OriginaveSCHD vs VUG: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
SCHD
SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
- SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index
- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
VUG
- SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
- VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
- QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
- SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index
- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 IndexVUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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.
SCHD vs VUG, 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 | SCHD | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +21.51% | +11.18% | SCHD |
| 2025 | +4.34% | +19.40% | VUG |
| 2024 | +11.66% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +4.54% | +46.83% | VUG |
| 2022 | -3.26% | -33.16% | SCHD |
| 2021 | +29.88% | +27.35% | SCHD |
| 2020 | +15.03% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | +27.29% | +37.03% | VUG |
| 2018 | -5.56% | -3.32% | VUG |
| 2017 | +20.85% | +27.72% | VUG |
| 2016 | +16.45% | +6.27% | SCHD |
| 2015 | -0.30% | +3.24% | VUG |
| 2014 | +11.68% | +13.61% | VUG |
| 2013 | +32.88% | +32.48% | SCHD |
| 2012 | +11.39% | +17.01% | VUG |
| 2011 | +5.31% | +1.82% | SCHD |
| 2010 | — | +17.22% | — |
| 2009 | — | +36.14% | — |
| 2008 | — | -38.02% | — |
| 2007 | — | +12.52% | — |
| 2006 | — | +9.19% | — |
| 2005 | — | +5.02% | — |
| 2004 | — | +4.99% | — |
SCHD vs VUG in plain words
SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SCHD charges 0.06% a year in running costs and VUG charges 0.03% — VUG 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, SCHD finished the year ahead 6 times and VUG 10 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $29,781 in SCHD versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: SCHD vs VUG
| Fact | SCHD | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.06% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 20 Oct 2011 | 26 Jan 2004 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in SCHD became | What $10,000 in VUG became |
How bumpy the ride was: SCHD vs VUG
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.
VUG swung more than SCHD: annualised volatility of 15.3% for SCHD against 19.5% for VUG, with SCHD moving 1% or more on 19.9% of trading days and VUG on 30.1%. SCHD's worst day was -9.95% on 12 Mar 2020; VUG's was -12.62% on 16 Mar 2020.
VUG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.61% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 23 Jan 2024, 14 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 often go their own way: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.74, and they closed in opposite directions on 25.3% of the 3,760 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Nov 2020, when SCHD moved +4.76% and VUG -1.54%.
| Measure | SCHD | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 15.3% | 19.5% |
| Worst day | -9.95% on 12 Mar 2020 | -12.62% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +8.79% on 13 Mar 2020 | +11.63% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 19.9% of days | 30.1% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -33.37% | -35.61% |
| Peak to trough | 23 Jan 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 | 19 Nov 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 |
| Back above the old peak | 2 Sept 2020 · 5 months | 23 Jan 2024 · 14 months |
Years SCHD and VUG parted ways
In 9 of the 15 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2023: SCHD returned +4.54% and VUG +46.83%, a gap of 42.3 points. They rose together in 12 years, fell together in 2 years and went opposite ways in 1 year.
| Year | SCHD | VUG | Gap (SCHD − VUG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +4.34% | +19.40% | -15.1 pts |
| 2024 | +11.66% | +32.69% | -21.0 pts |
| 2023 | +4.54% | +46.83% | -42.3 pts |
| 2022 | -3.26% | -33.16% | +29.9 pts |
| 2020 | +15.03% | +40.25% | -25.2 pts |
| 2019 | +27.29% | +37.03% | -9.7 pts |
| 2017 | +20.85% | +27.72% | -6.9 pts |
| 2016 | +16.45% | +6.27% | +10.2 pts |
| 2012 | +11.39% | +17.01% | -5.6 pts |
How often SCHD beat VUG over any 12 months
Across the 168 rolling 12-month windows since October 2011, measured month-end to month-end, SCHD finished ahead in 32.7% of them (55) and VUG in 67.3% (113).
$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 $76,130 in SCHD and $125,066 in VUG, leaving VUG $48,935 ahead.
| Outcome | SCHD | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $33,600 | $33,600 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $76,130 | $125,066 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$42,530 | +$91,466 |
| Gain in % | +126.58% | +272.22% |
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 SCHD or VUG better?
Across the 16 calendar years both funds were trading, SCHD finished the year ahead 6 times and VUG 10 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $29,781 in SCHD versus $49,942 in VUG 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 SCHD and VUG?
SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SCHD charges 0.06% a year in running costs and VUG charges 0.03% — VUG 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, SCHD or VUG?
VUG swung more than SCHD: annualised volatility of 15.3% for SCHD against 19.5% for VUG, with SCHD moving 1% or more on 19.9% of trading days and VUG on 30.1%. SCHD's worst day was -9.95% on 12 Mar 2020; VUG's was -12.62% on 16 Mar 2020.
Which had the deeper drawdown, SCHD or VUG?
VUG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.61% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 23 Jan 2024, 14 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 SCHD beat VUG over a 12-month period?
Across the 168 rolling 12-month windows since October 2011, measured month-end to month-end, SCHD finished ahead in 32.7% of them (55) and VUG in 67.3% (113).
What would $10,000 in SCHD have become?
$10,000 invested in SCHD at the start of 2016 grew to $29,781 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 11.5% per year.
Related comparisons
More head-to-heads featuring SCHD or VUG.
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.