VGT 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.
VGT
SCHD
VGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 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.
VGT 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 | VGT | SCHD | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +33.83% | +21.51% | VGT |
| 2025 | +21.77% | +4.34% | VGT |
| 2024 | +29.30% | +11.66% | VGT |
| 2023 | +52.66% | +4.54% | VGT |
| 2022 | -29.70% | -3.26% | SCHD |
| 2021 | +30.45% | +29.88% | VGT |
| 2020 | +46.04% | +15.03% | VGT |
| 2019 | +48.62% | +27.29% | VGT |
| 2018 | +2.46% | -5.56% | VGT |
| 2017 | +37.08% | +20.85% | VGT |
| 2016 | +13.77% | +16.45% | SCHD |
| 2015 | +5.05% | -0.30% | VGT |
| 2014 | +16.69% | +11.68% | VGT |
| 2013 | +30.97% | +32.88% | SCHD |
| 2012 | +13.96% | +11.39% | VGT |
| 2011 | +0.54% | +5.31% | SCHD |
| 2010 | +12.78% | — | — |
| 2009 | +61.89% | — | — |
| 2008 | -42.82% | — | — |
| 2007 | +14.78% | — | — |
| 2006 | +8.85% | — | — |
| 2005 | +3.00% | — | — |
| 2004 | -2.86% | — | — |
VGT vs SCHD in plain words
VGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 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. VGT charges 0.09% 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, VGT finished the year ahead 12 times and SCHD 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $76,464 in VGT versus $29,781 in SCHD by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VGT vs SCHD
| Fact | VGT | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Information Technology ETF | Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF |
| Tracks | MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.09% | 0.06% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 26 Jan 2004 | 20 Oct 2011 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VGT became | What $10,000 in SCHD became |
How bumpy the ride was: VGT 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.
VGT swung more than SCHD: annualised volatility of 22.5% for VGT against 15.3% for SCHD, with VGT moving 1% or more on 36.6% of trading days and SCHD on 19.9%. VGT's worst day was -13.49% on 16 Mar 2020; SCHD's was -9.95% on 12 Mar 2020.
VGT had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.07% from its peak on 27 Dec 2021 to a low on 14 Oct 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 20 Nov 2023, 13 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 0.70, and they closed in opposite directions on 27.6% of the 3,760 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Apr 2025, when VGT moved +13.48% and SCHD +6.37%.
| Measure | VGT | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 22.5% | 15.3% |
| Worst day | -13.49% on 16 Mar 2020 | -9.95% on 12 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +13.48% on 9 Apr 2025 | +8.79% on 13 Mar 2020 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 36.6% of days | 19.9% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.07% | -33.37% |
| Peak to trough | 27 Dec 2021 → 14 Oct 2022 | 23 Jan 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 |
| Back above the old peak | 20 Nov 2023 · 13 months | 2 Sept 2020 · 5 months |
Years VGT 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 2023: VGT returned +52.66% and SCHD +4.54%, a gap of 48.1 points. They rose together in 12 years, fell together in 1 year and went opposite ways in 2 years.
| Year | VGT | SCHD | Gap (VGT − SCHD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +21.77% | +4.34% | +17.4 pts |
| 2024 | +29.30% | +11.66% | +17.6 pts |
| 2023 | +52.66% | +4.54% | +48.1 pts |
| 2022 | -29.70% | -3.26% | -26.4 pts |
| 2020 | +46.04% | +15.03% | +31.0 pts |
| 2019 | +48.62% | +27.29% | +21.3 pts |
| 2018 | +2.46% | -5.56% | +8.0 pts |
| 2017 | +37.08% | +20.85% | +16.2 pts |
| 2015 | +5.05% | -0.30% | +5.3 pts |
| 2014 | +16.69% | +11.68% | +5.0 pts |
How often VGT beat SCHD over any 12 months
Across the 168 rolling 12-month windows since October 2011, measured month-end to month-end, VGT finished ahead in 74.4% of them (125) and SCHD in 25.6% (43).
$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 $175,735 in VGT and $76,130 in SCHD, leaving VGT $99,605 ahead.
| Outcome | VGT | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $33,600 | $33,600 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $175,735 | $76,130 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$142,135 | +$42,530 |
| Gain in % | +423.02% | +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 VGT or SCHD better?
Across the 16 calendar years both funds were trading, VGT finished the year ahead 12 times and SCHD 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $76,464 in VGT 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 VGT and SCHD?
VGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 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. VGT charges 0.09% 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, VGT or SCHD?
VGT swung more than SCHD: annualised volatility of 22.5% for VGT against 15.3% for SCHD, with VGT moving 1% or more on 36.6% of trading days and SCHD on 19.9%. VGT's worst day was -13.49% on 16 Mar 2020; SCHD's was -9.95% on 12 Mar 2020.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VGT or SCHD?
VGT had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.07% from its peak on 27 Dec 2021 to a low on 14 Oct 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 20 Nov 2023, 13 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 VGT beat SCHD over a 12-month period?
Across the 168 rolling 12-month windows since October 2011, measured month-end to month-end, VGT finished ahead in 74.4% of them (125) and SCHD in 25.6% (43).
What would $10,000 in VGT have become?
$10,000 invested in VGT at the start of 2016 grew to $76,464 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 22.6% per year.
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.