Is DFEN or SCHD a better dividend investment in 2026?

DFEN currently yields 10.04% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. SCHD yields 3.46% with 13.05% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: DFEN offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between DFEN and SCHD?

DFEN has a forward dividend yield of 10.04% ($5.70/share annually). SCHD yields 3.46% ($1.06/share annually). The yield gap is 6.58 percentage points.

Home › Compare › DFEN vs SCHD

DFEN vs SCHD: Dividend Comparison 2026

DFEN yields 10.04% · SCHD yields 3.46%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 DFEN wins by $9.8K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

DFEN

● Live price

10.04%

Share price

$56.75

Annual div

$5.70

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$38.8K

Annual income

$1,885.62

Full DFEN calculator →

SCHD

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

● Live price

3.46%

Share price

$30.48

Annual div

$1.06

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$29.0K

Annual income

$425.95

Full SCHD calculator →

Portfolio growth — DFEN vs SCHD

📍 DFEN pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	DFEN	SCHD
2008–2009 GFC	— No data	— No data
2020 Q1–Q2 COVID	— No data	— No data
2022 Q4 Rate Hike	— No data	— No data

Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, DFEN + SCHD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

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Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

DFEN pays

SCHD pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

DFEN

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$853.10/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,602.78/yr

SCHD

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$294.40/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$362.06/yr

At 15% tax rate, DFEN beats the other by $1,240.72/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of DFEN + SCHD for your $10,000?

DFEN: 50%SCHD: 50%

100% SCHD50/50100% DFEN

Portfolio after 10yr

$33.9K

Annual income

$1,155.78/yr

Blended yield

3.41%

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

DFEN buys

SCHD buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Virginia Foxx	🏢 House	$SCHD	▼ Sell	$50,001 - $100,000	2023-03-08
Steve Cohen	🏢 House	$SCHD	▲ Buy	$50,001 - $100,000	2022-07-29
Hakeem S. Jeffries	🏢 House	$SCHD	▲ Buy	$15,001 - $50,000	2021-04-12
Mikie Sherrill	🏢 House	$SCHD	▲ Buy	$100,001 - $250,000	2020-02-21

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricDFENSCHD

Forward yield	10.04% ✓	3.46%
Annual dividend / share	$5.70 ✓	$1.06
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$38.8K ✓	$29.0K
Annual income after 10y	$1,885.62 ✓	$425.95
Total dividends collected	$14.4K ✓	$3.9K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: DFEN vs SCHD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	DFEN Portfolio	DFEN Income/yr	SCHD Portfolio	SCHD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,704	$1,003.65	$11,226	$346.36	+$478.00 → DFEN
2	$13,621	$1,097.79	$12,572	$357.38	+$1.0K → DFEN
3	$15,768	$1,194.03	$14,046	$367.84	+$1.7K → DFEN
4	$18,164	$1,291.85	$15,660	$377.73	+$2.5K → DFEN
5	$20,826	$1,390.77	$17,425	$387.07	+$3.4K → DFEN
6	$23,774	$1,490.29	$19,354	$395.86	+$4.4K → DFEN
7	$27,028	$1,589.96	$21,461	$404.13	+$5.6K → DFEN
8	$30,610	$1,689.33	$23,762	$411.89	+$6.8K → DFEN
9	$34,540	$1,788.01	$26,272	$419.15	+$8.3K → DFEN
10	$38,844	$1,885.62	$29,010	$425.95	+$9.8K → DFEN

DFEN vs SCHD: Complete Analysis 2026

DFEN — Stock

The Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X ETF seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index. There is no guarantee the fund will achieve its stated investment objective.

Full DFEN Calculator →

SCHD — ETF

The fund’s goal is to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the total return of the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index.

Full SCHD Calculator →

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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.