ETF Versus

IEFA vs SCHD

iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF vs Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

IEFA iShares

iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to equities in developed international markets outside the U.S.. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.33%. Launched in 2012, the fund has a 14-year track record.

AUM: $179.4B ER: 0.07% Yield: 3.33% Since: Oct 18, 2012
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 3.44%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $86.0B ER: 0.06% Yield: 3.44% Since: Oct 20, 2011

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.06% vs 0.07%), so fees are not a differentiator here. Over the past year, IEFA has significantly outperformed with a 33.2% return vs 22.8%.

Key Metrics

Metric IEFA SCHD
Expense Ratio 0.07% 0.06%
Dividend Yield 3.3% 3.4%
Fund Family iShares Schwab
Category International Developed US Dividend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 83 96 109 122 135 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
IEFA +29.1%
SCHD +23.5%

Performance Comparison

Period IEFA SCHD Difference
1 Month +3.15% -1.10% +4.25%
3 Months +2.82% +7.58% -4.76%
6 Months +9.76% +15.13% -5.37%
YTD +5.46% +10.57% -5.11%
1 Year +33.17% +22.79% +10.38%
3 Years +41.47% +25.07% +16.40%
5 Years +29.07% +23.53% +5.54%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IEFA Fees SCHD Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $140 $120 $20
$10,000 20 years $600 $515 $85
$10,000 30 years $1,938 $1,664 $275
$50,000 10 years $698 $598 $99
$50,000 30 years $9,692 $8,318 $1,373
$100,000 30 years $19,383 $16,637 $2,747

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IEFA SCHD
Annualized Volatility 16.7% 14.6%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -18.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.12 0.06

Dividend Comparison

Metric IEFA SCHD
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.18 $1.06
Dividend Yield 3.34% 3.44%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 10 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IEFA Top Holdings

NameWeight
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML2.18%
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN1.26%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA1.22%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN1.16%
Roche Holding AG!swx/ROP1.11%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL1.03%
Nestlé S.A.!swx/NESN1.02%
Commonwealth Bank of Australia!asx/CBA0.84%
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft!etr/SIE0.82%
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/83060.81%

SCHD Top Holdings

NameWeight
Chevron CorporationCVX4.41%
ConocoPhillipsCOP4.28%
Merck & Co., Inc.MRK4.15%
The Coca-Cola CompanyKO4.08%
Texas Instruments IncorporatedTXN4.07%
UnitedHealth Group IncorporatedUNH3.98%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ3.96%
PepsiCo, Inc.PEP3.95%
Abbott LaboratoriesABT3.73%
Amgen Inc.AMGN3.73%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IEFA if...

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

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