3 ETFs That Beat SCHD Quietly Over the Last 3 Years

The Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (NYSE:SCHD) is one of the best-run dividend funds available. This is an easy statement to make when you consider its 3.44% yield, rock-bottom expense ratio of 0.06%, and a 10-year annualized return of roughly 12.38%. All of these numbers combine to make it a portfolio staple for millions of income investors. 

Rest assured that this is not a takedown of this fund; on the contrary, what follows are three funds that have quietly outperformed it on specific, verifiable dimensions, including total return, downside protection, and income, without getting nearly the attention they deserve. 

Each one wins on a different metric, and none are better than the Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF at everything. Where each one leads is a meaningful gap, and that is well worth considering. 

iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF: The Total Return Winner

The iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (NYSE:DGRO) is the easiest case to make on pure numbers. Its 10-year annualized return of 13.01% edges past the Schwab fund’s comparable figure over the same period. The current yield sits at 1.96%, lower than the Schwab fund’s, but the dividend growth rate of roughly 9.2% annually over five years means that gap narrows for investors who hold through compounding cycles. 

What the iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF offers that the Schwab fund does not is breadth. With 445 holdings against the Schwab fund’s roughly 100, you get significantly broader diversification across the dividend-growth universe. The expense ratio is 0.08%, and the net assets of $38.83 billion signal institutional acceptance that validates long-term confidence. 

For investors who care most about where the total return number lands a decade from now, this fund has earned a serious look. 

ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF: The Bear Market Shield

The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NYSE:NOBL) makes a different argument entirely. It holds only companies that have raised their dividend for at least 25 consecutive years, or 67 names that have survived recessions, rate cycles, and market dislocations without cutting their payout. The current yield is 1.94% with a 0.35% expense ratio and $12.01 billion in net assets. 

The performance that makes this fund worth discussing in 2026 is what it did when markets fell apart. The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF outperformed SPY by roughly seven percentage points during the 2022 bear market. This kind of downside cushion is impossible to undervalue when prices are falling. The YTD return of 2.28% in a volatile early 2026 environment shows the same quality at work. 

This is not the highest-yield fund or the cheapest, but it is the fund most likely to hold its value when everything else is losing ground, which, for retirees, is often the most important metric that gets overlooked. 

Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF: The Income Solution

The Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF (NYSE:DIVO) takes a different approach to income entirely, offering a monthly yield of 4.90%, well above the Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF’s quarterly yield. The expense ratio of 0.56% reflects the active management required to run a selective covered call overlay on top of a high-quality large-cap equity portfolio. 

The distinction worth understanding is how the Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF generates that yield. Rather than mechanically writing at-the-money calls that cap all upside, managers selectively write calls on individual positions based on market conditions. 

This work allows for more price participation while still collecting option premiums to boost the monthly distribution. Net assets of $6.58 billion and a YTD return of 2.35% reflect a fund delivering on both income and stability so far in 2026. For investors who need more cash flow than the Schwab fund provides but do not want the volatility of a pure options-income strategy, the Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF fills a specific and important gap. 

The Bottom Line

The Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF remains one of the best single-fund dividend solutions available today. However, the best portfolios are rarely built on a single fund. The iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF offers superior long-term total return. The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF offers downside protection that is hard to replicate elsewhere.

The Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF offers higher monthly income, backed by quality controls that most yield-focused funds skip. Together, they fill gaps that the Schwab fund, by design, was never built to fill.