ACWI vs SCHD: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
ACWI
SCHD
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI IndexSCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
What did the last 10 years do to $10,000?
You invest $10,000 at the start of the window and touch nothing — dividends reinvested, the running year not counted.
ACWI vs SCHD, year by year
Calendar-year total returns (dividends included) side by side, and who took the crown each year. A dash means the fund did not exist yet.
| Year | ACWI | SCHD | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +12.94% | +21.51% | SCHD |
| 2025 | +22.41% | +4.34% | ACWI |
| 2024 | +17.45% | +11.66% | ACWI |
| 2023 | +22.27% | +4.54% | ACWI |
| 2022 | -18.39% | -3.26% | SCHD |
| 2021 | +18.66% | +29.88% | SCHD |
| 2020 | +16.34% | +15.03% | ACWI |
| 2019 | +26.59% | +27.29% | SCHD |
| 2018 | -9.12% | -5.56% | SCHD |
| 2017 | +24.33% | +20.85% | ACWI |
| 2016 | +8.40% | +16.45% | SCHD |
| 2015 | -2.21% | -0.30% | SCHD |
| 2014 | +3.83% | +11.68% | SCHD |
| 2013 | +22.38% | +32.88% | SCHD |
| 2012 | +16.75% | +11.39% | ACWI |
| 2011 | -7.82% | +5.31% | SCHD |
| 2010 | +12.78% | — | — |
| 2009 | +32.36% | — | — |
| 2008 | -35.29% | — | — |
ACWI vs SCHD in plain words
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI Index while SCHD follows the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. ACWI charges 0.32% a year in running costs and SCHD charges 0.06% — SCHD is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 16 calendar years both funds were trading, ACWI finished the year ahead 6 times and SCHD 10 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,708 in ACWI versus $29,781 in SCHD by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: ACWI vs SCHD
| Fact | ACWI | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF |
| Tracks | MSCI ACWI Index | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.32% | 0.06% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 26 Mar 2008 | 20 Oct 2011 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in ACWI became | What $10,000 in SCHD became |
How bumpy the ride was: ACWI vs SCHD
These head-to-head figures use only the 3,761 trading days both funds were listed: 20 Oct 2011 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 14.9 years.
ACWI swung more than SCHD: annualised volatility of 16.4% for ACWI against 15.3% for SCHD, with ACWI moving 1% or more on 23.4% of trading days and SCHD on 19.9%. ACWI's worst day was -11.22% on 16 Mar 2020; SCHD's was -9.95% on 12 Mar 2020.
Both funds suffered a drawdown of about the same depth: ACWI fell -33.53% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 24 Aug 2020, 5 months after the low; SCHD fell -33.37% from its peak on 23 Jan 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 2 Sept 2020, 5 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.86, and they closed in opposite directions on 18.9% of the 3,760 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 30 Jul 2026, when ACWI moved +2.09% and SCHD -1.24%.
| Measure | ACWI | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 16.4% | 15.3% |
| Worst day | -11.22% on 16 Mar 2020 | -9.95% on 12 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +8.79% on 9 Apr 2025 | +8.79% on 13 Mar 2020 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 23.4% of days | 19.9% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -33.53% | -33.37% |
| Peak to trough | 12 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 | 23 Jan 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 |
| Back above the old peak | 24 Aug 2020 · 5 months | 2 Sept 2020 · 5 months |
Years ACWI and SCHD parted ways
In 10 of the 15 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2025: ACWI returned +22.41% and SCHD +4.34%, a gap of 18.1 points. They rose together in 11 years, fell together in 3 years and went opposite ways in 1 year.
| Year | ACWI | SCHD | Gap (ACWI − SCHD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +22.41% | +4.34% | +18.1 pts |
| 2024 | +17.45% | +11.66% | +5.8 pts |
| 2023 | +22.27% | +4.54% | +17.7 pts |
| 2022 | -18.39% | -3.26% | -15.1 pts |
| 2021 | +18.66% | +29.88% | -11.2 pts |
| 2016 | +8.40% | +16.45% | -8.1 pts |
| 2014 | +3.83% | +11.68% | -7.9 pts |
| 2013 | +22.38% | +32.88% | -10.5 pts |
| 2012 | +16.75% | +11.39% | +5.4 pts |
| 2011 | -7.82% | +5.31% | -13.1 pts |
How often ACWI beat SCHD over any 12 months
Across the 168 rolling 12-month windows since October 2011, measured month-end to month-end, ACWI finished ahead in 39.3% of them (66) and SCHD in 60.7% (102).
$200 a month into each, 2012–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2012 to December 2025 (168 payments, $33,600 in total) would have grown to $79,279 in ACWI and $76,130 in SCHD, leaving ACWI $3,149 ahead.
| Outcome | ACWI | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $33,600 | $33,600 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $79,279 | $76,130 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$45,679 | +$42,530 |
| Gain in % | +135.95% | +126.58% |
Each payment rides the return of the month it lands in, dividends reinvested. Only calendar years with all twelve months of data for both funds count, so the plan may start later than the shared history.
Frequently asked
Is ACWI or SCHD better?
Across the 16 calendar years both funds were trading, ACWI finished the year ahead 6 times and SCHD 10 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $30,708 in ACWI versus $29,781 in SCHD by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested. Past returns don't promise future ones — but this is what actually happened.
What is the difference between ACWI and SCHD?
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI Index while SCHD follows the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. ACWI charges 0.32% a year in running costs and SCHD charges 0.06% — SCHD is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
Which is more volatile, ACWI or SCHD?
ACWI swung more than SCHD: annualised volatility of 16.4% for ACWI against 15.3% for SCHD, with ACWI moving 1% or more on 23.4% of trading days and SCHD on 19.9%. ACWI's worst day was -11.22% on 16 Mar 2020; SCHD's was -9.95% on 12 Mar 2020.
Which had the deeper drawdown, ACWI or SCHD?
Both funds suffered a drawdown of about the same depth: ACWI fell -33.53% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 24 Aug 2020, 5 months after the low; SCHD fell -33.37% from its peak on 23 Jan 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 2 Sept 2020, 5 months after the low.
How often did ACWI beat SCHD over a 12-month period?
Across the 168 rolling 12-month windows since October 2011, measured month-end to month-end, ACWI finished ahead in 39.3% of them (66) and SCHD in 60.7% (102).
What would $10,000 in ACWI have become?
$10,000 invested in ACWI at the start of 2016 grew to $30,708 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 11.9% per year.
Related comparisons
More head-to-heads featuring ACWI or SCHD.
Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the US primary listings, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.