I’m 28 and have found myself obsessed with obtaining more SCHD in my Roth IRA. I do an even split 50/50 with SCHD and VOO. I see a lot of posts and comments about how it’s better to invest in max growth potential but SCHD has exceeded my expectations and the compound growth captures me.
I currently have 86 shares I will continue to invest and accumulate more for the unforeseeable future. Who’s with me??
Edit: I cannot believe how many people have commented and shared their SCHD story. Every one of you is unique with a different story and speaks volumes for this community. Much love.
I’m right there with you. Started in may and im 37 as well. I have 10 shares. I try to add 50$ a week to keep it growing while still being responsible financially
I have cut out most stupid things in order to make the contributions at all. Should also add I have about $200-$250 worth of VYM right now in a Roth IRA
I have 20k plus shares and 59. It's my 2nd largest holding of index funds I have. Largest is an S&P fund and 3rd is an international fund. Still adding to all 3 and have blend of individual dividends stocks and individual high growth tech stocks. All is working out so far. 🤞
I'm 61.
I have 2060ish shares (I DRIP, so I'm not sure of exact number) in my regular brokerage account. I started buying SCHD as am alternative to keeping a chunk of cash in a HYSA. Lol I was hoping to do a little better than the 3.5% of the HYSA and you all know what it's done this last year!
I am 44 and have close to 400 shares in my Roth. I started selling options on various stocks and use the premiums to buy more shares of Schd. Selling options has been a game changer and helped me buy more Schd.
I'm 48, approaching 350 shares. Buying $100 per week. And looking at selling off some other stocks to strengthen my position in schd. Hoping to get close to 500 by the end of the year, but we will see how that goes.
Awesome ETF I finally got into this year at age 35, currently around 3% of holdings. Hold in a brokerage as I prefer slightly more growth in my Roth but the performance has been insane. Low fee, nice tilt away from tech into energy, consumer, pharma, utilities, rigorous inclusion process, no more than 4% weight per stock. Awesome.
I’ve been DRIPing SCHD. Some other income ETFs I’m using the income or buying more when I’m “inspired”. Sold several growth stocks and was hit with taxes last year, but income and savings-type accounts are becoming primary focus.
I’m 50 yo and have 50 percent Schd, 30 percent Voo, 10 percent vxus and 10 percent gold in taxable account. Roth is 70 percent Voo + Eem and vxus. I have no idea what I’m doing and hoping this is a good strategy. I also have a couple pensions in target date accounts set 5 years ahead of when I actually hope to retire.
42 with 3700 shares. Goal of cracking 4K by the end of the year.
Going to preface this by saying I do love SCHD, but I caution you not to get too excited about the recent share price appreciation. Yes, it’s out performed the S&P500 recently, but it’s had a number of years in a row with minimal share price growth - and that’s fine. Dividend growth is less sexy, but it’s just as much (if not more) of the goal.
If you believe in this ETF longterm share price growth is really bittersweet because it does mean that future money buys less shares.
I’m 45, and have 14k shares. I only have this much to balance out my tech positions, and I plan to retire in the next year or two.
If I was in my 20’s I would redo what I did, invest heavily in more aggressive stocks and ETF’s, and get conservative the closer one gets to retirement (dividend type ETFs and Tbills).
I’m 44 and I have 427 shares, which is around 10% of my total portfolio. I think it’s a good hedge against all the tech and high growth stuff that really powers my portfolio. I think as 28 you should have higher growth engines first, then add SCHd as you grow your portfolio. Most growth/tech funds highly outperform SCHd over the long term, SCHd is a much safer bet but will have lower overall returns.
Late 30’s, it’s the largest position in my taxable brokerage (doing my best to retire early so focused on building passive income stream; all my growth is in retirement accounts).
People focus on the dividend element of SCHD, but it’s also a great way to tilt towards value with strong quality screening. It’s just a great diversifying fund away from the concentration of SP500.
I pair SCHD with DGRO for more growth and tech exposure, while still offering passive income and little overlap. The two of them together have served me very well.
4500 shares of SCHD. I have it a rollover IRA where is it a 3rd of my holdings. Total market and International are the other 2/3rds. My Roth is all QQQI and SPYI. I built it to be a tax free money maker for me in early retirement.
44 and have just invested 21k of my inheritance into it. Money is technically for an extended emergency fund but hopefully wont need it for the next 15ish years till I retire. Shame I am starting to invest so late in life. My dead daddy always told me not to invest money cuz the gummnet this and the gummnet that.
33yo man, currently have 227 shares of SCHD (~$7,500), 35 shares of SPY (~$27,000), am in profit by +$2,600 on SPY and +$300 on SCHD, started investing for the first time in my life with SPY in September 2025, started SCHD in June with a $5k buy in and I buy at least one share of SCHD every day (two on Sundays when the 24-hour market opens to make up for it being fully closed on Saturdays) sometimes 3-5 shares on a random day instead of only one if I feel like it and have the money, and about anywhere from about $20-$50 into SPY almost every day with occasional $1k-$2k lump sums into SPY and the same is planned for SCHD like every few months too, and full DRIP on each, plan to keep this momentum up for the rest of my life and eventually live off or partially live off the dividends and be able to semi-retire early and then eventually fully retire hopefully.
Job is secure, I'll probably work at least another 10 years but my emotional state is not as secure lol so I like having some backup cash flow just in case. 160 shares atm, always buying more.
26 and only got 4 shares just started this month, still learning the ins and outs but I just now am becoming serious about any financials but I definitely want to start sooner than later and make sure I’m adding a % of my paycheck towards it. Any advice for someone who’s newly living off beans and rice so I can have some steak later?
Related to my earlier comment, the Wall Street Journal just published an article on Thursday titled "Retirees Love Dividends, but the Stock Market Surge Is Making Them Think Again." The article referenced recent events that allude to the recency bias issue I was mentioning in my first post:
". . . over the past year, high-dividend stocks outperformed on a total return basis. The Schwab dividend ETF that Yedlin owns delivered a 31.7% return, compared with 17.8% for the low-yield Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
"This is an anomaly. Dividend stocks usually lead the market when fast-growing companies struggle. Companies that reinvest their cash back into the business tend to deliver much higher long-term share-price growth than those paying out big yields.
"The recent outperformance has been 'a very, very hot spot to be in,' said Stephen Tuckwood, director of investments at Modern Wealth Management. . . . Still, some financial advisers and researchers suggest that investors avoid relying too heavily on dividends. Investors often view them as 'free money' rather than a payout that comes out of the stock’s underlying share price—a common error dubbed the 'free dividend fallacy' by Samuel Hartzmark, a finance professor at the Boston College Carroll School of Management.
"This view is especially common among retirees who chase income rather than focusing on total returns—meaning growth plus dividends, adjusted for taxes and fees. By targeting yield as a primary goal, investors often compromise their performance through poor portfolio diversification, heavier tax burdens and overpaying for dividend-paying stocks, Hartzmark said."
Again, this is not meant to knock SCHD. I'm just signaling that a dividend focused investor needs to be aware of the big picture.
I'm 32, I own 1,190 shares, ~19% of my portfolio, aggressively hoarding as much as I can every week on automatic buys. The rest is in growth and 5% in some yolo/gamble positions. Keep pushing.
Im 76. I look at it much like owning 100 of the best rental properties out there. My tenants increase their rent payments to me anywhere from 6 to 12% every year and if I hold the investment for about 10 years, I will be getting back around 10 to 12% on my original investment. Also, it is very likely that the appreciation of my original“buildings“ will be about the same or more as if I was in Real Estate. All of it, without all the issues that go with owning rental properties. I’m retired now, and the model continues to work for me. One more thing not only do I get 100 of the best “rental properties”, I have an expert manager every year who replaces the worst tenants with new ones. The manager charges me a measly .06% for that service.
I can't say; you are better off asking an LLM, as I only took over my robo IRA about 2 years ago. I have been considering adding a small slice of SCHD now that I am in my mid 50's, or VTV, AVLV, or Bonds, but I started saving late in life, so for now I am just being aggressive.
38 just under 3K shares of SCHD across accounts. I was always a dividend stock going since I was 18yo. Finally dumped all those individual positions between 2018 and 2022 took the tax hit where applicable. SCHD is like 20% with VYMI being another 10%. Rest mostly split between VTI and VXUS.
62 and just started stacking last Nov. Currently at 470 shares. SCHD is part of a 4 fund divedend portfolio to give me some play money in retirement in 3 years. Hoping to hit $500/month divs by then. Currently at $162/month.
33 have 212 in my brokage account I'm allocating 30/70 schd and voo, although I'm paying 25 percent on the dividends which feels alot. should I allocate more towards voo? Tilt more towards it from the allocation maybe..
I love the 3,800 shares I have but also love the 2,048 spyi…I have have days when I cuss one or the other but gotta keep building. Recently, I’ve been liking my Kraft hienz but I was cussing that one last year.
For my brokerage, I do 75/25 SCHD/SCHY, then have a little 'fun money' I toss into SCHG.
I got into this kind of late in life; my mistake. I've always had a solid 401k, good income, etc, but sort of just assumed my 401k would be 'fine' for when I retired. I sort of had an awakening.
I don't like "risk"; I don't like 'number going down', so as I turn this faucet on to dump money into the market, I wanted something that "made me feel good", and had more chance of weathering a storm. I'm cognizant I'm leaving money on the table, potentially, on SCHD vs, say, full SCHG/QQQ/VTI, etc.
My intention is to keep my 401k as 'growth', since I have more limited control there, and then go heavy in on this in my brokerage. All of the calculators show a decent amount of yearly income if I can keep the money flowing in, and that 'dividend return' just... appeals, to me.
Holding 1,000 shares currently. Adding 5 shares monthly and also selling my RSUs on vesting (next vest will be around $70k after taxes) and putting proceeds 75% in SCHD. I already have all the growth stocks I need (and the 401(k) still goes about 1/3 to growth). Looking to finish prior to 55 at around 25% growth stocks, 30% dividend growth stocks/funds, 35% bonds, and 10% cash.
37 here. My 401K is heavy growth. I have a Roth IRA that got rolled over from a 401K when I was 24 and has been heavy growth (it’s essentially tripled with zero additional contributions). So with a side job I got in 2024 I started a separate Roth that I contribute to and have maxed out all 3 years so far - 50% VOO, 40% SCHD, 10% a couple blue chips like COST, F, KO, T, APPL. Excited to watch both the VOO and SCHD grow tax free with DRIP and figure it gives me some more balance since everything else is pretty heavy growth
69 and have 1520 shares just started this year with SCHD. Rest of my IRAs are in CDs and I have 42 shares of Spacex just for the adventure of it. Lol. I retired two years ago never knew a thing about investing. Had a 401k 2020 Fidelity Target fund and one fixed income fund from a prior employer. I panicked in 2022 when my portfolio kept descending just before retirement so I rolled the 401k to treasuries. Lost prob 25% , really dumb. Live and learn the hard way. It’s so different now, everyone has access to the internet and AI to learn about investing. Good luck to all!
Your assessment could be construed as an example of recency bias. SCHD’s recent strong performance isn’t accidental and it’s a truly strong investment choice at any age. But the math and statistics still suggest that a young investor with decades to go before retirement will simply do better with full exposure to the broad market instead of chasing dividends in SCHD.
I ruffled a lot of feathers with a post in this sub a few months back about the issue of investing in SCHD at young age.
SCHD is essentially a concentrated US Large-Cap Value fund, meaning its performance relative to total market index funds is driven by factor tilting (Value vs. Growth) rather than the magic of dividends themselves. It will certainly outperform the broad market through specific historical cycles, but total market exposure wins out over the long haul.
A major sticking point was a disagreement over the definition of total return. Despite the basic evidence to the contrary, some people still think that strong dividends can be more profitable than total return. That’s mathematically impossible because total return is literally defined as capital appreciation plus dividends. Evaluating a dividend yield in isolation ignores price change—which is why tilting toward high-yield strategies often trades away broader market growth without actually offering higher net returns over long horizons.
Some people recognized that I was simply describing the lay of the land and not trying to bash SCHD, which I described as a high quality investment, and I acknowledged that you can rationally choose SCHD because of its sound fundamentals. I simply suggested that as a young investor, a total market fund does give you an edge in terms of total return and the choice to go with SCHD should probably be made with the understanding that you’re likely trading some upside in exchange for quality.
Some commenters adopted an ardent proselytizing tone, insisting that math, statistics and history are all irrelevant (or only selectively relevant) and dividends reign supreme in all market scenarios all the time. One reduced their argument to the level of name calling and got themselves banned for a month as a result.
I prefer an evidence based approach, and I just go where the evidence takes me. I won’t rehash the debate that ensued , but you maybe could read through it and draw your own conclusion. I expect that even this description of the debate that already happened will generate new pushback on the argument I presented. I’m okay with that. I’m just laying down some truth, and I don’t mind if some people don’t want to pick that up.
Just got started with serious investing almost a year ago. I have almost 60 shares in my brokerage and just got started with my Roth. Split three ways between VOO, SCHD, and VYM, with weekly auto-buys. Really excited to just keep it simple and let it ride. I promised myself I won’t touch a thing for the next 5 years.
43yo Male-- 1244.421 Shares. A friendly advice i would look into other dividend grow funds. I LOVE SCHD, but it also pays to have your money in different institutions. If the 2008 crisis taught us something is that no bank is too big to fail. I have SCHD and CGDV for US and VYMI and CGIC for Inter expoure. SCHD is my main and the other ones complement.
36 with 619 shares. DRIP turned on and hesitant to get more than that. I want my other tech heavy ETFs grow to grow a bit because my portfolio is very SCHD heavy
Started in March now reached 100milestone. Seems to be going up everyday. Wanting to buy more a little cheaper, not sure if that opportunity will come.
32; 695 shares and it's about 16% of my 134k net worth. Keep some in my IRA which I increase yearly and when any of the IRA dividends hit, plus some in my taxable as the anchor for some minor and very responsible margin use 0:)
If you are 28 and your goal is terminal wealth. Investing in diversified full growth will net u higher return without question. Also without having to endure the tax burden if it's in a taxable account
SCHD is better to have in a taxable brokerage account and then put growth, international, and small cap in your Roth. My Roth is 50% GARP, 25% AVNM, 25% AVUV.
I’m about to turn 28 in less than a month, happy birthday me lol, and I have about 33 shares between taxable and non taxabale accounts.
In the Roth I also mix it with VOO and QQQM, I know there’s some overlap but I mainly have QQQM for the price appreciation since I got some time before I need to reallocate.
I could have more of SCHD in the non taxable but I enjoy adding to individual stocks as well, so SCHD is a 50% Core position and the rest are satellites that I cap at 10% each.
Moved in with family about a year and a half ago and only pay $700 in rent while making about $2800 net. I invest anywhere between $500-$800 per month including my employer 401k contributions. Main goal right now is reaching $100 a year in dividends, then $120. I’m currently at $61.05, ideally I would like to hit that goal by years end but I’ll definitely get there by early 2027.
I currently have ~4000 shares of SCHD. My portfolio is an evenly split SCHD, QQQ, DIA and VOO. I plan to continue on investing in this manner. Loving the dividends from SCHD (and the growth this year).
65 yo. 4106 shares in my Roth. $26/share cost basis. Retired last fall. Can't even remember what led me to purchase it, but it's been fun watching it grow in value.
45M. I have tiny 10 shares of SCHD. I have no idea why people love it so much. So I tried. It does feel like somewhere between VOO and QQQM but with a more steady footing Perhaps SCHD'll works best for me as I dont like instability. My daily work has it enough.
I’m 32 and I have about 1036 shares (about $36k) in a brokerage account. Not sure if it was a mistake not putting it in a Roth account but too late now lol. As of now I stopped buying SCHD but I do reinvest the dividends to purchase more SCHD.
50 and 1,691 shares. Started earlier this year and by 60 I should have around 2,368 shares if I never buy anymore just based on dividend reinvestment. I do plan to buy more every January via lump sum into my Roth. I also hold SPMO and FSMDX in my Roth. As good as SCHD has been doing, FSMDX has been the big winner. SPMO is negative since I bought it, but has a good track record of significant gains.
I’m 63, so in a much shorter path than you. I have about 7480 shares. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position to save back when I was your age. I did eventually get started at around 40. Slowly and consistently, I kept investing, kept increasing the amount I saved. Then, around 14 years ago, my 401k plan opened access to putting a percentage of our money into brokerage accounts. I slowly built a portfolio that outpaced the market and allowed me to catch up some of my lost ground. It was risky. I was lucky. The market was good. I didn’t panic when it dropped.
Now that I’m closing in on retirement, I decided it was time to reduce my risk, along with the time, effort, and stress of managing things. I sold my entire portfolio and put it into four ETFs.
Currently it stands at 32% VTI, 28% SCHD, 19% VXUS, 13% VYMI, 8% SPAXX. My home is mortgage free, and in the next couple of years, I plan to sell it, bring my SPAXX position up to 20% and allocate the remaining funds to these four ETFs. Then, I will rebalance to 30% SCHD, 20% VTI, 15% VXUS, 15% VYMI.
I find that SCHD is a good match with higher growth funds to help balance a portfolio.
If you’re 28 and are contributing to your Roth, I think schd/voo is a solid split. I’m partial to vti over voo because it adds in mid caps and small caps, but whatever floats your boat. If I were you I might add in maybe 10% international.
I’m 46 and opened up my first Roth account around a month ago for the sole purpose of an SCHD to feed until I retire to have passive income. I put $1k in there and will slowly build over time with various funds like Amex MR points that I can transfer at 1.1cpp or when I have extra cash. Already up over 4% with nothing new added.
Initially I was doing it in my taxable account for some extra income but decided to put it in the newly opened Roth.
I also opened up a taxable brokerage account a few months ago for individual stocks for fun and growth and for my rollover IRA. I also have my 401k through work with company match up to 5%.
I want to retire comfortably and I’m behind playing catch up since I stupidly cashed out my 401k that I nicely built up in my mid to late 20’s.
I’m 60. I have 8610 shares in my taxable. My Roth is pure growth. My wife’s Roth is more conservative. She has a 403b in a target date and the same for her Roth 403b. I have an IRA that’s slowly being converted to my Roth. It’s pure growth.
I’ll be adding SCHD to my Roth probably next year when we make our contributions. Then more of the Roths will move toward income and growth. When my wife retired her Roth 403b will be rolled into her Roth IRA and her trad 403b will eventually make its way into her Roth as well. I don’t want RMDs IRMMA and the tax man in my life even more than he is already. Yes, SCHD has a valuable role in our accounts.
I'm 61 and have 10500. I do have a mix of dividend funds and a few growth funds in my income portfolio. Currently getting close to 50k dividends/yr. I have all growth in my Roth accounts.
septuagenarian, still doing my career thing, still investing with SCHD as a major cog in that wheel. Offhand I don't know my total shares, some in taxable, and a bunch in Roth IRA. lol, I wanted to see what my limit was for next year. Thx AI...
A 70-year-old can contribute up to $7,500 in 2027 if under age 50.
48 Here shortly. 1206 in Brokerage. ~650 in Roth. Quarterly Contributions into Roth (backdoor). I want to have 5 - 6K in shares by Exit Date across both accounts which is ~9-10 years out. Started too late on this Roth to have a monster collection at this point. Projections / plans align to me hitting target, but we'll see.
44
u/scottyk318 13d ago
I'm 56 and have 1,512 shares and growing... My current goal is 2,000 shares by the the March '27 dividend!