The defaults are editable assumptions
The starting inputs are $10,000 over 20 years, a 3.5% starting yield, 8% annual dividend growth and 7% annual price growth. These are illustrative numbers, not live fund data, a recommended forecast or a statement about what SCHD has earned.
Choose inputs that match the scenario you want to examine. For the fund's actual distributions and dated yield measures, use Schwab's official SCHD page. Schwab reports more than one yield measure; keep the definition and date with any value you bring into this calculator.
This model has one starting investment and no additional deposits. If you want to add money every year, use the DRIP calculator.
Prepare a SCHD scenario
The fund's full name is Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF. On its official page, start with Fund Details and the Yields section. Write down both the date and the name of the measure you use, such as distribution yield (TTM) or 30-day SEC yield. They are different measures; neither is an annual dividend-growth assumption.
Use Distributions to inspect the fund's recorded payments. If you compare per-share payments across years, check that the values use a consistent split-adjusted share basis. A stock split can change the per-share figures without the same change in the amount paid on a holding.
Then enter your own price-growth and dividend-growth assumptions. This calculator does not derive them from the fund page. Record why you chose each rate and try a less generous alternative alongside it.
Choose the model's reinvestment frequency separately. Quarterly means four equal portions of that model year's annual dividend per share. It does not import SCHD's actual payment dates or amounts.
Three ways to read the income result
Final portfolio value is the modeled value of the shares after the last reinvestment. Reinvested dividends are already inside it.
Income in final model year is the sum of dividend payments during the final completed model year. It is not a forward estimate of the following year's income.
Final-year income / final value divides that final year's modeled income by the final portfolio value. It is the calculator's own ratio. It is not SCHD's SEC yield or trailing distribution yield.
With zero years selected, no modeled dividend payment has occurred, so ending annual income is zero. That result describes an empty simulation period, not a claim about the fund.
A comparison with one changing assumption
Consider $10,000 over 10 years, a 3% starting yield, 3% annual price growth and quarterly reinvestment. Only annual dividend growth changes:
| Assumed dividend growth | Final value | Total dividends reinvested | Income in final model year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% per year | $17,393.60 | $3,433.07 | $382.88 |
| 2% per year | $17,799.36 | $3,805.73 | $466.98 |
| 5% per year | $18,513.78 | $4,464.62 | $627.39 |
These examples are hypothetical. They show how strongly the income result depends on an input that cannot be known in advance.
Even with 0% dividend growth, final-year income is higher than the initial $300 annual amount. Reinvestment has increased the modeled share count.
Dividend growth and price growth are different
Dividend growth changes the annual payment per share after each modeled year. Price growth changes the value of each share and the price at which payments are reinvested.
If the dividend grows faster than the price for a long period, the implied income yield rises. That mathematical result is a reason to examine the joint assumptions, not evidence that a high future yield is achievable.
A useful check is to lower dividend growth while keeping the other inputs fixed, then examine how much the income result changes. Change price growth separately to see its effect on valuation and reinvestment.
How the model steps through a year
The starting unit price is normalized to $100. Starting yield sets the first year's dividend per model share. At the chosen frequency, price follows the assumed growth path, an equal portion of the year's dividend is paid, and that payment buys fractional shares.
Cash payments are rounded to cents. The annual dividend per share grows after each completed year. The final year's income shown in the result uses payments already calculated for that year.
Normalized shares are useful for the model's arithmetic. They do not track SCHD's actual market price or corporate actions.
Limits to keep beside the result
This is not a historical replay. It does not load actual distributions, price volatility, distribution-date price adjustments, splits or a historical sequence of reinvestment prices.
The estimate assumes full reinvestment and excludes fees, taxes and inflation adjustments. It does not model future changes in a fund's holdings, policy or distributions. A smooth curve would only be a picture of constant assumptions.
For an estimate of cash income without reinvestment, use the dividend calculator. All examples here were checked against Groverow's current model on 8 September 2026.
Groverow is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Schwab Asset Management or the SCHD fund. Estimates only; this page makes no investment recommendation.