QQQM 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.
QQQM
SCHD
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexSCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
What did the last 5 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. Both funds are measured over the same 5 full years (2021–2025) — the longest stretch both were trading.
QQQM 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 | QQQM | SCHD | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.88% | +21.51% | SCHD |
| 2025 | +20.85% | +4.34% | QQQM |
| 2024 | +25.68% | +11.66% | QQQM |
| 2023 | +55.01% | +4.54% | QQQM |
| 2022 | -32.52% | -3.26% | SCHD |
| 2021 | +27.45% | +29.88% | SCHD |
| 2020 | +6.67% | +15.03% | SCHD |
| 2019 | — | +27.29% | — |
| 2018 | — | -5.56% | — |
| 2017 | — | +20.85% | — |
| 2016 | — | +16.45% | — |
| 2015 | — | -0.30% | — |
| 2014 | — | +11.68% | — |
| 2013 | — | +32.88% | — |
| 2012 | — | +11.39% | — |
| 2011 | — | +5.31% | — |
QQQM vs SCHD in plain words
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 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. QQQM charges 0.15% 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 7 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQM finished the year ahead 3 times and SCHD 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $15,304 in SCHD by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQM vs SCHD
| Fact | QQQM | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF | Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.15% | 0.06% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 13 Oct 2020 | 20 Oct 2011 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in QQQM became | What $10,000 in SCHD became |
How bumpy the ride was: QQQM vs SCHD
These head-to-head figures use only the 1,502 trading days both funds were listed: 13 Oct 2020 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 6.0 years.
QQQM swung more than SCHD: annualised volatility of 22.2% for QQQM against 14.6% for SCHD, with QQQM moving 1% or more on 40.3% of trading days and SCHD on 22.4%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: QQQM closed -6.11% and SCHD -5.42%.
QQQM had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.04% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low; SCHD fell -16.84% from its peak on 11 Jan 2022 to a low on 30 Sept 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 28 Dec 2023, 14 months after the low.
Day to day the two often go their own way: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.55, and they closed in opposite directions on 35.4% of the 1,501 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Nov 2020, when QQQM moved -2.07% and SCHD +4.76%.
| Measure | QQQM | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 22.2% | 14.6% |
| Worst day | -6.11% on 4 Apr 2025 | -5.42% on 4 Apr 2025 |
| Best day | +11.74% on 9 Apr 2025 | +6.37% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 40.3% of days | 22.4% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.04% | -16.84% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Nov 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 | 11 Jan 2022 → 30 Sept 2022 |
| Back above the old peak | 12 Dec 2023 · 13 months | 28 Dec 2023 · 14 months |
Years QQQM and SCHD parted ways
In 5 of the 6 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2023: QQQM returned +55.01% and SCHD +4.54%, a gap of 50.5 points. They rose together in 5 years and fell together in 1 year.
| Year | QQQM | SCHD | Gap (QQQM − SCHD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +20.85% | +4.34% | +16.5 pts |
| 2024 | +25.68% | +11.66% | +14.0 pts |
| 2023 | +55.01% | +4.54% | +50.5 pts |
| 2022 | -32.52% | -3.26% | -29.3 pts |
| 2020 | +6.67% | +15.03% | -8.4 pts |
How often QQQM beat SCHD over any 12 months
Across the 60 rolling 12-month windows since October 2020, measured month-end to month-end, QQQM finished ahead in 68.3% of them (41) and SCHD in 31.7% (19).
$200 a month into each, 2021–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2021 to December 2025 (60 payments, $12,000 in total) would have grown to $19,699 in QQQM and $14,281 in SCHD, leaving QQQM $5,418 ahead.
| Outcome | QQQM | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $19,699 | $14,281 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$7,699 | +$2,281 |
| Gain in % | +64.16% | +19.01% |
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 QQQM or SCHD better?
Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQM finished the year ahead 3 times and SCHD 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $15,304 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 QQQM and SCHD?
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 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. QQQM charges 0.15% 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, QQQM or SCHD?
QQQM swung more than SCHD: annualised volatility of 22.2% for QQQM against 14.6% for SCHD, with QQQM moving 1% or more on 40.3% of trading days and SCHD on 22.4%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: QQQM closed -6.11% and SCHD -5.42%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, QQQM or SCHD?
QQQM had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.04% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low; SCHD fell -16.84% from its peak on 11 Jan 2022 to a low on 30 Sept 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 28 Dec 2023, 14 months after the low.
How often did QQQM beat SCHD over a 12-month period?
Across the 60 rolling 12-month windows since October 2020, measured month-end to month-end, QQQM finished ahead in 68.3% of them (41) and SCHD in 31.7% (19).
What would $10,000 in QQQM have become?
$10,000 invested in QQQM at the start of 2021 grew to $20,250 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 15.2% per year.
Related comparisons
More head-to-heads featuring QQQM 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.