SCHD VTI
Expense Ratio 0.06% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 3.5% 1.2%
Fund Family Schwab Vanguard
Category US Dividend US Total Market

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 97 114 131 148 165 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
SCHD +23.3%
VTI +52.7%

Performance Comparison

Period SCHD VTI Difference
1 Month -4.24% -4.68% +0.44%
3 Months +10.03% -3.89% +13.92%
6 Months +11.31% -2.04% +13.35%
YTD +10.03% -3.89% +13.92%
1 Year +9.47% +17.21% -7.74%
3 Years +24.43% +57.96% -33.53%
5 Years +23.27% +52.67% -29.40%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SCHD Fees VTI Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $120 $60 $60
$10.000 20 years $515 $258 $257
$10.000 30 years $1.664 $835 $828
$50.000 10 years $598 $299 $299
$50.000 30 years $8.318 $4.176 $4.142
$100.000 30 years $16.637 $8.352 $8.285

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SCHD VTI
Annualized Volatility 14.6% 17.4%
Max Drawdown -18.9% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.05 0.32

Dividend Comparison

Metric SCHD VTI
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.06 $3.77
Dividend Yield 3.46% 1.17%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

SCHD Top Holdings

NameWeight
Chevron CorporationCVX4.66%
ConocoPhillipsCOP4.33%
Merck & Co., Inc.MRK4.08%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ4.03%
The Coca-Cola CompanyKO3.98%
Texas Instruments IncorporatedTXN3.86%
PepsiCo, Inc.PEP3.83%
Amgen Inc.AMGN3.78%
Abbott LaboratoriesABT3.78%
The Procter & Gamble CompanyPG3.70%

VTI Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.17%
Apple Inc.AAPL5.89%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.40%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.05%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.16%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.13%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.72%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.37%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VTI if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose VTI if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose SCHD if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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